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New Jersey residents frustrated with a lack of answers regarding dozens of potential drone sightings in the skies above their homes are threatening to take action on their own if the government doesn’t start providing answers.
James Ward, a Jersey Shore realtor, shared video on Facebook that he said showed “SUV-size drones” above Island Beach State Park taken Sunday. It’s difficult to judge their size in the clip, which showed a number of lights hovering in the sky.
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“Dozens of SUV-size drones in all directions,” the caption read. “Emerging at same time and flying over the ocean and then heading in different directions – what do you think?”
This photo taken in the Bay Shore section of Toms River of what appear to be large drones hovering in the area at high altitudes in New Jersey on Sunday, December 8, 2024. The drones seemed to be well above the 400 feet height FAA regulations allow. (Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press/Imagn)
“A good shotgun will fix that problem,” one commenter replied.
NEW JERSEY DRONE SIGHTINGS: MILITARY ANALYSTS BREAK DOWN NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS, DOUBT HOBBYISTS AT PLAY
“Why hasn’t anyone shot one down to look for a serial number to trace it back to the operator?” another wrote. “I would think that could provide a clue.”
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“Semi auto 3 inch magnum 00 buck full choke!” yet another replied.
Experts warn that it is typically illegal to shoot down a drone flying over a property. The Federal Aviation Administration told Forbes in 2016 that shooting down a drone is illegal under the same federal law prohibiting the sabotage of any other aircraft.
FAA regulations also prohibit the unsafe or unauthorized operation of an aircraft — manned or not.
The talk of taking matters into their own hands came after Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, and two Republican congressmen called on the federal government to shoot down any unidentified drones in the area. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been pressing investigators and regulators for answers for weeks.
FBI LEADER SAYS IT’S ‘CONCERNING’ HOW LITTLE HIS AGENCY KNOWS ABOUT MYSTERIOUS DRONES SEEN OVER NEW JERSEY
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The source of the drones remains a mystery, and it’s not even clear that all of the flying objects are drones and not manned aircraft. Experts note that the navigation lights are a big hint that whoever’s flying them isn’t trying to keep them hidden.
“Upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told reporters Thursday.
Many of the reported sightings, however, involve objects that witnesses say look larger than typical retail drones, like the ones spotted above Island Beach State Park.
MYSTERIOUS DRONE SIGHTINGS CONTINUE TO BE REPORTED IN NEW JERSEY WITHOUT ANSWERS
An Army spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Picatinny Arsenal had requested and received a temporary flight restriction until Dec. 26 for its airspace as a result of the abundance of reported drone sightings in the area.
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An image from the Bay Shore section of Toms River of what appears to be large drones hovering in the area at high altitudes in New Jersey Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.(Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press/Imagn)
The FAA said it is investigating the reported sightings and also issued a temporary flight restriction for the airspace around the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.
“We look into all reports of unauthorized drone operations and investigate when appropriate,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Drone operators who conduct unsafe operations that endanger other aircraft or people on the ground could face fines up to $75,000. In addition, we can suspend or revoke drone operators’ pilot certificates.”
“It is an offense to actually shoot down an aircraft,” said James McDanolds, the program chair at the School of Uncrewed Technology at Sonoran Desert Institute. “There are many people in the past that took matters into their own hands, if you will, and shot down a drone, most of them in a small area, even small drones, and have gotten fines and jail time for doing so.”
Residents and state officials have been seeking answers for weeks since the sightings first began cropping up in mid-November.
State Sen. Joe Pennacchio, a Republican, even sent a letter to President-elect Trump asking the incoming administration to prioritize an investigation into the matter.
“Local, county, and state law enforcement officials are working diligently trying to find answers,” he wrote. “Without these answers we have no idea whether the citizens of our state are safe. Unfortunately, they depend on our federal security agencies for answer and directions. To date, almost a month into their initial sightings no answers have come from those federal agencies.”
MANY JERSEY ‘DRONE’ SIGHTINGS ARE LAWFULLY OPERATED MANNED AIRCRAFT, WHITE HOUSE SAYS
In this image taken from video provided by MartyA45, several drones appear to be flying over Randolph, N.J., Dec. 4, 2024. (MartyA45/TMX via AP, File)
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In Washington, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was expecting a classified briefing on the drone mystery Thursday.
FBI leaders had few answers at a public hearing earlier this week.
Asked if Americans are “at risk,” FBI Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group Robert Wheeler told Congress, “There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don’t know. And that’s the concerning part.”
A hearing involving the FBI and other law enforcement left state lawmakers unsatisfied earlier this week, with state Rep. Brian Bergen storming out of the meeting and telling NewsNation it was “the biggest waste of five hours in my life.”
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“They don’t know where the drones are coming from, they don’t know who’s doing it. They don’t know why they’re doing it,” he said. “But they say there’s ‘no credible threat.’ It was annoying to be there.”
According to Gov. Murphy, there were 49 reports of drones on Sunday alone, mostly in Hunterdon County.
A map showing drone sightings around New Jersey.(Fox News)
In Southern California Wednesday, federal prosecutors announced the arrest of a Chinese citizen accused of using a hacked drone to take photos of the Vandenberg Space Force Base from a mile up.
“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base’s layout, which is against the law,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “The security of our nation is of paramount importance, and my office will continue to promote the safety of our nation’s military personnel and facilities.”
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Yinpiao Zhou, 39, was arrested Monday, more than a week after drone-detecting equipment spotted the intrusion. There’s no known connection between that case and the New Jersey sightings, leaving residents hungry for answers.
Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Here’s a brief look at 10 of the more notable mansions found in the Ocean State, listed in order of their values as assessed by their municipality.
Journal Staff
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Rhode Island is offering state employees up to $200 in reimbursement for costs related to refiling their taxes.
The reimbursement follows a series of payroll glitches and botched W-2 forms caused by a new state accounting system.
Problems with the new system included underpayments, overpayments, and incorrect employer information on tax documents.
The McKee administration is offering up to $200 to any state employee who incurred any additional expense in filing, and then having to refile, their taxes because of a series of botched paychecks and W-2s.
How did we get here? On April 15, also known as Tax Day, Patrick Crowley, the president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, called on the McKee administration to reimburse public service workers who had to refile their taxes because of a series of several payroll glitches.
On May 4, Thomas Verdi, the acting director of the Department of Administration, sent state workers a “Dear Colleagues” email that said:
“We recognize that the W-2 corrections released by the state may have resulted in additional tax preparation costs for individuals who had to amend their tax returns.
“To assist with this expense, the state will provide a one-time reimbursement for up to $200 for tax preparation and filing costs an employee incurred to amend a federal and/or state tax return directly related to the W-2Cs issued by the State of Rhode Island.”
More: How the new, $99M state payroll system put RI at ‘significant risk’
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The latest in a litany of financial issues with state’s payroll system
The Department of Administration has not yet responded to Journal inquiries about the projected cost to the state.
But the list of well-publicized problems goes on and on.
They have included underpayments, overpayments, botched W-2s that misidentified their employer as the “Rhode Island Umbrella Company,” and a problem with Health Savings Account contributions where the employer and employee contributions were reported separately, instead of combined and will require new W-2Cs to go out to impacted employees. according to Department of Administration spokeswoman Karen Greco.
And about $220,000 in union dues inadvertently wound up in employee paychecks instead of being withheld from them.
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Most, though not all, of the glitches were attributed to problems with the state’s buggy new $99 million finance and accounting system known as Enterprise Resource Planning, or ERP, which launched in late 2025.
A Department of Administration spokeswoman told The Journal on April 15 that “significant progress has been made to ensure employees who required paycheck corrections are made whole,” but Crowley said his members “shouldn’t pay for mistakes they didn’t make.”
“That is why we are calling on the state of Rhode Island to reimburse state workers who have incurred expenses for refiling their taxes or may have to do so before problems are corrected.”
Olivia DaRocha, a spokeswoman for Gov. Dan McKee, said at that time that the administration was looking at potential ways to support impacted employees.
The email from Verdi to state workers included an “affidavit” for state workers to sign to verify how much, if anything, additional they had to pay to amend their tax returns.
MONTPELIER — Vermont Humanities announced the winners of the Vermont Book Awards for outstanding literature in 2025 on Saturday at a cocktail and dessert celebration in Montpelier, attended by almost 200 readers, writers, and supporters of literature and the humanities.
The winners in each of their respective categories were Sasha Hom for “sidework” (Fiction), Helen Whybrow for “The Salt Stones” (Creative Nonfiction), Carlene Kucharczyk for “Strange Hymn” (Poetry), and Mima Tipper for “Kat’s Greek Summer” (Children’s Literature).
The celebration was held in the chapel in College Hall on the Greenway Institute campus. The room was full of writers, including previous winners of the Vermont Book Awards. The keynote speaker was Vermont Poel Laureate Bianca Stone, who is the author of multiple books of poetry, including “The Near and Distant World,” which came out in 2026, and “What is Otherwise Infinite,” which won the 2022 Vermont Book Award in poetry.
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The winners of the Vermont Book Award each received a prize of $1,000 and a specially commissioned art object created by Vermont artist Bess French, a nationally and internationally exhibiting sculptural artist, whose work is inspired by the natural world and found objects.
Vermont Humanities Executive Director Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup also formally announced Vermont Reads 2026: “Charity and Sylvia,” by former Vermont Cartoonist Laureate Tillie Walden. Based on the true story of an early 19th century couple in Weybridge, Vermont, Kaufman Ilstrup said, “Here at Vermont Humanities, we can’t think of a better way to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, than to uplift this gentle story of two women who grew up and came of age with our Country.”
The Vermont Book Awards are annual prizes for outstanding literature in Vermont, presented by Vermont Humanities. The event was supported by Phoenix Books, the Vermont Arts Council, the Norwich Bookstore, Montpelier Performing Arts Hub, Greenway Institute, Susan Z. Ritz, and the Vermont Department of Libraries.
