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Drone mystery: New Jersey homeowners threaten to take matters into their own hands if government doesn't act

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Drone mystery: New Jersey homeowners threaten to take matters into their own hands if government doesn't act

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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.”

WATCH: NJ rep rips high-ranking officials for dismissing Iran drone speculation

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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.

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Northeast

Brown University shooting videos show awareness and planning, experts say

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Brown University shooting videos show awareness and planning, experts say

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Federal investigators are continuing to piece together the December shootings that killed two Brown University students and an MIT professor, leaving nine others wounded, authorities said.

Authorities on Tuesday released transcripts of videos they say were recorded by Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the man responsible for the Brown University mass shooting and the killing of an MIT physicist.

Two Brown students, Ella Cook, 19, and Muhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, were killed in the Dec. 13 shooting on the Providence, Rhode Island, campus, and nine other people were wounded, authorities said. Just two days later, Nuno Loureiro, a professor at MIT, was killed in Brookline, Mass.

As of the latest update, eight of the students injured at Brown had been released from the hospital, while one person remained hospitalized.

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Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts released this image showing the man identified in the deadly shootings of Brown University students in Rhode Island and a professor from MIT. (Justice Department)

BROWN UNIVERSITY SHOOTER CONFESSED IN VIDEOS TO PLANNING ATTACK FOR LONG TIME, SHOWED NO REMORSE: DOJ

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, investigators executed a federal search warrant on Dec. 18 at a storage facility used by Neves Valente, a Portuguese national. The FBI recovered an electronic device containing several short videos recorded after the shootings. Transcripts of those videos, translated from Portuguese to English, were released Tuesday.

In the recordings, prosecutors said Neves Valente admitted he had been planning the Brown shooting for a long time and said Brown was his intended target. Authorities said he did not provide a motive for targeting Brown students or the MIT professor.

Investigators said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced the gun used in the shootings as part of the investigation.

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Officials have not publicly released details about the weapon’s origin or purchase history. Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI for comment.

Split image showing Brown University victims Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, alongside MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, who was killed. (Instagram/elinacoutlakis/GoFundMe/Jake Belcher for MIT)

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Josh Schirard, a former tactical emergency response director at the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting and director of Byrna Law Enforcement, said the transcripts confirm responsibility for the attack but offer little clarity about why it occurred.

“He understood what he did. He understood that he had a why behind it,” Schirard said. “He just didn’t opine on why that was.”

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Schirard said the shooter rejected ideological explanations and denied being mentally ill.

Investigators tow away the Nissan Sentra used by Brown University shooter Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, Salem, N.H., Thursday, Dec. 19, 2025. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)

EVIDENCE SHOWS DEADLY BROWN, MIT SHOOTINGS MAY BE LINKED, SOURCES SAY: REPORT

“He even says, ‘I’m not mentally ill. I am very sane, and I did this knowing what I was doing,’” Schirard said.

“He talks about how killing those people was hard,” Schirard said, adding that the shooter said he envied people who could do so “without difficulty.”

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A split image shows Claudio Neves-Valente, identified as the Brown University gunman, wearing the same jacket as a man identified earlier as a person of interest in the case. (Providence Police Department)

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An autopsy previously found Neves Valente died by suicide two days before his body was discovered in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire.

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Authorities said they do not believe there is any ongoing public safety threat associated with the shootings and that additional updates will be provided.

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Boston, MA

Boston woman flummoxed after rat makes a home in stroller she left on porch

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Boston woman flummoxed after rat makes a home in stroller she left on porch


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Boston Reddit did not mince words when it came to the best way of evicting this brazen stroller squatter.

A Boston woman is dealing with an unwelcome tenant on her front porch — a rat that has turned a baby stroller into a cozy winter hideaway.

The woman shared her ordeal Thursday on the r/Boston subreddit, explaining that she had left her stroller, complete with a muff, on her second-floor porch. When she checked on it later, she discovered a rat had moved in.

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“I stupidly left our stroller with a muff out on the porch,” she wrote. “Today I found a big rat is nested in there. I can’t see clearly, but it seems it has chewed up the muff lining and is using the filling for a nest.”

The woman said she’s called a few pest control companies, but instead of offering immediate removal, they just tried to sell her a long-term bait boxing service. 

“…Which is fine, but I urgently need someone to just safely remove the rat and the nest so I can clean or dispose of the stroller if needed,” she wrote, adding that she couldn’t secure a next-day appointment and felt Monday was too far away.

Turning to Reddit for advice, the woman asked whether she should attempt to remove the rat herself, saying she was worried about being bitten or contracting a disease. “Which professional can I call?” she asked.

Redditors reacted with a mix of humor and practical advice. The top comment began, “Sounds like it’s their porch now,” before offering an elaborate plan involving a bucket trap and joking that the rat could then “go on to be a Michelin star chef at a French restaurant,” a nod to the 2007 film “Ratatouille.”

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Others suggested she evict the rat by vigorously shaking the stroller or whacking it with a broom, while many urged her to cut her losses entirely and throw the stroller out.

“I honestly wouldn’t ever use it for a small child after a rat had been cribbed up there,” one commenter wrote.

Pest control experts generally advise against handling rats without professional help. According to Terminix, rodents can become aggressive and scratch when threatened and may carry diseases such as hantavirus and leptospirosis.

“When it comes to getting rid of a rat’s nest in the house, DIY treatments won’t cut it,” the company warns on its website.

Boston has been grappling with heightened rat activity in recent years, prompting a citywide rodent action plan known as BRAP. City officials urge residents to “see something, squeak something!” and report rodent activity to 311. Officials said response teams are typically dispatched within one to two days.

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Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.





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Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburgh Pirates Swap with A’s That Makes Sense For Both Clubs

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Pittsburgh Pirates Swap with A’s That Makes Sense For Both Clubs


The Pittsburgh Pirates could use some bats, and the A’s are still looking to add some pitching this winter, so how likely is it that these clubs come together on a deal?

According to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are still on the lookout for some help on the left side of the infield. Over at Roster Resource, their starters at short and third as listed as Nick Gonzales (82 wRC+ in 2025) and Jared Triolo (86).

While the A’s are having a little showdown of their own at third base this spring, they have a number of players in the mix. Perhaps they could move one of them in a deal with Pittsburgh in order to land a relief pitcher with some upside.

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The proposed deal that we have in mind is the A’s sending third baseman Brett Harris, who may be starting as the third option at the hot corner this spring. Harris has a tremendous glove at third, and statistically it appears to be at least on par with the glove what Triolo provided last season.

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In just 183 2/3 innings with the A’s in 2025, Harris put up a +5 DRS, and +2 in both OAA and FRV. Triolo, in roughly 80 extra innings finished with a +7 DRS and +4 in both OAA and FRV. Both players are solid defensively.

Triolo has had more experience in the big leagues, which does account for something, but if you’re the Pirates, do you consider making a change and taking a chance on a similar defender with more upside in the bat? Their current option hit .227 with a .311 OBP and an 86 wRC+ last season in 376 plate appearances. Harris could put together a double-digit home run season at the very least.

Harris played in just 32 games (84 plate appearances) and hit .274 with a .349 OBP and a 96 wRC+. While he certainly looked like an improved player over his initial stint in the big leagues with the A’s in 2024, there was also some luck involved in his improvement—mainly his .377 BABIP. The risk for the Pirates would be taking the chance on that bat being for real.

In exchange, the proposed piece that the Pirates would send back in 30-year-old Yohan Ramírez. The right-hander ranks in the 94th percentile in extension on top of sitting at 96.4 miles per hour with his heater, which is quite appealing. He also held a 5.40 ERA (3.80 FIP) last season, so he’s far from a finished product, and given his age, he’s a flier himself.

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This is the type of pitcher that the A’s have had success with in recent seasons—guys that can collect strikeouts but also tend to issue free passes. In 2025 with the Pirates, he struck out 29% of the batters he faced and walked 10.3%.

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There are two interesting tidbits in his profile that could cause a little worry. The first is that he’s bounced around quite a bit in recent seasons, including spending time with the Dodgers, Mets, Orioles and Red Sox in 2024. Those are all teams that love to pull extra value from guys, and if they all gave up on him, then that’s not the greatest track record.

All of those teams seemed to view him as a guy that could provide a few innings when their bullpens were gassed, which led to him having short stints with each club, totaling a 6.20 ERA (4.26 FIP) across 45 innings.

The other interesting piece here is that when he has been with the Pirates, in both 2025 and back in 2022, his velocity has ticked up considerably. In 2022, he also spent time with the Mariners, and he was sitting 94.2. But with Pittsburgh, that went up to 96.5. In 2024, he topped out at 95.3 mph with the O’s and Mets.

This past season he was back to 96.2 mph. Is there something special for him about pitching in Pittsburgh? Do their radar guns run a little hot? Is this more of a time of year situation that gets hammered out over longer stints (like with the Pirates)? It’s unclear.

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But if he’s truly a 96-mile-per-hour reliever that the A’s could add to their ‘pen, then this trade may be worth some heavy consideration.

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Of course, Ramírez is out of options which would make this a little tricky, and Harris has roughly double the amount of team control, so the value may have to be squared away by adding another piece or two to the ledger. But these two players, Harris and Ramírez, could do a lot of good for the opposite clubs.

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