A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over parts of New Jersey and the East Coast in recent weeks, sparking speculation and concern over who sent them and why.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X.

Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don’t appear to be a threat to public safety, but many state and municipal lawmakers have nonetheless called for stricter rules about who can fly the unmanned aircraft.

The FBI is among several agencies investigating and has asked residents to share videos, photos and other information they may have about the drones.

Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing drones in New Jersey starting in November.

At first, the drones were spotted flying along the scenic Raritan River, a waterway that feeds the Round Valley Reservoir, the state’s largest aquifer, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of New York City.

But soon sightings were reported statewide, including near the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.

The aircraft have also recently been spotted in coastal areas.

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith said a Coast Guard commanding officer told him a dozen drones closely followed a Coast Guard lifeboat near Barnegat Light and Island Beach State Park in Ocean County over the weekend.

Drone sightings have now been reported in New York City, where a permit is required, and Mayor Eric Adams says the city is investigating and collaborating with New Jersey and federal officials.

The runways at Stewart International Airport – about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of New York City — were shut down for about one hour Friday night because of drone activity in the airspace, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

“This has gone too far,” she said in a statement.

The governor called on Congress to pass legislation to strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones and give more authority to state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate the activity.

“Extending these powers to New York State and our peers is essential,” she said. “Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people.”

The White House has said that a review of the reported sightings shows that many of them are actually manned aircraft being flown lawfully, echoing the opinion of officials and drone experts.

The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”

Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, who was briefed by the Department of Homeland Security, said the reported drones have been up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) in diameter and sometimes travel with their lights switched off. This is much larger than those typically flown by drone hobbyists and she said they appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio.

Authorities say they do not know who is behind the drones.

The FBI, Homeland Security and state police are investigating the sightings. Authorities say they don’t know if it is one drone that has been spotted many times or if there are multiple aircraft being flown in a coordinated effort.

Speculation has raged online, with some expressing concerns that the drone or drones could be part of a nefarious plot by foreign agents. Officials stress that ongoing state and federal investigations have found no evidence to support those fears.

Two Republican Jersey Shore-area congressmen, Smith and U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, have called on the military to shoot down the drones, citing safety concerns.

The Pentagon insists the drones do not represent a threat from abroad.

Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday that the military’s initial assessment after consulting with the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Council — that the drones are not of foreign origin — remains unchanged.

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Wednesday that the aircraft are not U.S. military drones.

President-elect Donald Trump has posted that he believes the government knows more than it’s saying. “Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” he posted on his social media site.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut on Thursday said the drowns should be “shot down, if necessary,” even as it remains unclear who owns the unmanned aircraft.

“We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” Blumenthal said.

Experts, however, warn not to shoot at anything in the sky.

Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings and said she doesn’t believe the assertion that the drones aren’t a risk to public safety.

“How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.”

The flying of drones for recreational and commercial use is legal in New Jersey, but it is subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight restrictions.

In New York City, a permit is required to take off or land an unmanned aircraft.

Operators must be FAA certified.

Sightings also have been reported in Virginia and elsewhere.

Two people said they spotted an aircraft Thursday night near Virginia Beach that was unlike any other they’ve seen.

The flying object was over the ocean and they watched as it slowly moved over a Virginia Army National Guard facility, John Knight told The Virginian-Pilot.

“It was definitely different,” said Knight, who took videos of what he thinks was a drone the size of a small truck.

“It flew like a helicopter but made no noise,” he added.

The Virginia National Guard did not have any aircraft operating in the facility’s area Thursday night, according to spokesperson A.A. “Cotton” Puryear. Its leadership is aware of the incident and it’s under investigation, Puryear said.

Another military installation in the area is Naval Air Station Oceana Dam Neck Annex. NAS Oceana, the East Coast master jet base in Virginia Beach, is aware of recent reports of drone sightings in the area and is coordinating with federal and state agencies to ensure the safety of its personnel and operations, Katie Hewett, public affairs officer, said in an email Friday.

Knight submitted the videos Thursday night to the FBI tip line.

Drones were also spotted last month in the U.K. The U.S. Air Force said several small unmanned aircraft were detected near four military bases in England that are used by American forces.

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Miller reported from Oklahoma City. Bruce Schreiner contributed from Shelbyville, Kentucky.

Mysterious drones have been showing up in the skies above New Jersey and other states for weeks, confounding residents and prompting lawmakers to call for more answers as to what exactly is going on.

Since mid-November, the drones have been lighting up night skies with no real explanation. While plenty of questions remain surrounding the phenomenon, here is what we do know.

When were the drones first spotted?

The drones were first spotted in New Jersey on Nov. 18. They appear to show up in the late hours of the night, though it is not clear if they are present every single night.

A senior official briefed on the New Jersey drone sightings told NBC News there have been reports of sightings every night except Thanksgiving and that there have been “little to no” reports of drones during the day.

NBC News has been tracking reports of possible drone sightings, mostly in New Jersey, since at least Dec. 3.

Where are the drones being spotted now?

The drones were first spotted in North Jersey, but now appear to be popping up throughout the state. NBC News has also tracked possible drone sightings in New York, Maryland and Florida.

Where are they coming from and why are they there?

These remain the biggest unknowns, with officials unable to pinpoint where the mysterious objects originated or explain exactly what they are doing there.

“We have no idea where these drones come from, who owns them. We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. said on Thursday.

The Pentagon has said they are not owned by the military and that they are not coming from an Iranian “mothership” on the east coast, as suggested by Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J.

What kind of drones are they?

Officials have said the drones appear to be commercial-grade, not recreational, and could be up to 6 feet in diameter.

At a Wednesday briefing with a representative from the Department of Homeland Security and local officials from New Jersey, officials said they cannot confirm whether the drones belong to U.S. companies or foreign entities.  

How many drone sightings have there been?

Mayors who were present at the Wednesday briefing told NBC News that no one from state or federal agencies was able to confirm exactly how many drones had been spotted over New Jersey.

One said they know of “at least 400 sightings,” and another said “there could be thousands.”

In a Wednesday segment of a program on radio station WBGO, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said that there could be “overreporting” of sightings, with many residents potentially seeing the same device or mistaking other flying objects for drones. 

A senior official briefed on the drone sightings in New Jersey said there were 79 reports of drone sightings overnight from Thursday to Friday in the state.

Several New Jersey officials have said the drone sightings occur up to 180 times per night.

What have officials said?

Numerous officials, including the FBI, have said the drones don’t appear to pose a threat, but are unable to provide more information. The FBI is the lead agency investigating the matter.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the drones earlier this week.

In a statement to NBC News, the U.S. Secret Service confirmed it “does not currently have any unmanned aerial systems operating in or around New Jersey or New York.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched a new website dedicated to drones that aims to answer common questions about the flying objects.

One common thread among lawmakers is that no one really knows what’s going on.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a post on X, “neither the White House, the military, the FBI, or Homeland Security have any idea what they are, where they came from, or who has launched or is controlling them–and that they pose no threat.”

Lawmakers have also expressed frustration with the lack of information from federal officials, demanding answers in a timely manner.

“That response is entirely unacceptable,” Hogan continued. “I join with the growing bipartisan chorus of leaders demanding that the federal government immediately address this issue.”

Murphy, the New Jersey governor, wrote letters to Biden, Sens. Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, Rep. Mike Johnson and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries urging Congress to take action. 

Murphy said he wants to “encourage Congress to pass legislation empowering state and local law enforcement entities to use advanced detection and mitigation technologies to deal with UAS.” 

What happens if a drone is over your house?

Drones have to be operated by a pilot so they aren’t a threat to people or their property, according to the FAA’s website dedicated to drones, which suggests contacting local law enforcement if you think someone is unsafely flying a drone.

But you definitely shouldn’t try to shoot them down, experts told NBC News, despite some lawmakers suggesting you should.

Experts said that shooting drones is illegal and could result in serious injuries. The FAA classifies drones as aircraft and, under the Aircraft Sabotage Act, damaging or destroying aircraft is a federal offense — even if it’s flying over private property. 

“A private citizen shooting at any aircraft — including unmanned aircraft — poses a significant safety hazard. An unmanned aircraft hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air,” the FAA said.

It could also start fires, according to Pramod Abichandani, an associate professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the director of the school’s Advanced Air Mobility Lab.

“A drone has a lithium battery for the most part,” Abichandani said. “If you shoot at it, assuming you target it correctly and you actually hit the drone, the drone is going to fall somewhere. The lithium battery can explode, cause a fire, and of course, it can cause damage to property.”

Abichandani also noted the dangers of shooting into the night sky.

“God forbid that stray bullet lands somewhere and hits somebody,” he said.