NEW STORY: Drone sightings around СŷƵ continue for a second night as mystery grows
Mystery drones have been seen in the skies over New Jersey in recent weeks, and now the sightings have reached the СŷƵ and eastern Pennsylvania.
On Thursday evening, social media was abuzz with reports of lights in the sky, from the Easton area to the Slate Belt and beyond.
Numerous sightings were also reported just to the north in the Poconos. The Monroe County Office of Emergency Management in a said it was aware of the social media reports throughout the county.
“Please report any drone sightings in Monroe County, PA, by calling 911,” the post read. “Report the size, shape and color or any lights visible on the drones and the location of the drone sightings.”
The agency said anyone reporting the sightings could request to share live video footage with dispatchers.
“By reporting this to 911, we are able to pass your report on to the proper authorities,” the agency said.
However, by Friday afternoon, the agency removed its initial post and issued a new one, asking residents there to report sightings directly to the FBI going forward.
Multiple reports of the sightings were also called into authorities in Lehigh and Northampton counties, according to emergency radio dispatches. Just after midnight, that there was no further information to provide on the sightings, which were reported to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
A PEMA spokesperson said Friday that the agency is aware of the reports, and those reports are being shared with appropriate law enforcement partners.
Trooper Nathan Branosky, a state police spokesman, said state police received four calls in the southeast area of the state from people reporting seeing drones in the sky. None indicated any immediate threat to the public, he said.
“We’re in touch with our local and federal partners, and will continue to monitor the situation,” Branosky said.
The South Whitehall and Palmer Township police departments both said they received reports of sightings in their areas. The departments encouraged residents to contact the FBI.
Many of the sightings in the СŷƵ were reported over the Slate Belt region, with several dozen people in the saying they saw the unidentified objects.
Additional sightings were reported on the and Facebook pages from those respective areas.
Nick James, in response to a said he saw two drones Thursday evening in the Lower Macungie area, including one he had driven under near Route 100 and Spring Creek Road.
“It looked large and was about 200 feet up,” James said. “It looked much larger than the typical hobbyists’ drone. It hovered in that area for at least two hours.”
Philip Mantagas said he observed multiple orange and redish colored lights flying and hovering at different speeds over the Whitehall Township area. He also said a loud helicopter with green and red lights was traveling in their direction.
“Not everything I saw in the sky moved like a drone to me,” Mantagas said. “Some were flashing, white, fast-moving lights that could change direction very fast.”
Lois Galimi reported seeing a similar object in the Bethlehem area.
“Too small and fast to be an airplane,” Galimi said on Facebook. “Was able to turn pretty quickly. Had flashing red and green lights. High up in the sky.”
The increased drone activity was also observed across Bucks and Montgomery counties to the south of the СŷƵ.
As residents shared videos and photos of what they saw Thursday night, others on social media offered a simpler explanation for some of the sightings: they were simply airplanes visible on a clear night across the region.
Thursday night also happened to be the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, .
“The meteors will be visible throughout the entire night sky with the first shooting stars appearing not long after nightfall,” Accuweather reported.
However, the objects seen in some of the photos and videos being shared Thursday night clearly resembled drone-like devices.
The reported drone sightings have been plaguing New Jersey since mid-November, when they were first spotted near Morris County along the Raritan River. Since then the sightings have spread statewide, including over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster and near Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility.
Other sightings have been reported across the Philadelphia region and in New York over the last few weeks. On Thursday night, the drones were also seen in the New York City area, including over LaGuardia Airport.
Unidentified drones spotted flying at locations across NYC, including LaGuardia Airport
New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, who was briefed by the federal Department of Homeland Security, said the reported drones have been up to 6 feet in diameter.
Authorities have offered few clues as to the origin of the drones, saying simply they do not know. However, the Pentagon has said it does not believe the objects pose a threat from a foreign power. A Pentagon spokesperson this week also said the objects are not U.S. military drones.
Those statements didn’t stop two New Jersey congressmen — U.S. Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, — from calling on the military to shoot down the drones.
That was a sentiment shared by some people commenting on social media Thursday night in the wake of the СŷƵ sightings, musing about taking down the drones themselves.
However, attempting to shoot down a drone — even if it is flying over your own property — is highly dangerous and downright illegal under federal law, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Bill Gregory, president of the СŷƵ Radio Control Society, said Friday he was not sure what was causing the activity. From the news reports and photos he has seen, the drones appear to be multi-rotor drones, which are popular.
However, the multi-rotor drones that consumers have tend to be significantly smaller, Gregory said, adding that they are usually around 12 to 18 inches in diameter. The ones being reported seen are “huge,” he said.
“These aren’t ones you’re getting off Amazon,” he said, adding that the larger ones cost thousands of dollars.
Gregory said with the colder weather and the time of night the drones have been out, he did not think kids were responsible.
The FBI, Homeland Security and New Jersey state police continue to investigate the sightings. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online at .
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
