A startling heatmap shared exclusively with DailyMail.com shows the shocking extent of apparent drone activity in a New Jersey county as the mysterious aircraft continues to fly through the skies.
The Garden State was at the epicenter of the recent wave of flying objects, which baffled experts and worried local lawmakers as the central government struggled to provide concrete answers about what’s going on.
As many as 964 incidents have been recorded in New Jersey since the first sighting on Nov. 19 through Dec. 13, according to statistics collected by the state’s Office of Emergency Management and shared with police. New York Post.
Officials in Monmouth County, where residents reported 63 sightings over the period, shared a heat map showing where the unmanned aircraft appears to be circulating.
The reports are concentrated in the densely populated urban areas where more eyes are on the sky, but the map also illustrates how observations cover almost all inhabited parts of the coastal region.
Monmouth County is home to the Naval Weapons Station Earle, a naval base. Experts have speculated that foreign powers could target areas like this, where intelligence and weapons bases are located.
Hunterdon County residents have made the most reports to police, with 243 reports in the area since Nov. 19, while 169 were from Somerset County, 75 from Bergen County and 59 from Union County.
A laundry list of witnesses, including legislatorshave reported seeing them in New Jersey and beyond.
Officials in Monmouth County, where residents reported 63 sightings over the period, shared a heat map showing where the unmanned aircraft appears to be circulating
Monmouth County is home to the Naval Weapons Station Earle, a naval base. Experts have speculated that foreign powers could target areas like this, where intelligence and weapons bases are located. (Pictured: NJ landmarks where drones have been spotted overhead)
The plane was initially spotted flying along the scenic Raritan River, which feeds the Round Valley Reservoir, the state’s largest aquifer, about 50 miles west of New York City.
But soon sightings were reported across the state, including near the Picatinny Arsenal, a military research and production facility, and above President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.
The planes have also recently been spotted in coastal areas.
Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Smith said a Coast Guard commander told him that a dozen drones were closely tracking a Civil Guard rescue boat near Barnegat Light and Island Beach State Park in Ocean County last weekend.
Smith urged the Pentagon to authorize the use of force to shoot down one or more drones over the ocean or an unpopulated area to try to find out who deployed them.
“Why can’t we take at least one of these drones and get to the bottom of it?” said Smith.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, another Republican congressman from Jersey Shore, has also called on the military to shoot down the SUV-sized drones.
Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said people should not take it into their own hands to shoot down drones, which would violate state and federal laws.
Drone sightings have also spread to New York, where a permit is required. Mayor Eric Adams said the city is investigating and cooperating with New Jersey and federal officials.
The runways at Stewart International Airport — about 60 miles north of the city — were shut down for about an hour Friday evening due to drone activity in the airspace, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
“This goes too far,” she said in a statement.
Swarms of drones have been seen in New Jersey skies for weeks, prompting officials to call for a ‘limited state of emergency’
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The governor called on Congress to strengthen the FAA’s oversight of drones and give more investigative power to state and local law enforcement.
“Extending these powers to New York State and our colleagues is essential,” she said.
“Until these powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden administration must intervene by sending additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people.”
Adding to the confusion, White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby has said the planes are involved not foreign – and they may not even be drones.
“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a threat to national security or public safety, or have any foreign connection,” Kirby told reporters Thursday.
“The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are investigating these sightings, and they are working closely with state and local law enforcement agencies to provide resources using numerous detection methods to better understand their origins,” Kirby said.
He said the agencies used “highly sophisticated electronic detection technologies” but “have not been able — and neither state nor local law enforcement — to confirm any of the reported visual sightings.”
“On the contrary, upon review of the available images, it appears that many of the reported sightings are in fact manned aircraft being operated legally,” he said, denying that the aircraft were even drones.