Mysterious drones spotted near Trump Golf Course in New Jersey after Gov. Murphy and the FBI responded to other sightings

After sightings in northern New Jersey, police authorities in South Jersey are now reporting Sightings of mysterious drones in the sky.

Police departments in Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel, Medford and Evesham Township — all close to each other — all received complaints about drone activity Thursday evening, Evesham Police Chief Walt Miller told reporters Friday.

Reports continued to come in Saturday from other South Jersey cities, including Voorhees, which issued a community bulletin alerting residents to “a recent increase in suspicious drone activity in our area.” And viewers in Medford, Burlington County and Brick, Ocean County said drone activity continued overnight Friday into Saturday.

Evesham police said on social media that members are “aware of the recent increase in drone activity over the community” and are “working with state and federal authorities to identify the drone operators and understand the purpose of these activities.” “.

Troy McNair said he saw a drone near his home in Clementon, New Jersey, several times this week – hovering over the Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia in Pine Hill, New Jersey.

“It flew by and then came back and just floated. I said it’s definitely a drone,” McNair said. “I’m just trying to figure out if there’s anything nefarious, anything suspicious going on.”

Evesham police are investigating connections to other drone sightings in North Jersey this week, Miller said.

Earlier this week, a police chief in Morris County warned residents about it “Nefarious” drones seen near critical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, power lines, and police and military facilities, CBS News New York reported.

Videos from residents showed the fast-moving flying objects whizzing through the air with flashing lights.

The drone activity in Evesham was first reported around 8pm on Thursday when the department received several calls. Officers responded to those calls and saw drones in the sky, Miller said. An estimated four to eight drones flew over the community. The activity continued until about 11:15 p.m., when the drones reached Cherry Hill.

Miller described the drones as “very large” and noted, “Someone described the drones as being the size of an SUV.” They appear to be larger than the typical drone you can buy at an electronics store and were still able to fly around and control keep Strong winds swept through the area Thursday evening, prompting a wind advisory from the National Weather Service.

“There is definitely concern. “We do get reports of drone activity, but it’s typically the type of drone activity that is being purchased,” Miller said.

“Last night was interesting just because of the wind, which prevented one of these small hobby drones from flying. (The) larger, I guess professional (drone) activity that was going on out there was of greater concern, particularly in their ability to control the weather.”

With drones this size, any area they land in would be quite conspicuous, he explained.

“They have to land somewhere. They are very large and I know we are working with state police and federal authorities to figure that out,” Miller added.

“It just affects the amount of electronics that could be on board and the amount of information they can record,” said Bob Pomeroy, who lives in Evesham Township.

Anyone who spots one of the drones is asked to take a clear photo or video and send it to police. Many of the photos and videos submitted by residents show only the drone’s lights, while the body of the flying object is obscured by the lights.

Photos shared by Jersey Coast Emergency News showed a drone flying around Brick and a group of multiple drones in the sky over Toms River, New Jersey, on Thursday evening.

Gov. Phil Murphy wrote Thursday that he met with state and federal homeland security officials, including Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, to discuss drone activity in North and Central Jersey.

“We are actively monitoring the situation and coordinating closely with our federal and law enforcement partners on this matter,” Murphy’s post said. “There is currently no known risk to the public.”

Anyone with information can call the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI or submit a tip online here.

We reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has issued flight restrictions, also known as TFRs, at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster and Picatinny Arsenal in North Jersey, allegedly due to drone activity.

There are currently no flight restrictions in South Jersey, the agency said.

Here is an excerpt from a statement from an FAA spokesperson:

We review all reports of unauthorized drone operations and, if necessary, investigate. Drone operators who conduct unsafe operations that endanger other aircraft or people on the ground could face fines of up to $75,000. Additionally, we may suspend or revoke the pilot licenses of drone operators.

The agency works with federal and local law enforcement partners to educate them on how to respond to unsafe or unauthorized drone operations.