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Senator Andy Kim went out with local police to spot drones flying over New Jersey
Andy Kim @AndyKimNJ Dec 13, 2024Last night I went out with local police to spot drone flying over New Jersey, here’s what I saw. We drove to Round Valley Reservoir and the officer pointed to lights moving low over the tree line. Sometimes they were solid white light, others flashed of red and green.
We oriented ourselves with a flight tracker app to help us distinguish from airplanes. We often saw about 5-7 lights at a time that were low and not associated with aircraft we could see on the tracker app. Some hovered while others moved across the horizon.
We saw a few that looked like they were moving in small clusters of 2-4. We clearly saw several that would move horizontally and then immediately switch back in the opposite direction in maneuvers that plane can’t do.
The police officer said they see them out every night. They only seem to start when it gets dark and they disappear before dawn. They get reports that they sometimes fly low over homes, especially up in the hills.
The officer said they’ve tried to get closer with use of a helicopter but that the drones would turn off the lights and go dark if approached.
The parking lot at the reservoir had a number of cars of people coming to take a look for themselves. Several shared with me their own stories of having seen some up close. One described them being the size of the hood of a car.
I went to multiple locations across Hunterdon county to get different vantage points. This is a more rural part of NJ. It’s uncertain why it’s one of the more active area for reported activity. We are seeing reports through other parts of the state.
Any images or video footage people get, the police urge them to submit to the FBI, but I haven’t gotten any follow up yet from the FBI on their investigation and what they’ve compiled.
Homeland Security Secretary briefed last week on new technology they were deploying but we need details on what those efforts have yielded and if more resources are needed. If they haven’t fully identified the devices yet we still should know what is being done.
This has gone on for weeks. It’s hard to understand how with the technology we have we aren’t able to track these devices to determine origin and this makes me much more concerned about our capabilities more broadly when it comes to drone detection and counter measures.
I’ll continue to track these developments and share as much as possible to the people of NJ that deserve more answers than they are getting. END
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8 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Can't just magically put together an aerial extravaganza on the fly (usually)...
https://lumasky.show/
https://medium.com/@lumaskyshow/how-long-does-it-take-to-prepare-a-drone-show-7ccb0d093e8f
Liam Nissan™ @theliamnissan
THE DRONES ARE EATING OUR CATS, THEY'RE EATING OUR DOGS
...seriously, though, good catch.
Andy Kim @AndyKimNJ
After going out with police to observe reports of possible drones, I was with the help of civilian pilots and others able to do deeper analysis and concluded that most of the possible drone sightings that were pointed out to me were almost certainly planes. Let me explain: THREAD
3:46 PM · Dec 14, 2024
While not receiving any feedback/info from federal officials, I reached out to civilian aviators/others for analysis. I used public flight tracking tools to recreate the conditions of my time out. For instance I was at Round Valley Reservoir at 9:20pm and shot this video.
While not receiving any feedback/info from federal officials, I reached out to civilian aviators/others for analysis. I used public flight tracking tools to recreate the conditions of my time out. For instance I was at Round Valley Reservoir at 9:20pm and shot this video.
I share this because this is the kind of analysis we need but are not getting from the federal government to explain this situation. FAA experts have much more experience/resources to identify aircraft. Instead I’m left to draw on civilian support and public apps.
I don’t discount others may have seen actual drone activity, and not all I saw is fully explained by flight paths, but much of it was. And I think the process through which I got confirmation points to the kind of explanation we need from gov authorities to address the public’s concern.
Press releases from federal agencies that don’t share analysis of evidence and instead just reiterate statements aren’t helpful in this moment. We have a lot of distrust in politics/government right now, and we need federal gov to respect the right for the public to be informed.
Federal experts should provide information and guidance to the public including local police departments like the one that took me out to help them decipher what they are seeing. Instead myself and others requesting are getting no feedback.
I think this situation in some ways reflects this moment in our country. People have a lot anxiety right now about the economy, health, security etc. And too often we find that those charged with working on these issues don’t engage the public with the respect and depth needed.
I’ll keep pressing to get answers about possible drones and help us understand what’s going on. On top of that, I’ll push for a government that is more responsive to the people. A customer service governance that treats people with respect, transparency and accountability. END
thread:
THE DRONES ARE EATING OUR CATS, THEY'RE EATING OUR DOGS
...seriously, though, good catch.
Andy Kim @AndyKimNJ
After going out with police to observe reports of possible drones, I was with the help of civilian pilots and others able to do deeper analysis and concluded that most of the possible drone sightings that were pointed out to me were almost certainly planes. Let me explain: THREAD
3:46 PM · Dec 14, 2024
While not receiving any feedback/info from federal officials, I reached out to civilian aviators/others for analysis. I used public flight tracking tools to recreate the conditions of my time out. For instance I was at Round Valley Reservoir at 9:20pm and shot this video.
While not receiving any feedback/info from federal officials, I reached out to civilian aviators/others for analysis. I used public flight tracking tools to recreate the conditions of my time out. For instance I was at Round Valley Reservoir at 9:20pm and shot this video.
I share this because this is the kind of analysis we need but are not getting from the federal government to explain this situation. FAA experts have much more experience/resources to identify aircraft. Instead I’m left to draw on civilian support and public apps.
I don’t discount others may have seen actual drone activity, and not all I saw is fully explained by flight paths, but much of it was. And I think the process through which I got confirmation points to the kind of explanation we need from gov authorities to address the public’s concern.
Press releases from federal agencies that don’t share analysis of evidence and instead just reiterate statements aren’t helpful in this moment. We have a lot of distrust in politics/government right now, and we need federal gov to respect the right for the public to be informed.
Federal experts should provide information and guidance to the public including local police departments like the one that took me out to help them decipher what they are seeing. Instead myself and others requesting are getting no feedback.
I think this situation in some ways reflects this moment in our country. People have a lot anxiety right now about the economy, health, security etc. And too often we find that those charged with working on these issues don’t engage the public with the respect and depth needed.
I’ll keep pressing to get answers about possible drones and help us understand what’s going on. On top of that, I’ll push for a government that is more responsive to the people. A customer service governance that treats people with respect, transparency and accountability. END
thread:
Link to tweet