New Jersey Senator Andy Kim has shared videos of what he describes as multiple unidentified drones flying over the state – as he headed out with police to investigate the widespread sightings.
Mr Kim has posted four videos from his X account of lights moving across the sky after weeks of similar reported sightings in New Jersey, which have led to a wave of conspiracy theories.
The unidentified flying objects have been featured in local news reports and on social media since the end of November.
However, attention has increased this week as legislators demanded explanations from US federal and state authorities about what is causing the sightings.
Mr Kim has said an officer pointed out the lights to him at the Round Valley Reservoir in Hunterdon County.
He wrote on X that sometimes the lights were “solid white” while others “flashed of red and green”.
Mr Kim also said that some of the unidentified objects appeared to be moving in “small clusters of 2-4” but they often saw “5-7 lights” at a time.
“We clearly saw several that would move horizontally and then immediately switch back in the opposite direction in manoeuvres that planes can’t do,” he added.
The senator added he and the police officers used a flight tracker app to help them check if what they could see were planes.
He added the lights were “low and not associated with aircraft we could see on the tracker app”.
Pic: Storyful
Police told Mr Kim they had used helicopters to try to get closer to the objects but said “the drones would turn off the lights and go dark if approached”.
Earlier on Thursday, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a joint statement saying they had “no evidence” the drone sightings “pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus”.
They said they were working closely with New Jersey State Police to determine “whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings”.
In a separate post to the videos he shared, Mr Kim wrote on X: “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.”
Pic: Storyful
The Hunterdon County Sheriff’s Office on 6 December asked people to report any sightings to the FBI.
Similar sightings have been reported in New York City, with Mayor Eric Adams saying the city is investigating and collaborating with New Jersey and federal officials.
Now, president-elect Donald Trump has posted he believes the US government knows more than it’s saying.
He wrote on his Truth Social site: “Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!”
Among the theories circulating about the sightings are that they are caused by drones from an Iranian mothership.
Others think they are from the Secret Service making sure Mr Trump’s Bedminster property is secure.
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Others worry China might be behind it.
The theories have led to the emergence of the Facebook page “New Jersey Mystery Drones – let’s solve it” – where people post their photos and video sightings.
It has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 on Thursday.