TRENTON, N.J. — Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday urged residents to remain calm amid reports of drone sightings across New Jersey, emphasizing there is no clear evidence of suspicious activity.
“First of all, I’d say calm down,” Murphy said during a news conference at the Statehouse in Trenton. “There’s no evidence of anything nefarious here. We never say never, but … take a breath.”
Murphy acknowledged concerns but reassured the public that enhanced systems implemented in November have shown “little to no evidence” of ongoing suspicious drone activity.
“Is it possible there’s still some activity out there that’s quote-unquote suspicious? It is,” he said. “But they are not seeing much of any of that right now.”
The governor noted that unusual drone movements may have gone undetected before the new monitoring systems arrived. “When we were fighting this thing only with our own assets, was it possible that there was activity then? Yes, it is possible. It’s hard to say otherwise,” Murphy stated.
On Sunday night, Murphy visited State Police headquarters in West Trenton and joined the FBI at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County to observe operations firsthand. Praising the technology now in use, he said, “These are as sophisticated as they get, and I’m thankful for the fact that they’re finally in New Jersey.”
While reports of drone sightings have prompted concerns, officials maintain there is no current evidence of malicious intent.
