A New Jersey man’s unsettling encounter with a mysterious drone has sparked fresh concerns. Sightings of unidentified aerial objects continue to puzzle residents and authorities across the state.
Michael B, the creator behind the Terror Talk Productions YouTube channel and a paranormal enthusiast, lives adjacent to the Picatinny Arsenal, a military installation that has become the epicenter of numerous UFO sightings in recent weeks. While piloting a drone in the area, he aimed to capture footage of a large, unidentified flying object that he believed might be a drone.
“I had full battery life. Not 3 minutes into the flight, I lost control of the drone,” he shared with FOX 5 New York. “There was a drone just hanging out.”
He noticed a warning on his controller’s screen as the battery suddenly died. “Drone started going down,” he said. “Dead battery.” Despite his drone being disabled in the restricted flight area, the enigmatic drone he was attempting to approach remained airborne.
An Army spokesperson informed Fox News Monday that due to the surge in reported drone sightings, Picatinny Arsenal had successfully secured a temporary flight restriction over its airspace, effective until December 26
Since mid-November, numerous reports of mysterious drone sightings have emerged across New Jersey, extending into parts of New York and Pennsylvania. These sightings, often occurring at night, have involved drones described as large as SUVs, flying in coordinated patterns over residential areas and critical infrastructure. The unexplained surge in drone activity across the country has federal and state authorities scrambling for answers. Investigations involving the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have so far failed to identify the operators or uncover the purpose behind the flights.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas downplayed fears of foul play, pointing instead to a recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule change that allows drones to operate at night.
“There’s no question that people are seeing drones. And I want to assure the American public that we, in the federal government, have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology, to assist the New Jersey State Police in addressing the drone sightings,” Mayorkas told ABC News on Monday.
“That may be one of the reasons why now people are seeing more drones than they did before, especially from dawn to dusk,” Mayorkas claimed. “I want to assure the American public that we are on it.”
But with concrete answers still elusive, frustration is growing. Local officials and residents alike are demanding clarity and stronger safeguards. The FAA, meanwhile, has responded by imposing temporary flight restrictions over sensitive sites, including military bases and President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf course. Local law enforcement agencies are also stepping up monitoring efforts, asking residents to report drone sightings to help track the activity.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) expressed his frustration on ‘Fox News Sunday.’ “There’s a lot of us who are pretty frustrated right now,” said Himes, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. He emphasized the inadequacy of current explanations, stating, “‘We don’t know’ is not a good enough answer.”
For now, as questions swirl and drones continue to appear over neighborhoods and key infrastructure, the public is left to speculate while waiting for answers that authorities have yet to provide.
