Police investigating multiple drones flying over N.J. towns at night

Federal and local authorities are investigating multiple drones seen flying over Morris County on Monday night.
“There is no known threat to public safety,” according to a joint statement released by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
Authorities didn’t say if they know who was operating the drones or why they were overhead.
“The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Morris County Office of Emergency Management, Morris County municipal police departments, along with our federal and state law enforcement partners, are aware of this activity, and will continue to coordinate, monitor and investigate the drone activity,” the statement said.
“This joint statement is being issued in response to rumors about the drone activity spreading on social media. We encourage the public to be mindful that what they read online may not be accurate.”
Picatinny Arsenal, a military base in Wharton, said the drones are not theirs and they are assisting in the investigation.
“Picatinny Arsenal authorities are aware of the numerous reports of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) activity over Morris County and its surrounding areas on (Monday) evening,” the military base said in a statement emailed to NJ Advance Media. “We are working with several of our local, state, and federal partner organizations to obtain more information on the reported activity. We remind everyone that it is unlawful to fly UAVs over Picatinny Arsenal and any other federal military installation without prior authorization.”
The Federal Aviation Administration contradicted Morris County officials, saying it “looked into the reports and did not find evidence of drone activity in the area.” The FAA added that i shared the information about the reports with federal security partners.
State Police hadn’t responded to NJ Advance Media’s morning request for information as of Tuesday afternoon.
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Jeff Goldman may be reached at [email protected].