EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU)— State officials are aware of drone sightings across Pennsylvania and are asking residents to call authorities if they see one.
Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department stated the FBI and Department of Homeland Security are asking for the public to report any information on recent drone sightings.
Stroud Area Regional Police Department reports that they received multiple calls Thursday evening about drones flying over areas of East Stroudsburg, Stroudsburg Borough, and Stroud Township.
The Monroe County Office of Emergency Management stated they are aware of social media posts about drone sightings over Monroe County.
They ask residents to describe the size, shape, color, or any lights visible on the drones and the location of the sightings.
Image of a drone flying over New Jersey.
Image of a drone flying over New Jersey.
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The FBI has also released a statement this afternoon regarding the mysterious drones
The bureau says it has no evidence at this time that reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign connection.
A joint statement from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security reads:
We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus. The FBI, DHS and our federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.
Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities. We are supporting local law enforcement in New Jersey with numerous detection methods but have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection. To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space.
We take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports. To be clear, they have uncovered no such malicious activity or intent at this stage. While there is no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight the insufficiency of current authorities.
FBI and DHS
New Jersey officials are still searching for specifics about the mysterious drones.
One Garden State lawmaker says the drones avoid detection by traditional methods, and are up to six feet wide.
Dozens of mysterious nighttime flights started last month and have continued.
Officials say when you call, you may be asked to share live video with the dispatcher and guidance will be given to you at the time of the call.
Police ask that you NOT call 911 to report drone sightings only, please report these tips to the FBI.
Anyone with relevant information is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit it online at tips.fbi.gov.
