Fears over mysterious drone in New Jersey intensify as more than 50 reporters arrive on scene and residents begin shooting

A reporter in New Jersey was stunned to see more than 50 mysterious drones over the state’s county overnight.

NewsNation’s Rich McHugh traveled to Monmouth County in the Garden State Thursday night after being alerted to an active sighting.

McHugh, who is from New Jersey, managed to take a picture of one of the drones with his smartphone before calling in a photographer to get a better image.

Speaking after the sighting, he recalled traveling the area for two hours and seeing more than 50 of them.

He said: “I have to say it would be even scarier if this wasn’t military.These look like they’re fixed-winged and have multiple lights on them.

“We tried to chase one and it picked up speed very quickly. We don’t really know what to make of what we said last night.” We were both shocked by the whole experience. ”

McHugh also posted an update on her social media Friday night, saying she was initially skeptical of the story and went out again that night but didn’t see anything.

Later, a video that appeared to show an individual firing an airsoft gun at a drone passing overhead was also posted online.

It remains unclear where in the country it was captured, as sightings of the drone have since spread to at least 12 counties in the tri-state region.

On Friday night, Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardi said his department sent out a drone that then disappeared into thin air.

His New Jersey unit launched its own drone after one of his officers saw 50 unmanned aircraft “coming out of the water.”

Matronardi told McHugh in an interview that they set up an “industrial” drone to track one of the devices, but it quickly slipped through their grasp.

This incident is just one of many drone sightings involving local residents in and around the Garden State.

On Friday, White House National Security and Communications Advisor John Kirby insisted that despite the large number of sightings, the public has nothing to fear.

Mr Kirby said most reports were likely cases of manned aircraft being mistaken for drones.

But he acknowledged authorities were still struggling to corroborate some of the sightings and urged the public to continue reporting any unusual activity.

The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office said the flying objects are difficult to track because they don’t generate heat like regular drones.

“We don’t know [why]. That is not something we have actually done or experienced,” one of the officers said.

The first drone sightings occurred on November 18th over the US military’s Picatinny Arsenal and Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.

Since then, the FBI has received more than 3,000 tips with varying degrees of confidence in at least 12 counties across New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and Orange County, New York.

As hysteria began to spread across the country, President-elect Donald Trump led calls for more transparency.

He called for President Biden’s White House to shoot down drones flying over several U.S. states after days of mysterious sightings across the sky.

Although President Trump did not directly address the sightings at his club, he urged action from Joe Biden and the administration in a post on Truth Social on Friday.

He wrote: “Mysterious drones have been sighted all over the country. Is this really happening without the government’s knowledge? I don’t think so! It’s time to let the public know. . Otherwise, shoot them down!

His comments were echoed by lawmakers in New Jersey as well as in other states.

But former FBI counter-drone expert Robert D’Amico told DailyMail.com that shooting down a drone is reckless and could result in serious injury or death.

He said the increase in reports was likely due to “hysteria”, with untrained eyes focused on the sky, as well as people launching their own drones to try to figure out what was going on. suggested.