The drone sightings that have captivated, confused and concerned many rural New Jersey residents in recent weeks have bled across the Delaware River into eastern Pennsylvania, including parts of Bucks County. Now, residents of Northampton County are reporting witnessing the same activity.
A photo of a drone that was reported flying over eastern Lower Saucon Township Thursday night. (Contributed)
Hellertown borough and Lower Saucon Township residents took to social media Thursday evening to share photos and video of what are believed to be drones flying high above their community, and local law enforcement officials are taking notice.
The Palmer Township Police Department issued a statement Friday via their Crimewatch site regarding the sightings, which are the subject of an ongoing FBI investigation, as well as considerable local and national media attention.
“We received multiple calls last evening about drones flying over areas of Palmer Township,” police said, adding that their community is “no different than our neighboring police departments that have been fielding calls regarding this unusual activity.”
Police encouraged drone spotters to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) to report sightings or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov, where photos and videos can be uploaded and shared.
“DO NOT take matters into your own hands,” police stressed. “REPORT the activity.” They also reminded residents not to risk causing an accident by stopping in the road to observe the drones.
In a joint statement issued Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said they are continuing to investigate the sightings, without having any evidence that they represent a public safety threat.
“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,” the statement said.
They added that, “upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully.”
“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,” the statement concluded. “ 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.”
A resident with aviation industry knowledge who spotted what she said was a drone over eastern Lower Saucon Township Thursday evening said the object didn’t display “regular navigation lights like on fixed wing aircraft.” The resident also observed that “there were so many above and around my property (and others in the area), Springtown, Williams, etc. Why over my empty woods?”
Thursday’s mass drone sightings were the subject of at least one post in the Hellertown, Pennsylvania Facebook group, which as of mid-day Friday had received nearly 90 comments, some of which contained photos or video of reported local sightings.
Below is video recorded by a local resident of a drone sighting recorded Thursday evening in Lower Nazareth Township, Northampton County.
A screenshot from a video of a drone that was reported in Lower Nazareth Township Thursday night. (Credit: Danielle Notaro)
Another view of the drone sighting that was reported in eastern Lower Saucon Township Thursday night. (Contributed)
