Mystery in the Skies: New Jersey’s Drone Phenomenon Leaves Residents Uneasy

Unsettling Drone Sightings in New Jersey: Residents Demand Answers

Kyle Breese, 36, who works remotely in insurance, resides in Ocean Township, New Jersey—a quiet suburb lined with tree-shaded streets, just a short drive from the beach. Last Saturday night, while his wife and two kids were inside their home, Breese stepped into his backyard to let out Bruce, his aging dog. That’s when he noticed something unusual in the sky.

Hovering at an altitude too low to be a planet or star, but high enough to rule out conventional aircraft, an object with alternating red and white lights caught his attention.

“It wasn’t an airplane hovering there,” Breese recounted. “It was tough to make out because of the height, but it was clearly a red and white light just floating.”

Breese and his wife had noticed similar lights the evening prior while driving to dinner. His mother, Luann, 68, confirmed seeing the same phenomenon.

“To me, it looks like they’re searching for something,” Luann speculated. “What concerns me is that we have ammunition bases here in New Jersey.”

The Breese family is not alone in their unease. Across New Jersey, reports of drones—or some kind of airborne vehicles—have surged. Thousands of residents have contacted local police, the FBI, and even the Pentagon to report swarms of mysterious objects filling the night sky.

In a joint statement, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged the reports.

“The FBI has received over 5,000 drone sightings in recent weeks, generating approximately 100 investigative leads,” the statement read. “We’ve deployed advanced detection technology and trained visual observers to assist in the investigation.”

So far, officials remain tight-lipped, noting that most sightings appear to be hobby drones, planes, helicopters, or even misidentified stars. Yet, on platforms like Neighbors, an app used for sharing safety updates, residents have been flooding the feed with videos of glowing orbs and suspicious lights.

Speculation runs rampant. Some believe the drones could be extraterrestrial in origin, part of Iranian surveillance efforts, or linked to a mothership stationed off the Atlantic coast. Others suspect top-secret weapons tests.

One Ocean Township resident, an off-duty firefighter who wished to remain anonymous, even suggested, “I heard it was al-Qaeda.”

In coastal towns like Asbury Park, known for its vibrant summer tourism, drone sightings have become almost routine. Residents have noted patterns, such as the objects avoiding rain and appearing to originate from the ocean.

Garrett Openshaw, 24, part of the maintenance team at the Asbury Hotel, described seeing a dozen sedan-sized drones flying in formation over the ocean.

“We started noticing them two weeks ago, before the news picked it up,” he said.

Collin Lynch, 26, a food and beverage supervisor at the same hotel, witnessed the drones alongside Openshaw. “There’s always something going on in this town,” Lynch remarked. “It’s hard to tell if this is for a movie or something else entirely.”

Adding to the intrigue, Asbury Park is currently hosting the production of a Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White. While residents speculate about government secrets and UFOs, they’re also buzzing about celebrity sightings on set.

At Frank’s Deli, a popular local eatery and filming location for the biopic, customers discuss the drone theories between takes of the movie.

“They’re even having drone watch parties over on Long Beach Island,” said Danielle Coyle, a server at the diner. “Some of my friends have gone down there just to spot them.”

Meanwhile, others have more unsettling accounts.

Cassie Miller, 26, shared her own drone sighting in nearby Monroe, complete with a video she captured.

“We saw two drones at first, one trailing the other,” she explained. “Then more followed, all turning the same corner, one after the other. There were five or six total, flying low, maybe 200 or 300 feet up, with a distinct humming noise.”

Miller noted that her social media feeds are filled with similar drone videos. However, she’s wary of the authenticity of some footage.

“It’s hard to know what’s real these days,” she said. “People can fake videos so easily now.”

For Breese, however, the sightings are very real—and unsettling.

“I have kids, so it’s weird,” he said. “Are they filming something? Or is it some creep with a camera?”

As the rumors and sightings persist, New Jersey residents continue to demand answers, grappling with the mystery hovering above their heads.