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Virginia State Police Investigate More Than 150 Drone Sightings
December 20, 2024 at 11:32 am
There have been more than 150 reported tips of drone sightings over Virginia this month, Virginia State Police says, and police are continuing to investigate the situation.
VSP said in a statement yesterday that the Virginia Fusion Center within the Homeland Security Division of VSP is investigating all the tips and sharing the information with key stakeholders.
“We encourage anyone that witnesses a drone flying over critical infrastructure, such as energy installations, or military sites, to contact the Virginia Fusion Center,” said Virginia State Police Special Agent D. Robinson.
“This will enable us to work with our partners to determine exactly what is occurring, and how to move forward.”
Meanwhile, Virginia lawmakers say that the information from federal officials on the matter is “insufficient and unsatisfactory.”
Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, along with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, issued a joint statement on Thursday after attending a classified briefing about the drone sightings.
“It has been more than a year since these sightings over key militaries in Virginia and the lack of answers about the nature, intent, and origin of these incidents is completely unacceptable,” the statement said.
“The safety of Virginians remains our top priority, and we are determined to continue pressing for additional details as well as greater coordination with state and local officials.”
Remember that it is illegal to shoot down a drone, VSP says, as airspace is governed by the federal government.
It is illegal in Virginia to fly a drone within 50 feet of a residence unless you have been authorized to do so.
Drones must remain within sight of the operator or a visual observer and have a maximum altitude of 400 feet unless waived by federal regulators, VSP says.
Operators must have a remote pilot license for recreational use or a certificate from the FAA for commercial use.
https://northernvirginiamag.com/culture/news/2024/12/20/virginia-state-police-investigate-more-than-150-drone-sightings/
https://www.facebook.com/MarkRWarner/posts/pfbid0uq3R44Fo7Vu86i4qQxFTD5dBLFMWh8EKvp9AmqW41UoKvdCDNuNUGA1YnGWKtB1ul
FAA bans drone use over ‘critical infrastructure’ sites in NYC: ‘Action is purely precautionary’
Published Dec. 20, 2024, 12:02 a.m. ET
The Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily banned drone use over “critical infrastructure” sites in New York City until mid-January – just hours after the agency placed similar restrictions in New Jersey following weeks of panic over the mysterious flying objects.
The temporary flight restrictions, which will go into effect Friday through Jan. 19, will be implemented near JFK International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in Queens and other sites in Brooklyn and Staten Island, according to the FAA.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said the new measures are purely precautionary and will coincide with the state-of-the-art drone detection system provided to the Big Apple by the Biden-Harris administration this week.
“Since mid-November, New York has been carefully monitoring reports of drone activity and we have been communicating closely with our federal partners,” Hochul said.
“I’ve spoken with Secretary Mayorkas multiple times and was just informed that he has coordinated with federal partners and the FAA plans to grant temporary flight restrictions over some of New York’s critical infrastructure sites – this action is purely precautionary; there are no threats to these sites.”
The FAA also barred drone operations over large and significantly populated areas of New Jersey through Jan. 17 and warned that the government may respond with “deadly force” against drones that pose a threat.
The impacted areas include Jersey City, Bayonne, Elizabeth, Harrison, Kearny, Edison, Bridgewater, Cedar Grove, Hamilton, North and South Brunswick, Branchburg, Woodbridge, Clifton, Westampton, Winslow, Gloucester City and Camden.
Drone pilots who breach the restricted airspace could have their drones intercepted and be “detained and interviewed by law enforcement/security personnel,” officials said.
The FAA warned trespassers they could have their operator’s certificates suspended or revoked and face criminal charges.
Drone sightings in recent months, primarily over New Jersey and portions of New York, have raised the alarm among locals and security concerns for authorities, who fear foreign agents are behind them.
Since drones first appeared in New Jersey skies on Nov. 18, the FBI has received over 5,000 tips about sightings in the tri-state area, according to a statement released on Monday by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the FAA and the Department of Defense.
he Post reported this week that there have been sightings near at least 17 US military installations as far off as Hawaii and Utah that are located near Chinese-owned property.
The White House has largely downplayed the concerns despite repeated calls from local residents and government officials demanding action to at least get answers for the mysterious flying objects.
The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI announced Monday they are belatedly deploying drone detection technology and infrared cameras to determine what, if any, threat the unidentified flying objects pose.
https://nypost.com/2024/12/20/us-news/faa-bans-drone-use-over-critical-infastrcutre-locations-in-new-york-city/
Two journalists killed in north Syria by 'Turkish drone'
December 20, 2024
Two journalists from Türkiye's south-east have been killed — reportedly by a Turkish drone — while reporting on fighting between the Syrian National Army (SNA) backed by Türkiye and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) led by Kurdish forces in northern Syria, journalists' groups said on Friday.
Nazim Dastan, 32, and Cihan Bilgin, 29, were killed on Thursday near the Tishrin Dam east of Aleppo when their car was hit, the Turkish Dicle Firat Journalists' Association said.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the two journalists had been killed in Aleppo province by a "Turkish drone strike".
"We condemn this attack on our colleagues and demand accountability," the Dicle Firat Journalists' Association said.
The Turkish Journalists Union also condemned the attack as a murder, saying they were "allegedly targeted by a Turkish UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle]".
"We condemn the attack. Journalists cannot be subjected to attack while performing a sacred duty.
Those responsible must be found and tried," the union's branch in the south-eastern city of Diyarbakir said.
Turkish officials did not immediately comment on the incident. The Turkish army insists it never targets civilians but only terror groups.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-21/two-journalists-killed-in-north-syria-by-turkish-drone/104753228
https://x.com/CFWIJ/status/1870031545542611292
Tombstone piledriver from the top of the steel cage
Pete Buttigieg roasts New Jersey over mysterious drone sightings, dismisses alien invasion theory to Charlamange tha God
Dec. 19, 2024, 9:32 p.m. ET
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg cheekily called out New Jersey as an unlikely setting for an alien invasion as a rash of drone sightings over the state have stirred public panic over the last month.
Within minutes of appearing on Monday’s episode of “The Breakfast Show,” Charlamange tha God pressed Buttigieg to address the “SUV-sized drones” spotted over the Garden State and disclose if the disturbing phenomena is part of an “alien invasion.”
“I mean no disrespect to New Jersey when I say I think it’s very unlikely that an alien invasion would begin in New Jersey,” the former South Bend, Ind. mayor said, as the group of entertainers erupted in laughter.
Co-host DJ Envy jokingly struck back telling Buttigieg to “watch your mouth” while sharing that the trio of hosts live in New Jersey.
“I love New Jersey. I’m just saying I don’t think that’s the main point of entry that an extraterrestrial would…unless there’s something we don’t know about,” Buttigieg added.
“I would go for someplace in the Pacific where there’s no inhabited space for a couple of hundred miles so that I could get kind of my bearings before I go anywhere anyone is going to see me, right?”
Buttigieg contended that any potential intelligent life would likely want to take their time setting up shop, prompting Charlamage to ask, “What if they’ve been watching us for years already?”
“Yea, maybe, I don’t know,” Buttigieg said. “Secretary Pete knows something,” Charlamagne quipped.
The quick discussion at the start of the 38-minute interview garnered a range of reactions from followers on YouTube, with some lauding Buttigieg as their favorite politician.
“So basically Jersey isn’t on the radar for intelligent life,” one follower posted. “Buttigieg never said it WAS NOT an invasion,” another follower commented.
https://nypost.com/2024/12/19/us-news/pete-buttigieg-roasts-nj-over-mysterious-drone-sightings-in-charlamange-tha-god-interview/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy7z8uXMtIM
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bullsh-moderator-drone-subreddit-quits-182255560.html
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/drones-sightings-new-jersey-fbi-reddit-b2667423.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/drones/comments/1hgwrpl/actually_you_know_what_screw_it_im_out/
‘It’s all bullsh**’: Moderator of drone subreddit quits over deluge of conspiracy theories about New Jersey sightings
Updated Fri, December 20, 2024 at 5:44 AM PST
The moderator of a Reddit forum dedicated to drones has resigned in fury after a deluge of posts from conspiracy theorists about alleged mass drone sightings in New Jersey.
In a blistering note announcing their departure from the subreddit, the moderator said the sightings were “all bullshit” and declared: “I can’t stem the tide of dumbness.”
“To address the obvious: Yes, the current idiotic discourse over nonexistant [sic] swarms of ‘drones’ in the eastern United States contributed to this choice.
Seriously, if you guys were seeing all the posts I’ve been removing for the past couple weeks, you’d be sick of this place too,” he wrote in a farewell post.
His resignation comes after residents across the country began reporting unexplained drones in the sky over the past month. Some lawmakers have joined the fray to demand answers from the federal government.
The moderator, who goes by the screen name Nanosauromo and did not want to share his real name, told The Independent that watching over the subreddit had become unbearable due to hundreds of people posting videos of ordinary passenger planes or their neighbor’s drones with claims they were UFOs or government surveillance.
“We’ve always gotten those types of posts, and there’s been a rule against them for years, but there was definitely a dramatic increase in the last month or so,” he said.
“If there’s something to be learned from this, it’s that people don’t look up very much, and aren’t aware of just how many lights in the sky were always there.”
Many theories have been advanced by the public to explain the sightings: some believe the drones belong to a foreign adversary, some suspect surveillance by the U.S. government, others believe aliens might be responsible, and one Congressman has gone so far as to claim that an Iranian mothership off the coast of the United States is launching drones.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN last week that many of the sightings were “a case of mistaken identity” and that Homeland Security is in regular contact with New Jersey officials and has deployed experts and monitoring equipment to the state.
“We have not seen any unusual activity. We know of no threat. We know of no nefarious activity,” he said.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement: “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.”
That hasn’t stopped people from flooding the r/drones subreddit with videos of alleged sightings.
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In a lengthy resignation message titled “Actually, you know what, screw it. I’m out”, the moderator continued:
“I’ll say basically my final piece on the situation here: It’s all bullshit. One or two instances of someone seeing their neighbor’s drone gets reported on by boring local news, which leads more people to be on the lookout for “drones”; these people report their own cases of seeing “drones” that are really videos of ordinary airplanes, helicopters, or stars or planets in the sky (I’ve seen countless such pictures and videos and yes, this describes all of them), which leads to more media coverage, which conditions people to think everything they see in the night sky is a “drone”, taking more videos of manned aircraft and celestial bodies, and the whole thing keeps snowballing until we have the former governor of Maryland claiming he’s being spied on by the fucking constellation Orion.”
Nanosauromo was the sole moderator of the subreddit, which had over 230,000 members when he resigned. His role has now been filled by six new moderators.
He told The Independent that he started as a moderator on the subreddit in 2020. He had a job filming weddings as a drone videographer a few years earlier and he enjoyed it so much that he bought his own drone and kept flying as a hobby.
When the posts about sightings started getting out of hand, he took measures to lock down the posts, but that only made it worse.
“There were a lot of conspiracy nuts telling me stuff like ‘you can’t hide the truth’ and calling me an asshole. If anything, the amount of crap I had to deal with went up,” he said.
The purpose of the subreddit is labeled as: “Discussion of drones - Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and the flying thereof.” Most of the posts are technical discussions about hobby drones, images and videos taken by drones and general questions about flying drones.
In an indication that the subreddit is prone to conspiracy theories, one of the forum’s rules, dubbed Rule 51, states: “You are not being stalked by a DJI Phantom.”
“This is a blanket rule to cover posts by people who think some person or government is spying on them or every tiny light in the sky is a drone. We don’t want nonsensical conspiracy talk here,” the rule states.
“You are probably not interesting enough to be worth spying on. That thing in the sky is probably an airplane. And if a consumer drone was close enough to look in your window, it would be deafening,” it continues.
“Calm down, and take your vague conspiracy malarkey elsewhere.”
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Why I Believe Mysterious Drones Are Federal Assets ‘Looking For Something’: New Jersey Mayor
Updated Dec 19, 2024, 10:39pm EST
On “Forbes Newsroom,” Belleville, New Jersey Mayor Michael Melham slammed the federal government and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy for failing to adequately address the mysterious drones that have been flying over his state and many others.
“We were told there are drones hovering over New Jersey's critical infrastructure,” Melham said. “We have two nuclear plants.
We have the Picatinny Arsenal. We have multiple reservoirs. We have Trump, Bedminster.”
Melham claimed that a meeting of hundreds of mayors with the New Jersey State Police yielded few answers and no appearance by Murphy, and a White House briefing led to no answers.
“Perhaps our governor does know something, but he's not talking,” Melham said.
Melham’s theory about the drones is that they are federal assets that are looking for something. Citing the drones’ grid pattern, he posited their target may be missing radioactive material.
“This is not a conspiracy theory, this is not a rumor,” Melham told Forbes.
“The US Nuclear Regulatory Committee issued on their dot gov website an alert for missing radioactive material in New Jersey on or about December 2nd. It was shipped.
It arrived damaged and empty. Now, I never said that I believe we were out there looking specifically for that.
But I have in other interviews said that the fact that we're up there sniffing for something means, in my opinion, that we're aware of a specific threat and potentially they could be aware of something that came in through a port.”
Melham even said that President-elect Donald Trump’s decision not to spend his weekend in Bedminster, New Jersey, “scary,” and perhaps might evidence some deeper national security concerns.
“More than likely President Trump knows because I believe he receives the same exact briefings that the president does since he's president-elect,” Melham said.
“He also did say, which was cause for some concern that he will not be in New Jersey this weekend. That really didn't make people here in New Jersey feel very comfortable.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestv/2024/12/19/why-i-believe-mysterious-drones-are-federal-assets-looking-for-something-new-jersey-mayor/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laOOWXKZCdc
Mystery in New Jersey drone hotspot after complaints of tap water with foul smell and taste
Updated: 17:11 EST, 19 December 2024
Dozens of New Jersey towns, home to over one million people, have reported foul-smelling and tasting water pouring from their taps.
The complaints, which surfaced Wednesday, prompted an 'urgent notification' from New Jersey American Water which is now investigating the Raritan System and surrounding areas.
The company has taken samples from the water source and several treatment plants, reporting that its 'preliminary sampling results showed the water meets primary standards.'
The Raritan System provides drinking water to 64 towns in parts of Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties.
Customers in those areas received the notification at 9:30pm ET and an update is expected by 9:45pm Thursday.
Residents have reported a metallic taste and a smell similar to paint thinner.
The tainted tap water has led many on social media to speculate that drones flying over New Jersey may be connected to the changes, as initial sightings occurred over the Raritan River—a vital source for the Raritan System.
However, some residents have attributed the issues to a water main that broke at 7am on Tuesday in Union City.
American Water has not specified if the water main break was the cause for issues with the Raritan System's water.
The mystery has left many residents frustrated, with one person sharing on Reddit: 'I'm surprised they don't give any directions… is it safe to drink, touch skin, etc.? Kinda wild that they omit the most important information for the customer.'
American Water said it began flushing hydrants last night, continuing into Thursday in an effort to help clear out the system.
[This may result in low pressure and/or discoloration. If your water is discolored, run the cold-water taps only, at the lowest level of the house for about 3 to 5 minutes until the water runs clear,' the company said in a press release.
Residents in Hillsborough, where a drone alleged crashed last week, and other towns have been told not to drink tap water and use bottled until further notice.
But as drones have invaded the skies over New Jersey for more than a month, conspiracy theories are swirling about the water changes.
'So there's been countless unidentified drones flying over our reservoirs completely unfettered, and now the water from an entire reservoir smells and tastes bad,' a New Jersey resident shared online.
'And they are 100% sure there is no connection, even though we don't know who is flying the drones, why the drones are flying, why they are over reservoirs, and why the water smells and tastes bad.'
A Facebook Group, New Jersey Mystery Drones - let's solve it, features a thread about the mysterious water issues.
A Hillsborough resident posted: 'This could be completely unrelated and I am hoping that's the case….There are reports of foul smelling and tasting water in and around Hillsborough 08844. People are stating it tastes like nail polish. Any insight is appreciated.'
The first comment reads: 'Drones flying over reservoirs spraying stuff. Go figure. My country is run by idiots.'
Another New Jersey local shared the claims, saying: 'I seen this coming and warned everyone a couple days ago but everyone laughed at me.
'Guess that's what happens when Drones are seen spraying everywhere including water reservoirs.'
However, others commenting on the post sharing the issues with their tap water.
Over the past month I've had 2 distinctive occasions when I've came in from outside and told my wife I have a metallic taste in my mouth.
While a mother said she was glad to read the post before bathing her baby with the smelly water.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14211201/drones-mystery-tap-water-new-jersey-sightings.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14198585/new-jersey-drones-resident-mystery-health-symptoms.html
Video Appears To Show Strange 'Golden Orb' Over New Jersey
Dec 20, 2024 at 6:32 AM EST
A veteran has posted video footage to social media showing what he claims to be glowing orbs over the skies of New Jersey.
The phone camera footage posted on Wednesday to the X, formerly Twitter, account of Matthew Nelson @MatthewUSAF, who describes himself as a U.S. Air Force veteran, has so far had 1.3 million views.
Newsweek reached out to the user via social media for comment on Friday.
This latest alleged sighting of mystery orbs over New Jersey adds to a long list of UFO reports over the past month, but apparently it is being taken more seriously because of its source, who says he is familiar with airplanes and drones.
People commenting on his video are saying they also saw it and have posted their own videos which they say are of the same object.
The clips, which the user describes as "a couple of [unedited] pics and videos I took from my Samsung phone" show a bright, spherical golden object appearing to float and maneuver against the backdrop of a clear evening sky.
In the accompanying caption, headed 'UAP SIGHTING IN SOUTH NJ', the user described the sighting as "an extremely bright glowing orb in the sky."
He went on to suggest that the objects exhibited flight patterns inconsistent with conventional aircraft or drones.
"I used to work on airplanes in the Air Force and also know a lot about drones. I can confidently say this glowing object was neither," said Nelson.
The exact location and time of the sighting remain unclear, though the user stated that it occurred near where he lived, just outside Atlantic City.
"A couple hours ago, the fighter squadron down the road from my house (approx. 15 min outside of Atlantic City, NJ) scrambled four F-16 fighter jets," said Nelson.
"My buddy and I were talking in the front yard, and a few minutes later, we noticed an extremely bright glowing orb in the sky," he continued.
"It was moving slowly towards my house, and after about 10 minutes, it started moving the opposite direction.
It was probably somewhere around 25,000 feet and was visible for about an hour and a half before we lost sight of it."
"What the hell is going on here in New Jersey?!" the user asks.
The authenticity and claims of the video, and the nature of the glowing orbs have not been independently verified.
Newsweek contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for comment outside of working hours via email on Friday.
https://www.newsweek.com/video-appears-show-strange-golden-orb-over-new-jersey-2004006
https://x.com/MatthewUSAF/status/1869527568128549224
Jetson ONE - The Birth of World's First eVTOL Air Racing
Dec 19, 2024
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https://jetson.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcPfgfwGV54