A New Jersey reporter was left stunned after spotting more than 50 mysterious drones over a county in the state in one night.
NewsNation’s Rich McHugh traveled to Monmouth County in The Garden State Thursday evening after being notified of active sightings.
McHugh, who is from New Jersey, managed to capture one of the drones on his phone before calling in his photographer to take better pictures of it.
Speaking after his sighting, he recalled traveling through the area for two hours and seeing more than fifty.
He said: “I have to say, if this isn’t the army, it’s even more terrifying. These things look like they have a fixed wing and multiple lights.
‘We tried to chase one and it took off quickly. I’m not sure how to process what we said last night. We were both stunned by the whole experience.”
McHugh also posted an update to his social media on Friday evening saying he was initially skeptical of the story and went back out that evening but didn’t see any.
Since then, footage has also emerged online showing what appears to be an individual shooting an airsoft gun at a drone as it flies overhead.
It remains unclear exactly where in the country the drone was captured, as drone sightings have since expanded to at least twelve counties in the tri-state area.
NewsNation’s Rich McHugh traveled to Monmouth County in The Garden State Thursday evening after being notified of active sightings
McHugh, who is from New Jersey, managed to capture one of the drones on his phone before calling in his photographer to take better photos of it
On Friday evening, Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy said his police department sent a drone and then disappeared into thin air.
His New Jersey force launched their own drone after one of his officers spotted 50 unmanned aerial vehicles “coming out of the ocean.”
Mastronardy told McHugh in an interview that they set up an “industrial grade” drone to track one of the devices, but it quickly slipped through their grasp.
The incident is just one of many drone sightings involving locals in the Garden State and beyond.
On Friday, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby insisted the public had nothing to fear despite the mass sightings.
Kirby said most of the reports were likely cases of manned aircraft being mistaken for drones.
But he admitted officials were still struggling to confirm some sightings and urged the public to continue filing reports on unusual activity.
The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office said it has difficulty tracking the flying objects because they do not emit heat like regular drones.
‘We don’t know (why). It’s not something we’ve owned or experienced,” one officer said.
Since then, footage has also emerged online showing what appears to be an individual shooting an airsoft gun at a drone as it flies overhead
This photo by Trisha Bushey shows the evening sky and points of light near Lebanon Township, NJ, on Thursday, December 5
The first drone sightings appeared over the US Army’s Picatinny Arsenal and Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster on November 18.
Since then, the FBI has received more than 3,000 tips, with reports of varying levels of credibility surfacing in at least twelve New Jersey counties, as well as eastern Pennsylvania and Orange County, New York.
As hysteria began to spread across the country, newly elected President Donald Trump led the call for more transparency.
He demanded that the drones flying over several US states be shot down by the Biden White House after days of mysterious sightings in the skies.
Trump did not directly address the observations about his club, but urged action from Joe Biden and the administration in a Truth Social post on Friday.
The sightings are among those that have caused alarm in New Jersey and beyond
He wrote: ‘Mysterious drone sightings across the country. Can this really happen without the knowledge of our government? I don’t think so! Let the public know, now. Otherwise shoot them!!! D.J.T.’
His comments were echoed by New Jersey lawmakers and representatives from other states.
However, former FBI counter-drone specialist Robert D’Amico told DailyMail.com that shooting down the drones would be reckless and could result in serious injury or death.
He suggested the increase in messages is likely due to “hysteria” putting more untrained eyes on the skies, and people launching their own drones to try to find out what’s going on.