Sen Andy Kim went out drone spotting with NJ LEOs last night - this is what he saw:

[Dennis Donovan]

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Andy Kim
16m
Last night I went out with local police to spot drone flying over New Jersey, here’s what I saw. We drove to Round Valley Reservoir and the officer pointed to lights moving low over the tree line. Sometimes they were solid white light, others flashed of red and green.THREAD
Video in tweet above

Andy Kim
16m
We oriented ourselves with a flight tracker app to help us distinguish from airplanes. We often saw about 5-7 lights at a time that were low and not associated with aircraft we could see on the tracker app. Some hovered while others moved across the horizon. 2/11
Video in tweet above

Andy Kim
15m
We saw a few that looked like they were moving in small clusters of 2-4. We clearly saw several that would move horizontally and then immediately switch back in the opposite direction in maneuvers that plane can’t do. 3/11
Video in tweet above

Andy Kim
15m
The police officer said they see them out every night. They only seem to start when it gets dark and they disappear before dawn. They get reports that they sometimes fly low over homes, especially up in the hills. 4/11
Video in tweet above

Andy Kim
15m
The officer said they’ve tried to get closer with use of a helicopter but that the drones would turn off the lights and go dark if approached. 5/11

Andy Kim
15m
The parking lot at the reservoir had a number of cars of people coming to take a look for themselves. Several shared with me their own stories of having seen some up close. One described them being the size of the hood of a car. 6/11
Video in tweet above

Andy Kim
15m
I went to multiple locations across Hunterdon county to get different vantage points. This is a more rural part of NJ. It’s uncertain why it’s one of the more active area for reported activity. We are seeing reports through other parts of the state. 7/11

Andy Kim
@AndyKimNJ
Any images or video footage people get, the police urge them to submit to the FBI, but I haven’t gotten any follow up yet from the FBI on their investigation and what they’ve compiled. 8/11

Andy Kim
19m
Homeland Security Secretary briefed last week on new technology they were deploying but we need details on what those efforts have yielded and if more resources are needed. If they haven’t fully identified the devices yet we still should know what is being done. 9/11

Andy Kim
19m
This has gone on for weeks. It’s hard to understand how with the technology we have we aren’t able to track these devices to determine origin and this makes me much more concerned about our capabilities more broadly when it comes to drone detection and counter measures. 10/11

Andy Kim
@AndyKimNJ
I’ll continue to track these developments and share as much as possible to the people of NJ that deserve more answers than they are getting. END
9:50 AM · Dec 13, 2024

[Historic NY]

1. Could be Amazons new package delivery...

since a strike is imminent

[Johnny2X2X]

3. We'd know about those

Controlling drone traffic is kind of just emerging as to how we're going to do it. Sooner rather than later there are going to be hundreds of thousands of drones in the skies across our country. We have to get a system in place where this is tracked somewhat.

[groundloop]

106. And this needs to be accomplished while tRUMP destroys the FAA

[Trueblue1968]

47. Shoot them down !!!!!!! Get them out of here

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Testing the polio seeding aerospace force

[rampartd]

4. they are suing the fda to remove approval of the polio vaccine

what can possibly go wrong?

is rabies vaccine causing autistic dogs?

[reACTIONary]

94. Up next - Make smallpox great again!

[rampartd]

97. why not the bubonic plague

of course, dead pick up will have been cut by musk .........

[CrispyQ]

5. I want to know how the aliens snuck by James Webb, Hubble & the tens of thousands of professional & amateur astronomers.

[Disaffected]

9. They are crafty devils alright.

[Polybius]

51. While looking at the moon through a $1,500 telescope, I saw something fly across in a straight line

I bet the average person would have screamed "Aliens!", but I immediately thought probable satellite. Still super-cool.

[Think. Again.]

70. Obviously, they didn't.

Why would alien craft have lights?

[druidity33]

88. To see things? nt.

[Think. Again.]

90. Ha! yeah, it probably runs on peddle-power too!

[Kid Berwyn]

6. Now THAT's Leadership.

The Senator took matters into his own hands, personally investigated a complex and contentious issue, using appropriate technology and investigative techniques, compared and contrasted with what is known and conjectured, reported and shared what he found with the People, and promised to keep us informed.

Wish more in Washington were like Sen. Kim.

[Kid Berwyn]

65. Me, too.

"It’s a room that I love so much — it’s the heart of the Capitol, literally the heart of this country. It pained me so much to see it in this kind of condition."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/behind-viral-photo-rep-andy-kim-cleaning-midnight-after-riots-n1253519

[littlemissmartypants]

7. Nets. Big, strong nets. That's my recommendation.

I would seriously be tempted to start hitting them with very large sling shots after a couple of days of buzzing.

[Disaffected]

11. Very big nets with very long handles.

Yes, that's the solution...

[mitch96]

15. I think big nets launched from a shotgun...yup, that would work....nt

[Think. Again.]

71. Or one of these...

https://www.droneguru.net/drone-jammers/

[albacore]

86. Or one of these.....

[Think. Again.]

89. oh yeah, I like THAT one!

[Srkdqltr]

8. A group of drone enthusiasts are having a great time.

The operators could be in a parking lots somewhere, in the dark running these things around. Or atop a building. Laughing their heads off.

[GoCubsGo]

12. I would be at all surprised.

Been thinking that this is some guys whose expensive toys got noticed, and now they're just screwing around with everyone.

[CrispyQ]

22. It reminds me of the balloon boy hoax with the homemade helium balloon & the boy was supposedly in.

I wondered right away, how could that balloon hold a boy? An entire day spent on that stupid story.

[Farmer-Rick]

29. I live in the mountains with people flying drones

Into my woods all the time to get some beautiful scenery shots. Which is fine as long as they stay out. Every now and then they crash and I have to chase after the owners who trample through my woods. My land is posted, so there isn't any reason for anyone being in my woods.

But those drones are much smaller. They are definitely NOT the size of a car hood.

So, to me, a drone that big is carrying something. Bombs? Packages? Disease? It just seems to be a perfect way for Russia or China to attack us without anyone knowing. Hell, pedo Trump would probably help them kill us.

[SamuelTheThird]

55. Some of them are the size of a car

Not a car hood

[Farmer-Rick]

63. Nope

That's NOT what the witnesses were reporting.

"people coming to take a look for themselves. Several shared with me their own stories of having seen some up close. One described them being the size of the hood of a car."

[regnaD kciN]

78. Except that other witnesses interviewed in news stories...

…have said the ones they saw were the size of a small car, “like a Mini Cooper or Ford Focus.”

[Farmer-Rick]

81. Not in this post

No mention of that on this post.

If you are referencing other posts pls provide link. I can't comment on info not provided.

[SamuelTheThird]

79. Just type drone size car into google

Its been widely reported

[Farmer-Rick]

83. Why would I want to do that?

It's not in the post. Should I Google every combination of words that might describe the size of a drone? I'm commenting on this post not every possible post about drones.

[SamuelTheThird]

84. No, just google the combination I said?

lol It's all over the place, I don't get this insistence only what's in front of you at this moment matters.

[muriel_volestrangler]

100. How good are people at estimating the size of any groups of lights at an unknown distance at night?

Pretty crap, I'd say.

[barbtries]

31. i think you're right.

hobbyists having fun with it.

[NJCher]

46. how do they

operate the ones that come off the ocean? Hang around in a boat in the water, maybe?

[joshcryer]

48. Yep modern day crop circles.

If they're not "caught" (as far as I know they have yet to violate airspace or cause any issue) we'll hear about them some years on down the line about how they pranked a whole state.

[SamuelTheThird]

52. Really?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219808660

[jmbar2]

10. Ask Ukrainian experts

They are the world experts now on this type of stuff. Unless, of course, these are aliens. Maybe Ukraine would still know.

Enormous respect for Andy Kim checking this out.

[littlemissmartypants]

13. Who cares? ...

The FBI could be jamming the sh¡t right now but they are yucking it up watching a bunch of psychotic fools mesmerized by technology they don't understand.

Keep in mind the average adult in the USA has an IQ of 90 something or less and over forty percent can't read past a 4th grade reading level. So there's that.

[NJCher]

50. state by state IQ

Fun link. Northeastern states seem to have the highest, with Mass coming in first.

https://www.voronoiapp.com/demographics/Which-States-Have-the-Highest-Average-IQ--2486

[Polybius]

54. I'm no longer embarrassed to be 119

[littlemissmartypants]

56. Hi, Cher!! ...

Cool, 110-80 is the range. I know I was low balling.

That site had a few pop ups which was interesting. I haven't encountered too many of those in a while.

How are you?

[NJCher]

77. popping in

to post dinner thread. Maybe you'll drop by tonight--tell us about your latest salad!

[littlemissmartypants]

80. I have something better to share food wise. ...

I had my first Kombuca!

You talked about how good it is and how much you like it so I wanted to try it. So I had bought some Health-ade brand kombucha, Pomegranate blueberry!

It's really, really good! I wasn't prepared for it being fizzy though. Delicious! I love tart tasty things and had no idea what I was missing. I'm definitely adding it to my dietary choices. Thanks for turning me on to it!

What I couldn't figure out from the bottle is does it have caffeine in it?

[NJCher]

87. great!

Oh, you will love this. Pomegranate blueberry is delicious!

Yes, it probably has caffeine, which is one reason I make my own because I can make it with decaffeinated tea. I use Bigelow because they are the one of the few teas that doesn't use microplastics in their bag.

I noticed when I switched from kombucha I bought to kombucha I made with decaffeinated tea, I slept a lot better.

[True Dough]

105. Ditto!

I went for peach/mango about a month ago and I really enjoyed it. Have had a few more since. Nice taste, quite filling, makes me burp lots but doesn't leave me with a bloated feeling like soda does.

[littlemissmartypants]

107. Very cool! Unfortunately, I'm allergic to mango. ...

I'm glad you liked it!

❤️

[whopis01]

98. The average American IQ is 98. n/t

[littlemissmartypants]

102. Hi, whopis01! What source did you find?

In my reply to Cher I noted this:

Cool, 110-80 is the range. I know I was low balling.

We would get an average of 95 with that range.

Of course, none of it is taking cognitive age and chronological age into account which do have an effect on measures of intelligence. *

It's the literacy rate that's more concerning to me than IQ. It can be a fluid number based on a bunch of different things.

It's all still interesting and definitely impacts decision making when voting.

*How intelligence changes with age
https://www.brain-testing.org/articles-intelligence/how-intelligence-changes-with-age

Thanks for your reply!

❤️

[whopis01]

103. World Population Review

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/average-iq-by-state

I would note that when you dig down in their data it appears to say that it is actually 97.43, so I am not sure how that got rounded up.

[Wicked Blue]

14. Kim is off to an impressive start as NJ's new senator.

I haven't seen any drones -- and I don't particularly want to -- but I very much appreciate that he went out on cold nights and took videos of them.

I wonder if eLoon might be behind the drone invasion.

[GemDigger]

16. They are Martians looking for ...(adds suspense noise)

Elon so they can take him to the place he wants to be.

Kidding aside, what in the world is taking them (the experts) so long to find out who, what and where they come from. If the drones are as big as they say they are, with as many as there are, a LOT of money has been spent on them. It shouldn't be that hard to find out how many producers of these huge drones there are.

[Liberal In Texas]

17. Has nobody thought to put up a helicopter to go take a look?

Helicopters used by TV stations have gyro-stabilized cameras (Like FLIR systems) and can get great pictures without getting too close.
Police helicopters have FLIR systems that can be used at night - we've all seen video of them chasing down a suspect at night.

?auto=format,compress&fit=max&q=45&w=950&width=950

[NotASurfer]

20. Infrared is a good point

If these things are real, then even if they kill their lights, they should have a trackable heat signature

[Mossfern]

27. We got a text from our township

that there would be helicopters in the area - not to be alarmed. We live less than a mile from Montclair, a town that has had multiple sightings of drones. I wonder if those helicopters are doing just that.

[Happy Hoosier]

18. Actually a little worried about this....

I think it's more than a little possible that foreign adversaries are scouting critial infrastructure with an eye to attacking it in the event of conflict.

[Srkdqltr]

30. In the dark? With so many? Nah it's drone operaters. Home grown. Having a great time .

Made ya look!!

[Happy Hoosier]

33. Some are reported to be fairly large....

... think those are amateur drone operators?

I have a little drone I fly around for fun... it would not be mistaken for a large drone.

[Srkdqltr]

39. Just because you have a small one doesn't mean people dont have larger.

Have you seen the lidar drones they use to see under trees? And we have no idea how large they are. Just excited people.

[Happy Hoosier]

40. Some people do, I'm sure. But...

Larger drones require a transponder. If those transponders are not, um.... transponding, that would be an indication of shenanigans....

[Srkdqltr]

45. How do we know they are not? All we have are excited utterances of folks who may not know anything about them

Except that there lights in the sky. I dont know anything except that I can't get my little drone to fly.

[Happy Hoosier]

49. Fair question..... but....

.... law enforcement and the military DO know this. Since they seem to be mystified about this, I'd have to assume that the transponder data is not available. Local ATC facilities would have logs of all the transponder comms going back at least a few weeks.

[whopis01]

101. ATC does not (and can not) track drones

At one point the plans were to have drones use the same type of position reporting used by manned aircraft, but that was scrapped.

ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast) is used to track normal manned aircraft. The transmissions can be read by ground or satellite ATC systems or directly by other aircraft.

At one point the plan was to require drones to use that system. However it was determined that the sheer number of drones would overwhelm it and now drones a specifically prohibited from broadcasting their data via that.

Drones are required to use RemoteID which can have an extremely short range and is not monitored by the FAA or any ATC facility.

So the FAA and ATC does not track or log data from drones.

[whopis01]

99. Anything over 0.55 lbs requires RemoteID

So virtually any drone designed to be flown outdoors is going to be required to have a RemoteID compliant transponder.

With that said, the RemoteID regulation is virtually useless as it does not specify a range requirement for the transmission. Many RemoteID modules use Bluetooth with a range of a few hundred feet under best conditions.

[Prairie Gates]

41. Deep burn

[Think. Again.]

73. ouch.

[AntiFascist]

91. I don't think they would have the patience to keep them hovering all night long, do they sleep during the day?

One lawmaker interviewed said they were flying in grid patterns over critical infrastructure, probably doing surveillance. He said if it's our own government doing this then it should be comforting to know that they may be tracking a possible security threat. Otherwise, it should be very alarming, and the Feds need to tell us everything they know.

[Wiz Imp]

57. It is understandable to be concerned

But why would "foreign adversaries scouting critical infrastructure with an eye to attacking it in the event of conflict" be doing it in that part of New Jersey? Is there any truly critical infrastructure in that area?

[Xoan]

19. Where is our military?

[OrangeJoe]

21. No idea but. ..

I have no idea about these but since the cops and the military don’t either it does make me wonder. Why is the Pentagon still spending a billion dollars to build a ship (ok I know why $$$ defense contractors) when clearly a swarm of drone can evade detection and take out any vessel? Welcome to the future kids.

[W_HAMILTON]

82. I see the same evidence and look at it a completely different way.

The fact that none of our defense higher-ups seem that worried about them leads me to believe that they are harmless, because if they posed an actual threat to our nation, you can be damn sure they would know about it and take appropriate (or even excessive) action.

[OrangeJoe]

85. 9/11

Both 9/11 & Pearl Harbor don’t exactly inspire confidence in the War Department. Not to mention Vietnam and Iraq & those elusive weapons of mass destruction.

[Rebl2]

23. I am in

a suburb of KCMO and we had three drones over our property as well as neighbors property recently. It went from around 6pm to 10:15 pm on a Thursday night. My husband went out and watched them. He said one seemed to stay to one side and go in circles. The other two traveled back and forth over our houses and over a field behind our houses. He also observed red and green lights. He said they were bigger than what you would normally see.

[SamuelTheThird]

24. Footage

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDhWAEYxzSP/

[Mustellus]

25. If only we could have shoulder fired antiarcraft missiles......

They could be 'kept' and 'borne', and the Second Mendment says we could all have them. When, oh when, will they finally stop Treading on Our Rights. &{ snark off }&

[0rganism]

26. My pet theory: Musk's drones, based in "Bedminster"

They're running proof-of-concept checks for use in border security and population surveillance. TSF himself might not take this shit seriously but there are plenty of people on his team who do.

[Mossfern]

28. I thought that Musk was behind this

But to monitor our internet activity or some such.
Just testing out equipment for the coming authoritative take over.

[0rganism]

34. Yep I think it's the right track - prepping for an effective authoritarian rollout

If we're counting on Trump1.0-style incompetence to bail us out, we're going to add another page to the book of disappointments. He's assembled a true rogues gallery of vicious assholes to get it done this time around.

[Wiz Imp]

58. Hey! A conspiracy theory that actually makes sense!

[0rganism]

66. As one can be reasonably confident the drones aren't launching and maintaining themselves...

...some degree of conspiracy somewhere probably is required for these drone flights to happen at all, regardless of cause or objective. I'll take "sensible conspiracies" for 100, Alex.

[FSogol]

60. If that's true, then we better keep quiet about the bolo guns and weighted nets we have to take those drones out.

[SamuelTheThird]

32. 'Multiple' drones entered airspace at New Jersey naval station

https://abcnews.go.com/US/multiple-drones-entered-airspace-new-jersey-naval-station/story?id=116763570&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR18OR1yExbjJmdeE23qO4KQzl8nBCOsGMVJqNw3L7bO2X3LxfqaTJrZSJE_aem_95Qw9V7A1Q-utKCW2E8cdQ

[gay texan]

35. Are the sightings close to a shipping port? N/t

[Bobstandard]

36. Always ready to fight the last war

Billions in systems that won’t be useful. Why transfer funds from this useless program to systems for the emerging threats?

‘My company has a lot invested in this old technology, and your district, Senator, gets a lot of jobs. Help me block this drone detection nonsense.’

The continuing rip off of taxpayers for corporate welfare. In this case in the name of National Defense to which no objections are allowed.

[Happy Hoosier]

42. As someone who works in Defense Aerospace R&D....

I can assure you that these sort of subjects are NOT being ignored.

[KPN]

59. What do you think not being ignored look like? Just curious. Any insight into what investigation

might look like?

[Happy Hoosier]

68. Can't talk about this thing in particular, as I don;t know, but....

LOTS of attention being paid to what is happening in Ukraine. What works, what doesn't, how we can position ourselves to thrive and win in that kind of environment. No details obviously, but things like detection and interdiction are at the top of the list. Better leave it at that.

[KPN]

74. Hmmm ... interesting. But that makes sense. Thanks.

[Bobstandard]

62. Properly funded? Or fighting for resources

Sorry, as someone who is part of the military industrial complex, your assurances give me no comfort. If you tell me funds for the F35 are being transferred to drone systems development, that would make me feel better. That, of course, is not happening.

[BamaRefugee]

61. BINGO

[marble falls]

37. Looks to me all the evidence points to Andy Kim. Just sayin'.

[LudwigPastorius]

38. Just one drone "about the size of a hood of a car" on the...

market.

These things are pricey, but I know of people who spend tens of thousands on their hobbies.

[Happy Hoosier]

44. A drone that size requires a transponder...

... my guess is the mystery drones are NOT transponding. If they are that big, someone is trying to hide themselves.

[LudwigPastorius]

69. Not that hard of a modification to do yourself.

There are tutorials all over YouTube. Probably some paranoid nuts that do this.

[Emile]

43. Why don't someone fly their drone up there and take pictures,

instead of all this mysterious bullshit?

[NJCher]

53. just a guess but

If they truly don't know, as they say, then they may not want to provoke a fight with a superior technology. At least until they know what they're up against.

[Sogo]

67. It seems to me that drones should be required to have identifying marks, just like airplanes (tail numbers)....

We don't need any new laws governing them; just use the existing laws re any other aircraft. Then when an identifier is missing, we know we have a problem.....

[ThePartyThatListens]

72. What am I supposed to be watching here

Looks like a couple of laser lights to me.

[HereForTheParty]

75. Send them to Roswell

It's a crash recovery mission. Then they'll be on their way.

[Oneear]

76. Google DWARF 3 Smart Telescope

Once it is shipping, then we will be able to see what the Drone looks like

[boston bean]

92. No way out gov't doesn't know what these are.

[NutmegYankee]

93. Looks like a laser pointer bouncing off clouds or fog to me.

[reACTIONary]

95. so far, I've been unimpressed.

[reACTIONary]

96. The government absolutely positively knows what is going on.....

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/nyregion/nj-drones-hochul-east-coast.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hU4.7C8B._x5QyVEzkPOX&smid=url-share

A spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, said at a news conference on Thursday that federal investigators had been unable to corroborate reports of any unauthorized drones above New Jersey. Instead, he said that many of the reported sightings appeared to be “manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.”

[Callie1979]

104. Someone is going to shoot one of these down. And I cant blame them.

We're getting NOTHING from the govt & these are NOT "hobbyists". This shit has gone on FAR too long with no answers.
Someone with a 12ga w/00 buckshot is gonna take one out & THEN we'll see what they are.

We've had drones over military (restricted) areas. We've had them over nuclear facilities. Etc. And NOTHING done to either stop it or identify it. Yet there HAS been a Chinese national arrested for doing just this type thing. Gee, maybe THATS a f'ing CLUE??

[paleotn]

108. Oh my god!

People are flying drones! At night! Oh, the humanity!

They're there during the day too, by the way. Just harder to spot in daylight. A lot of to do about nothing.

[ecstatic]

109. Living creatures has always been my theory

In the ocean we have creatures that can light themselves up and blend in with their surroundings. If we can't see them during the daytime it means they're hiding in plain sight potentially. I think it's tied to glaciers melting.

My comment might sound crazy but I think the idea that they're coming from another planet is more crazy. In the spirit of keeping explanations simple, the best explanation is that it's advanced tech from a rogue scientist in the United States or another country. The second best explanation is my theory. Lol

[Uncle Joe]

110. That looks like something that my cat would chase.

Thanks fir the thread Dennis.

[Dennis Donovan]

111. Anytime!