Mysterious, SUV-sized drones have reemerged in the skies over New Jersey and New York following a brief pause in activity.
This lull corresponded with flight restrictions imposed by federal authorities, but the Federal Aviation Administration has since lifted the ban, allowing for resumed drone operations.
According to Christine Kim, spokesperson for Enigma Labs, reports of such unmanned aircraft are not limited to just the New York and New Jersey regions.
“We’ve received over 100 reports in the past three weeks mentioning drones from various locations across the United States,” she noted.
To address the rising concerns and track these sightings, Enigma Labs developed a live active drone map in December.
This tool aids both the public and investigators in monitoring drone activity, particularly in the tri-state area.
Kim highlighted that New Jersey has become a significant focal point for drone sightings.
In fact, Enigma Labs’ iPhone application for cataloging unidentified anomalous phenomena, alongside its interactive map, documented a total of 22,000 sightings in 2024, with the majority concentrated in the Northeast region.
“We’ve been getting more and more reports, including a surge of them last week,” Kim said, with 28 reports, including one of a floating, color-shifting object over Hoboken on Jan. 14.
Enigma Labs relies on information submitted by users and commenced tracking sightings of unidentified flying objects in late November, following a rise in public concern and anxiety in New Jersey and across the United States.
Since initiating this tracking, the organization has received a total of 650 reports of drone sightings nationwide, with 154 of those reports received in January alone, which includes recent instances observed in Hoboken and Stockton, New Jersey.
More than 50% of the reports submitted to Enigma characterized the objects as “hovering” or remaining airborne for prolonged periods, while approximately 25% indicated that the objects were seen moving in groups of five or more.
