Somerset Hills Towns Advocacy at Mayors Only Meeting on Drone Activity

Bedminster, Bernards Township, Bernardsville, Bridgewater,
Far Hills and Peapack & Gladstone, New Jersey

In a continuing collaborative effort regarding the drone activity in the area, the six municipalities of the Somerset Hills — Bedminster, Bernards Township, Bernardsville, Bridgewater, Far Hills and Peapack & Gladstone have joined together to advocate for the legitimate concerns voiced by our residents regarding nighttime drone flights in our area.

On Wednesday, December 11 a rapidly assembled briefing was held by the NJ State Police (NJSP) and the NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) regarding the reports of drone activity in New Jersey. Representing the six towns at the meeting were Mayors Jennifer Assy of Bernards Township, Mayor Kevin Welsh of Far Hills Borough and Mayor Mark A. Corigliano of the Borough of Peapack & Gladstone. The meeting was held at the New Jersey Regional Operations and Intelligence Center in Ewing, NJ.

Presenting to a few hundred concerned New Jersey mayors were Colonel Patrick Callahan (NJSP), Director Laurie R. Doran (NJOHSP) and (via teleconference) Brent Cotton, Director, US Department of Homeland Security.

The panel, led by Colonel Callahan looked to provide an update on the drone activity plaguing our state and the Somerset Hills area. Unfortunately, little new information was provided. State and Federal authorities still do not know who is launching these drones, where they are being launched from or landing at and what their purpose is. They indicated that they were still being launched nightly with many sightings being reported. They further indicated that these drones were thought to be advanced aircraft with an extended flight time and the ability to lift a significant payload. They cautioned the assembled mayors to not encourage any intervention as what is thought to be a drone may in fact, be a small, manned aircraft. Detection equipment, including such being operated by Federal authorities has yet to pick up any of these aircraft or radio transmissions. The Coast Guard has been involved in this effort and has indicated that no drone aircraft have been detected coming from offshore. The NJSP have checked with all federal agencies, and it was stated that these drones were not from US government activities including those of the military. Lastly, the NJSP advised that flying drones such as those being seen is not illegal and thus far, no laws are known to have been violated.

Until an answer is found, the Mayors of the Somerset Hills urge residents to remain vigilant. The Somerset Hills Mayors understand that these flights are concerning to our residents and will remain engaged until an answer is found. If you see something, say something!

To report drone activity: “ Call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit the tip online to tips.fbi.gov. Videos can be uploaded to the tip site.” If you are unable to reach the FBI, report the sighting to the NJSP at 1-866-4SAFENJ.

Further, residents are being advised to reach out to Federal Senators to support and endorse S.1631, a bill that tightens the use of unmanned aircraft and the related threat they pose. This bill may be viewed at www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1631/text.

The Somerset Hills Public Safety Committee (SHSC) is an association of the Mayors and Police Chiefs of the six municipalities that comprise the Somerset Hills: Bedminster, Bernards Township, Bernardsville, Bridgewater, Far Hills and Peapack & Gladstone, New Jersey.

The SHSC recognizes that additional pressure on Federal authorities is needed and will be working on this going forward. The SHSC thanks you for your concern and will be diligent in following up on this pressing issue.

For more information, the press release contact for the Somerset Hills Public Safety Committee is Mark Corigliano, Mayor, Borough of Peapack and Gladstone (1 School Street, Peapack, NJ 07977), or by email at: mcorigliano@peapackgladstone.org.