A small drone crashed into a homeowner’s backyard in Pequannock Township, Morris County, New Jersey, on Thursday night, sparking concerns as mysterious drone activity continues to unsettle residents in the state.

The incident occurred around 8:45 p.m., according to the Pequannock Police Department.

Authorities confirmed the downed drone was a hobby or toy-type model, not a large commercial or military-grade craft.

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The Pequannock Police Department clarified the nature of the drone in a statement to The New York Post.

This incident follows recent warnings from New Jersey law enforcement about possible “copycat” drone activity.

One local police chief suggested the drone phenomena might have originated from surveillance operations conducted at the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. Army facility in Morris County, before being emulated by civilians.

“What we think is it started as some sort of Picatinny Arsenal base surveillance drill or operation, but once it exploded online, this became a copycat situation,” the police chief stated.

The Picatinny Arsenal houses the U.S. Army’s Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center, a highly secure facility engaged in testing weapons, ammunition, and warfare technology.

Given its critical role in national defense, the facility is a potential target for espionage, adding to the concern surrounding the drone sightings.

FAA places restriction on ALL drone flights over Picatinny Arsenal and Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster NJ after car size Drones/UFO’s have been hovering for weeks in Morris County.

Legacy media is purposely ignoring this story, but local media is all over it. pic.twitter.com/r45kaQOEZf

— RJ Talks (@realRJTalks) December 3, 2024

Pequannock Mayor Ryan Herd visited the crash site on Thursday night to inspect the situation. Speaking to The Post, Herd emphasized his concerns about the growing drone activity.

“It is definitely not one of the massive, car-size drones that purportedly have been hovering overhead,” Herd said. “But I’m absolutely concerned that nobody knows whose drones are flying over us, what they’re flying over us for, and where they’re taking off and landing.”

Herd added, “Drones are flying over our houses, which is our private property. My family is here.”

In a follow-up phone call on Friday morning, Herd urged residents to avoid taking drastic measures against drones. “We can’t be putting up Class 1 and Class 2 drones trying to follow these drones. God forbid something happens, and it crashes into the big drone, and the big drone crashes into a house and kills six people — that’s going to be a problem,” he said.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office is leading the investigation into the backyard drone crash.

Meanwhile, another report of a downed drone hitting a powerline in nearby Randolph Township on the same evening was deemed unfounded by the Morris County Sheriff’s Office.

Recent drone sightings across New Jersey prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to impose temporary flight restrictions over sensitive locations, including a golf course in Bedminster owned by former President Donald Trump and the Picatinny Arsenal Military Base.

The FAA stated that the restrictions were enacted at the request of federal security partners.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby addressed the broader issue on Thursday, confirming that over 3,000 reports of large drones patrolling nighttime skies remain unverified by federal investigators.

White House National Security Advisor John Kirby says the US does not have any of its own imagery of the drones over NJ and NY.

He claims the White House is adequately investigating the drones situation and there is no national security threat. pic.twitter.com/y9OnJRbILy

— UAP News (@HighPeaks77) December 12, 2024

Pentagon officials have also dismissed the possibility of foreign involvement in these drone operations.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy acknowledged the sophisticated nature of the drone activity earlier this week. “The minute you get your eyes on them, they go dark,” Murphy said.

UPDATE: NJ Governor Phil Murphy on the “very sophisticated” “drones” over New Jersey: “This is something we’re taking deadly seriously.” Partial transcript:

“I was on with the White House and Homeland Security leadership literally at the very top yesterday, pretty much all day.… pic.twitter.com/MKVKT8e7cr

— UAP Reporting Center (@UAPReportingCnt) December 9, 2024

However, he reassured residents that the devices do not pose a public safety threat and advised against shooting them out of the sky. Murphy welcomed federal authorities to investigate and take down drones for study if necessary.

As authorities work to uncover the source and purpose of these drone sightings, residents remain on edge, grappling with the uncertainty of unidentified aircraft over their communities.

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