Pennsylvania joins N.Y. and N.J. as another state with drone sightings and unanswered questions

This week, drone sightings have been common along the east coast, and central Pennsylvania is not an exception. However, many questions remain unresolved.

These drones are being operated by whom? What is their size? Why are they flying over military installations and cities? What do they intend to do? Are you able to shoot them?

In mid-November, the first drone sightings occurred in New Jersey. Since then, sightings from New York, Pennsylvania, and other eastern states have been recorded, along with numerous further sightings in New Jersey.

Central Pennsylvanians joined the drone-hunting frenzy, with multiple posts with images and more queries showing up in local Facebook groups.

Drones are flying above, but why? What’s happening? One post in a Facebook group centered in Hampden Township, Cumberland County, mentioned Enola Camp Hill Mechanicsburg.

Another reader said, “I live near Messiah College and saw it flying over.”

Dozens of images of nearby airplanes and drones were also shared by WGAL viewers in central Pennsylvania. What seemed to be a drone flying above a Dillsburg highway was captured by one viewer’s dashcam.

Staten Island lawmakers convened Friday to urge local law enforcement to look into the drones, which have been described as being smaller than airplanes but larger than average consumer drones.

Earlier this week, a Pentagon spokeswoman stated that there is no proof that the drones are being managed by a foreign group, and the FBI stated that it had no answers about the drones.

CNN political pundit and former Illinois state representative Adam Kinzingera, a veteran and lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, published a little video on X Thursday discussing the drone sightings.

“I have noticed a few things,” Kinzinger remarked. First of all, they contain strobe lights and green and red lights, which are precisely what the FAA requires for navigation.

Keith Perosi was running outside his house in Westerleigh at around 10 p.m. on Thursday when he heard a low-pitched whining sound.
I noticed the drone when I looked up. It was enormous. He claimed that it might have been an SUV in size and that something of that size was hanging from underneath it.Thanks to Keith Perosi

Naturally, the two most widely held beliefs regarding the drones on the internet are that they are aliens and that they are being launched from an Iranian ship off the shore.

But according to The Hill, satellite photos taken earlier this week reveal the Iranian drone ship, Shahid Bagheri, carrying out experiments in the Persian Gulf.

Kinzinger believes the solution is simpler.

Look, whether it’s aliens or Iran, they’re actually doing a pretty excellent job of adhering to FAA laws and regulations, Kinzinger remarked. In my opinion, this is most likely a corporation testing drones. And as long as they’re within the law, they don’t have to inform anyone what they’re doing.

As long as the drone is registered with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), flying drones at night is permitted in many of the locations where sightings have been recorded.

Kinzinger also discussed whether flying over US military installations and other high-security sites is permitted.

Intriguingly, there are no regulations about flying over military bases, despite the fact that individuals discuss doing so over critical locations and military bases. As long as you’re above a particular altitude, which these drones are, you may fly over military bases, he said.

The FBI stated on Thursday that it does not have any proof that the items are a safety or security risk.

“It seems that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully,” the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated in a joint statement.

Although it is unlawful to shoot any aircraft, including drones, according to federal law, many people on the internet have been calling for the shooting of drones out of the sky. Those found guilty of firing airplanes or drones may be fined or imprisoned for up to 20 years.

There are no states or municipalities in the US where it is permissible to shoot drones since state and local regulations cannot supersede federal restrictions.

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