Cape May County Commissioner Director Desidero released a statement on December 11 related to the recent drone sightings. Desiderio urges the public to act calmly and not attempt to bring down any of the unmanned aerial vehicles as the subject is further investigated. The full press release is available at CoastNewsToday.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2024
Contact: Diane.wieland@cape-may.nj.us
609 463-6419December 11, 2924
STATEMENT BY COMMISSIONER DIRECTOR DESIDERIO:
Cape May County Taking Proactive Approach to Drone ConcernsCape May Court House, NJ – Cape May County Board of County Commissioners Director Len
Desiderio met today with County Office of Emergency Management Director Christopher Leusner
to determine a course of action for the County of Cape May related to the recent sighting of
military-grade unmanned aerial vehicle drones over portions of New Jersey.
“The OEM Director and I discussed the drone issues at length and have engaged experts with vast
experience in the field,” Desiderio said. “We have also been interfacing with state and federal law
enforcement agencies who are actively investigating the continuous sightings of these UAVs in
other parts of the state in recent days. It is a bit disconcerting that it appears that the origins and
landing locations of these drones have not yet been identified. It is somewhat reassuring that the
drones have apparently not engaged in any hostile actions in other parts of the state, but we want
to be prepared in Cape May County to be able to advise the public and perhaps bring in assets to
track these UAVs in order to ensure public safety should they begin to appear in large numbers
over our part of the state.”The Cape May County Office of Emergency Management is under the oversight of the Director
of the Board of Commissioners and is part of the statewide Emergency Management system. Day
to-day, OEM advises the Board of Commissioners on a broad range of public safety issues and
interfaces with local, state and federal law enforcement and other public safety agencies. In the
event of a declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor, OEM is part of the State of New
Jersey’s overall emergency management response.
“We are asking the public to stay engaged on these issues, but to do so calmly and not attempt to
interfere with or bring down a drone if one is spotted,” Leusner said. “Our local, state and federal
partners are working diligently to find answers to the questions surrounding these UAV sightings.
We are collecting as much data as we possibly can and consulting with experts about how best to
evaluate any drone sightings in Cape May County from a public safety standpoint. Our focus is
to be prepared to provide as much information as possible to folks on the ground if these drones
begin to appear over Cape May County in large numbers, and to work together with those agencies
having authority over the skies above Cape May County to ensure public safety moving forward.”
Theories on the origins of the drones have taken many forms in recent days, with some credible
information apparently pointing to the possibility of an ocean-based launching and landing site.“We are also working with our state legislators and our Congressman who are actively leading on
these issues,” Desiderio said. “I am also a bit concerned about any negative impacts on our fishing
industry if these UAVs are operating from a ship or ships off the coast. It is imperative that we
get to the bottom of this and that the appropriate agencies get control of the skies over New Jersey
as quickly as possible.”
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