This holiday season, the police in New Jersey have turned to a very unusual request:
“Please, stop shooting at Santa Claus!”
Their plea came after the puzzling surge of drone sightings across the state sparked bewilderment, concern, and even some trigger-happy reactions.
Since November 2024, unidentified flying drones have been spotted everywhere across New Jersey. These were no average backyard gadgets in question but as large as six feet wide with huge capabilities on board. They have even flown over highly restricted airspace above the Raritan River, the Picatinny Arsenal, and Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. This is just how much some of the night scenes usually go until 11 p.m.
Since their appearance around sensitive areas, the theories have run riot-that they’re government surveillance devices, being controlled by rogue hobbyists and even aliens. As the holiday season goes into full swing, a question begs: What if Santa Claus’s sleigh gets mistaken for one of those mysterious objects? Residents haven’t been exactly subtle with their reactions, either.
Some have expressed fears about drones, saying maybe they’re part of some greater, sinister plan, while others find the response more humorous:
“I honestly thought it was the aliens coming for me, “
one man from Fairfield said over the phone, bursting out laughing.
“It turns out it was just another drone—but what if Santa’s sleigh looks like that?”
Unfortunately, such jokes have given way to more serious concerns; now, reports have surfaced regarding people asking whether they can shoot the drones down.
That is when the local officials stepped in to remind everyone that firing at anything in the sky is dangerous and against the law, including drones. Bullets fired upward eventually come down, causing property damage, injuries, and worse. Of course, there is one extra risk: turning poor Santa into a holiday casualty.
“Santa’s on a strict FAA-approved flight plan,”
Jested one official.
“Please don’t make him collateral damage!”
Law enforcement has been working to investigate the drone sightings with assistance from the FBI and Homeland Security, assuring people there’s no evidence of any national security threat. Residents are asked to report sightings and remain calm rather than reach for their firearms.
It’s impossible not to imagine poor old Santa Claus and his reindeer running a gantlet of stray bullets as they struggle through New Jersey’s drone-filled skies. It all seems like something from a holiday comedy.
“The last thing we want is Santa’s big night being interrupted by a misguided vigilante,”
one official added.
