California

Drones spotted over parts of Riverside County amid uptick in sightings

Due to multiple reports of drone sightings in New Jersey, its governor requested federal assistance to investigate the source of the devices.

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The aerial mystery overhead in the Inland Empire. Damon Angel, who also goes by nomad, says three nights this week he’s tracked drones over Temecula. Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Dec. 13, 2024.

Residents in Riverside County captured mysterious lights in the sky that could be drones amid reports of sightings on the East Coast.

Residents throughout the county reported spotting the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), sparking concerns over who’s flying them and why. One resident in Hemet reported seeing three drones at about 6 p.m. Friday. Temecula resident Damon Angel said he’s seen them on three different nights throughout the week.

“The size of a car,” he described them. “It’s kind of crazy. It’s something that not a lot of people can believe because it’s so outlandish. It’s the size of a car.”

He told NBC4 that there was no doubt in his mind as to what the devices were.

“I’ve played with drones as a kid and I’ve had the little, tiny square ones or whatever. “But these ones aren’t like that, and so they’re just giant triangles with lights on them that are dead silent.”

According to Angel, the drones he’s seen seem to just be flying around. He said during one of his sightings, he saw one go from northwest to west over the hill of Rancho.

Several residents in Riverside said they spotted a handful of drones in the sky. This video was broadcast on Today in LA on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024.

A Laguna Beach resident, who asked to stay anonymous, said he spotted several drones on Nov. 29.

“These look remarkably like what has been seen in New Jersey,” he said.

The uptick in drone sightings has Americans on edge with different state leaders calling for federal assistance. Maryland Gov. Larry Jogan said he captured drones hovering over his home and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy penned a letter to President Joe Biden to request federal assistance in investigating the source of the devices.

In response to the sightings, the Federal Aviation Administration released a video issuing guidance on the usage of drones.

It is unclear where the devices are coming from.

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