Drone sightings reach Pa.; Monroe County officials ask residents to report them to 911

John Misinco, The Morning Call on Dec 12, 2024

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Mystery “drones” have been seen in the skies over New Jersey in recent weeks, and now the sightings have apparently reached the Lehigh Valley and eastern Pennsylvania.

On Thursday evening, social media was abuzz with reports of lights in the sky, from the Easton area to the Slate Belt and beyond.

Numerous sightings were also reported just to the north in the Poconos. The Monroe County Office of Emergency Management in a Facebook post around 9 p.m. said it was aware of the social media reports throughout the county.

“Please report any drone sightings in Monroe County, PA, by calling 911,” the post read. “Report the size, shape and color or any lights visible on the drones and the location of the drone sightings.”

The agency said anyone reporting the sightings could request to share live video footage with didspatchers.

“By reporting this to 911, we are able to pass your report on to the proper authorities,” the agency said.

Multiple reports of the sightings were also being called into authorities in Lehigh and Northampton counties, according to emergency radio dispatches.

Many of the sightings in the Lehigh Valley were being reported over the Slate Belt region, with several dozen people in the Slate Belt Chatter Facebook group saying they saw the unidentified objects.

Additional sightings were reported on the Easton, PA Post and Complainers of Hellertown Facebook pages from those respective regions.

As residents shared videos and photos of what they saw, others offered a simpler explanation for some of the sightings: they were simply airplanes visible on a clear night across the region.

Thursday night also happened to be the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, according to Accuweather.

“The meteors will be visible throughout the entire night sky with the first shooting stars appearing not long after nightfall,” Accuweather reported.

Clear conditions across the region made for ideal viewing conditions, although Accuweather warned a nearly full moon meant stargazers would need to look “in darker areas where the moon is out of sight.”

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