People in New Jersey are “starting to panic” over repeated sightings of drones, one resident has said.

Ryan Herd, the mayor of Pequannock Township, says the repetitive visits from drones are “an invasion” of privacy for area residents.

US officials have said that the drones do not pose a threat to US citizens. At the White House on Thursday, national security spokesman John Kirby said there is “no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”

The Pentagon has denied the suggestion of one New Jersey representative that the possible drones were coming from an Iranian “mothership” lurking off the east coast.