NJ mayor says there's radioactive material missing amid mysterious drone sightings

Belleville Mayor Michael Melham revealed that state police issued an alert regarding missing radioactive material, suggesting a potential connection to the recent mysterious drone sightings.
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The Brief
*Belleville Mayor Michael Melham said mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey may be linked to missing radioactive material.

*NRC reports missing radioactive material in New Jersey, when an empty, damaged container arrived in the Port of Newark.

NEW YORK - As officials continue to investigate the origins of mysterious drones spotted over the skies of New Jersey, Belleville Mayor Michael Melham suggested that they might be connected to missing radioactive material.

"We know we have drones flying in a grid-like pattern. In my opinion, they're looking for something. What might they be looking for? Maybe that's radioactive material," Melham said on Good Day New York.

According to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission alert, radioactive material went missing on Dec. 2.

"It was a shipment. It arrived at its destination. The container was damaged, and it was empty," Melham said.

Watch Mayor Melham's full interview with Curt Menefee and Rosanna Scotto in the media player above.

Melham on drones
Melham told Good Day. "Information has not been forthcoming, and it's this lack of transparency…that's doing nothing but fueling conspiracy theories online,"

When asked about his thoughts on what the drones could be, Melham responded, "I can tell you what it's not."

"We know for a fact it's not little green men." He added, Melham said the drones were flying in a grid and that they could likely be looking for something.

"Maybe that's radioactive material," Melham said.

"And more than likely, it's not a foreign adversary, because they would be able to figure out how to turn off the blinking lights," he said.

https://www.fox5ny.com/news/nj-missing-radioactive-material-amid-drones
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The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reported radioactive material lost in transit in Newfield, New Jersey, on December 3, 2024. The material, identified as a Ge-68 pin source (Eckert & Ziegler model HEGL-0132) with approximately 0.267 mCi of activity, was shipped for disposal but never arrived intact.

According to the NRC, "The shipping container arrived at its destination damaged and empty. The licensee has filed a claim with the shipper. If the source is not located within 30 days, the licensee will follow up with a full written report to include root cause(s) and corrective actions."

What kind of radioactive material was it?

The NRC categorized the material as "Less than IAEA Category 3," meaning it’s unlikely to cause permanent injury. However, unshielded material could potentially cause temporary harm if mishandled or in close proximity for an extended period.

The NRC explains that sources categorized as "Less than IAEA Category 3" contain minimal radioactive material. While unlikely to cause permanent injury, mishandling or prolonged exposure to these sources, such as moisture density gauges, could temporarily harm individuals over several weeks.

The radioactive material was licensed to the Nazha Cancer Center.