Rejecting White House drone theories

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Thursday:

⬛ NJ school coach, teacher's aide busted on child porn charges

Nicholas Cringoli (inset) Franklin middle school (SCPO, Google Maps, Canva)

A 52-year-old middle school teacher's aide who also has coached wrestling in Somerset County has been accused of having child sex abuse materials.

On Tuesday, Nicholas Cringoli was arrested and charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, for possession of items depicting sexual exploitation and/or abuse of a child.

Law enforcement carried out a search warrant at Cringoli’s Raritan Borough home after 6 a.m., Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald said.

⬛ Caught on video: Brazen package thieves in NJ twerk on Ring cam

Gloucester Township police are trying to identify these porch pirates (Gloucester Twp. PD You Tube video)

A porch pirate in Gloucester Township returned stolen items after seeing himself on a Ring app, in what police call, a “you can’t make this stuff up” crime stoppers exclusive video.

On Monday, Dec. 9, at approximately 6:36 p.m., the victim’s Ring camera captured two porch pirates running up to the front door of the Independence Square Townhomes in the Sicklerville section.

One suspect is seen grabbing an Amazon package containing four glasses and baby items valued at $74, according to Gloucester Township police. The second suspect also runs up to the front door, and begins taunting the victim on their camera by “twerking.”

⬛ Alarming increase in laser attacks on planes since drone frenzy

Green laser pointed at a jet (Canva)

The number of incidents in which a laser light is pointed at an airplane over New Jersey has increased sixfold as frustration and fear rise over drones across the state.

Laser incidents reported by pilots have increased 269% over the same period last year, according to the FAA. In New Jersey, laser strikes are up significantly in the month of December with 59. There were only eight reported incidents in November before drones began appearing in the sky and 16 in December 2023. FAA records show a total of 49 incidents statewide during 2024, 67 in 2023, 45 in 2022 and 41 in 2021.

⬛ Radioactive waste that went missing from NJ is found

NRC notice about missing GE-68 pin (NRC), GE-68 pin (General Electric)

A minuscule amount of radioactive waste that went missing on Dec. 2 — reports of which prompted theories that the drones were secretly searching for radioactive substances or a dirty bomb — has been found. And no drones were used in the process.

According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection reported that a GE-68 pin used at the Nazha Cancer Center in Newfields was "lost in transit" on Dec. 2. The pin had a small and relatively safe amount of radioactive material, according to the report.

⬛ More alarmist NJ drone theories turn out to be a dud

AP/Townsquare Media illustration

The White House has knocked down another drone theory promulgated by a New Jersey congressman, saying that a report of drones tailing a Coast Guard ship was a case of people getting confused by typical flight traffic out of a busy New York City airport.

The Coast Guard story was one of several in recent weeks that helped fuel the frenzy in New Jersey over the supposed drone sightings, many of which have turned out not to be drones at all.