>> Funding for "NJ Spotlight News" provided by the New Jersey Education Association, making public schools great for every child.

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And Orstead, committed to delivering clean American energy.

Anchor: If not a bird or plane but residents swear there is a drone.

More mysterious sightings pumped in to provide answers.

>> You're telling me we don't know what the Hell of these drones are in New Jersey are?

Is that correct?

>> That's right.

>> That is crazy, that's madness we don't know what these drones are.

Anchor: And a deeper dive into what may be a deep-rooted profiling by state police.

>> When you have a group imposed of white males we have to recognize, and law enforcement has been trained, we have to recognize implicit by ants -- implicit bias.

Anchor: In state lawmakers take another go of eliminating plastic packaging.

>> We are swimming in plastics and we can't recycle out of this crisis.

Anchor: And the DEP releases new maps to safeguard state force but outdoor enthusiasts are crying foul.

"NJ Spotlight News" begins right now.

♪ >> From NJPBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News" with Briana Vannozzi.

Anchor: Good evening and thank you for joining us.

We begin with a few of today's top headlines.

First, even the FBI says it doesn't know who is behind all of the drone sightings reported in New Jersey and the region over the last few weeks.

The mystery of the unidentified drones prompted Congress to get involved, holding a hearing Tuesday where federal officials admitted that despite repeated assurances from Governor Murphy and local law enforcement, they can't say for sure whether the drones pose a threat.

During the hearing, Robert Wheeler told Chris Smith and others that the drones are not coming from local military bases, with no reason to think the drones are dangerous but no one can say definitively.

Senator Cory Booker wrote a letter asking the FBI and other agencies for briefing and to make available info open to the public.

During the hearing, Smith set a Coast Guard official told him about a dozen drones were recently spotted following one of their ships off the coast of Island Beach State Park.

>> We always seem to miss something and I'm very concerned we are missing something here.

Last not we had a number of people here including a commanding officer from the Coast Guard who said one of their 47 foot lifeboats was followed between 12 and 30 of these drones as they went through the water, followed right behind them.

Anchor: Also, a win for the Jersey shore, two Congress members, say they have successfully lobbied to include was known as a beach hotspot erosion study in the final version of the Federal water info structure bill.

According to them, hotspot erosion is when there is accelerated sediment loss that leaves specific parts of beaches or dunes exposed to storm surges or flooding, typically found at the north ends of barrier islands.

The bill will authorized Army Corps of Engineers to study the problem.

Beaches were generally in good shape before the season started, aside from Sam Cliff's running that left beach businesses and homes vulnerable to flooding.

Mandatory screening during pregnancy for lead is one step away from becoming law.

The bill was approved that will require patients to be screened for lead, which can be harmful to pregnant people in the developing nervous system of the baby they are caring because it can be passed from the placenta to the fetus or through rust milk.

Experts have found there's no safe level of lead in children.

It can lead to damage to the brain, development and behavior problems.

The legislation requires health-care providers to assess patients for potential risk factors and inform them if lab reports show elevated blood lead levels.

Medical professionals often so -- also have to expand the risks of lead poisoning and ask if children have been screened.

The bill still needs approval from the full assembly and Senate.

A changing of the guard at New Jersey transit at least temporarily.

Governor Murphy today officially announced and the Board of Directors unanimously approved a caretaker president and CEO.

Stepping into fill the render of the current CEOs tenure until Murphy leaves office.

Corban is resigning in January after seven years at the helm of the troubled agency.

As David Cruz reports, his time was marked with a handful of accomplishments but still much more work to be done.

>> If it kills me, we will rebuild NJ transit.

Reporter: It has not been an easy seven years for Kevin Corbett, given the mandate of both saving NJ transit and getting positive train control installed.

Today in his final NJ transit board member -- Board meeting as CEO, he did as he has always done, stuck to the prepared text.

>> We came in with a seemingly impossible deadline that we accomplished, hiring hundreds of local engineers to keep our state moving during the Covid crisis.

We saw the best of public in our organization, maintaining full service and lodging our strategic plan, with capital money.

Reporter: Board members praised Corbett, whose resignation is next month, for sticking in the job for seven years.

>> I know you are lightning rod for criticism from this agency and you have taken it.

You have accepted criticism when it has been valid and tried to address issues and when it has not you capture Chen up and I appreciate that.

Reporter: There's been plenty of criticism.

Late trains, canceled trains, consecutive summers from help you remember Wrestlemania?

And don't forget annual fair hikes in perpetuity.

Larry Higgs covers community for NJ.com.

He said critics gave him credit for handling some issues.

>> Getting a capital budget going, that sort of thing, where they had problems was some of the day-to-day things that affect commuter lives good obviously the fare increase, they are not happy with that.

A decision such as closing the station.

Reporter: The truth is trains are still getting canceled, it's just more likely because of a breakdown and not a shortage of engineers.

Buses run late frequently but the agency has also picked up service where private carriers have left and yes, you should probably prepare for some sort of commuter hello again this summer.

Federal dollars are on the way to address that, say officials.

It has not been an easy time, said the governor this week.

>> Seven years and probably the most difficult job in our government maybe with the exception of mine, inherited a mess.

Reporter: The former transportation commissioner will take over as CEO next month.

He recently stepped away from his role as CEO at the Gateway development commission.

His connections to the agency, the DOT Commissioner serves as board chair, made him a popular choice, but advocates say he needs to bring that experience to bear on commuter service.

>> They need to continue to shepherd federal funding into New Jersey such as Gateway and other opportunities to cut down on costs for our state.

Crisco Lori has plenty of experience in bringing that funding into New Jersey especially with Gateway.

And finally they need to expand service and improve reliability.

Riders know where we need more buses and more frequent trains.

Reporter: The record book will show the Corbett, reportedly heading to academia next, staved after -- staved off disaster but could not perform miracles.

The next CEO will have his hands full as the agency not only prepares for the World Cup in 2026 but tries to figure out how to get you from point a to point B on time a little more consistently.

I am David Cruz.

Anchor: The Attorney General today confirmed his office has launched an investigation into an eight month slow down and traffic enforcement that began immediately following the release of a state report showing racial disparities in the driver's troopers were pulling over.

He has tapping a former U.S. attorney general for the Southern District of New York to oversee the investigation.

A recent New York Times investigation uncovered the drastic cutback in enforcement which appears to have a for coincided with an uptick in fatal traffic accidents.

Is not the first time state police have come under fire in recent years.

The department spent much of the 2000 under a consent decree with the DOJ because of alleged racial bias following a 1998 New Jersey Turnpike shooting incident when troopers opened fire on four lakh and browned men during a routine traffic stop.

James Turow was the Deputy Attorney General at the time and appointed a special prosecutor in the case.

He says 20 years later some processes seem to be the same.

I'm glad to have your time today.

When we think back to the 1998 shooting, that seemed to be a turning point in public perception of these incidents.

Why do you think systemic reform within state police has been so hard to implement even after a high-profile event like that one and the ones that have continued?

James: I think the major problem with the state police is a lack of diversity within the state police.

You are talking about an organization that is composed of white males and back in the 1990's, there was essentially institutional racism.

It was carried on by troopers and not in any way challenged by those who were supervising it.

What I've seen from that report that gave rise to the troopers deciding not to write tickets or engage in motor vehicle stops is precisely that -- this white organization, implicit bias is there and unfortunately is coming out with motor vehicle stops and searches.

Anchor: We should note union leaders in the report from the New York Times contested that and said they would never direct troopers not to do their jobs.

You are saying this is deep-rooted and that's why even with a number of reforms that have been proposed, we are not seeing things radically change.

James: We are not.

I don't think we will until such time as the state police change their structure and diversity.

I know over the years they have indicated they've tried to recruit women, people of color, but sadly that hasn't happened.

Anchor: You were appointed special prosecutor on this.

How effective was the consent decree and the steps that have been taken from a legal perspective?

James: The one very good thing that came out of this and I only wish we had it in 1998, was the advance of mobile recorders and body cams.

That investigation back then from the time of the incident to indictment was like 16 months.

If we had cameras, we could have been through with that investigation within a very short time, no later than six months.

It was clearly carried on to interdict illegal contraband, drugs in particular on the New Jersey Turnpike, as it was the part of the 95 roadway that drugs trafficked from the south to the Northeast.

That was the major emphasis in state policing at that time.

One of the things you can look at is the highest award troopers have is trooper of the year.

If you look at the 90's, virtually all of the troopers of the year were interdicting drugs.

The trip that guards state Parkway.

Anchor: So much more we should get into but we have to leave it there.

Thank you for your time.

James: My pleasure.

Anchor: In our spotlight on business report, the plastic war is not over.

Lawmakers in environmental advocates are trying again to pass the packaging product stewardship act, a bill that will cut down on the use of single use plastics by requiring manufacturers of packaging materials to better manage what they sell and require them to use more recycled material in products.

As Ted Goldberg reports, there is one major rub -- his knees -- business lobby assay it could cost more than $120 million.

>> They are putting profits over health and environment and we've been subsidizing those profits.

>> The environmental committee doesn't want to solve the problem.

Reporter: The fight over plastic packaging has seen familiar battle lines drawn.

The business community, who says the proposed changes would raise costs for businesses and consumers, and environmentalists, who argue lawmakers should do more to reduce the amount of plastic in our daily lives.

>> 40% of the plastics produced each year is used for single use packaging.

Virtually none of that is recyclable.

The U.S. plastic recycling rate is abysmal, about 5%.

>> I feel like I am infested with plastic.

Reporter: Brian Thompson isn't exaggerating much, thanks to the proliferation of micro plastics.

>> We can show we are plastic people, they are identified, and we've shown it in our laboratory work as well.

>> It's time to update the mantra of reduce, reuse, and recycle, our bodies are swimming in plastics and we can't recycle our way out of the crisis.

Reporter: Environmentalists have employed a bill in Trenton that would require most companies that use plastic packaging to use less of it and fund a new DEP department dedicated to managing plastics.

They argue it would lead to a healthier New Jersey.

>> Plastic has been linked to numerous cancers, causing reproductive issues, asthma, mental health issues and diabetes.

>> The small particles can get into her lungs and cause problems like other fine particle air pollution.

Increasing risk for asthma attacks, COP exacerbations, increased risk for infection.

Reporter: Exceptions would be made for companies making less than $5 million a year in gross revenue, nonprofits and public groups.

>> It will shift the financial burden for paying for all of this waste from New Jersey residents and towns to the companies actually responsible for.

This will save towns and residents lots of money that can be used to invest in other things.

Reporter: Leaders in the business community say that's not going to happen because companies will take those new expenses and pass it down to customers.

>> A similar bill in New York, it had an independent study done and it would have cost the consumer, a family, $700 additionally per year.

Because the alternatives to some of the packaging products are more expensive.

>> We are overlaying a forty-year system of recycling in New Jersey and the bill is really not clear how that's going to work.

Reporter: Where they agree is too much plastic ends up in the garbage.

Ray Cantor with the business and industry Association says the answer is a process called advanced recycling.

>> It basically takes plastics, breaks it down through heat and pressure to its base elements and allows it to be used as version feedstock.

Reporter: While environmentalists don't see it that way.

>> Advanced recycling is a fools gold.

>> Advanced recycling, whatever pseudonym it goes under, is not a solution to waste management, nor is it sustainable and in some cases it's very dangerous.

>> It is safe, no incineration, no emissions.

Reporter: The Senate environment committee is expected to vote on the bill Thursday morning.

Bob Smith sponsored it and said in October he expected the bill to pass.

Anchor: At long last after a decade of public input, the state this week released an official map of roads where vehicles are allowed inside Wharton State Forest.

DEP says the new map was designed to protect public safety and environmentally sensitive areas in the forest.

There are hundreds of miles of open roads in the forest 120,000 acres, but outdoor enthusiasts say the map is too restrictive.

Raven Santana has the details.

>> We can't say you can drive over this bridge, you are inviting people into disaster.

We have to be able to tell people where they can go safely.

Reporter: This public lands advocate says this dilapidated bridge is just one example of a road that will be deemed illegal to drive over according to the new Wharton State forests visiting vehicle use map now in effect.

>> We have a team of staff on forest fire and parks out there trying to keep the roads in the condition people can drive on them and not get stuck.

Reporter: The process that spanned several years and involved public input, research and surveys, was no easy task, but the Department of Environmental Protection is confident the new map will enhance safety, prove access to emergency responses and protect the integrity of sensitive habitats.

>> 98% of the State Forest is accessible within a mile of one of those routes and we have 28.3 miles available to the hunting community during hunting season when they are out there with a permit for hunting activity.

In terms of the feedback, I would say it's a mixed bag and it still feels early to me.

In some regards, I don't necessarily expect anyone to be completely happy.

Reporter: Emergency access is a top priority for the DEP and the fire prone state forest.

This fire scorched 15,000 acres in 2022 started by an illegal campfire, and smaller fires are common, like a 45 acre fire last month.

Howell says there hasn't been an updated map of Wharton's roads since the 1960's when the first map came out.

>> Since then lots of things have changed.

Bridges are no longer here, there are cranberry bogs that have flooded.

There's a need to update the map so when you want to say I want to go camping in Wharton State Forest, I want to go for a bike ride or hike, you know how to get in, you know which ways to take to get in and what you can do to get there.

It's the most common sense thing in the world but people have developed an expectation of use that's never been authorized or allowed and that's why there is opposition, because they want to keep doing things that the state forest was never designed to be used for.

>> One of the things I'm also disappointed about is the way the DEP is portraying their actions.

Several times we've heard the Commissioner, existing Commissioner say they are not really closing down roads with in Wharton, these roads were already underwater or not passable or inaccessible already and so you were not able to travel those roads to begin with when nothing could be farther from the case.

This is a prime example of one of those roads.

Reporter: John lives about five miles from the forest and has lived in the pinelands his whole life.

He is also president of open trails New Jersey, an organization dedicated to maintaining access to Wharton and other state parks in New Jersey.

He calls the reasoning behind the new map overblown.

Analysis done by open trails of state park police records say that last year there were only 110 calls for vehicles.

There were less than 100 citations given to drivers and not involved roads that are now closed.

>> People that are going to break the laws are not gonna pay attention to the map anyway.

Reporter: The DEP and state park police announce a new map would focus on education rather than enforcement until January.

But he says they just announced a number of fines handed out to drivers in the forest.

>> Literally the next weekend they put out a release about a bunch of violators they ticketed in the woods.

Several of them related to the park code violation related to roads.

Reporter: State Park police said those actions were enforcing vehicle registration and wetland registration and not the new map.

Use and damages are up to $500 for a first offense, $1000 for a second offense and a minimum of $1000 for a third or subsequent offense.

If someone causes damage they will be responsible for five cost -- five times the cost of the damage be it vehicles may also be impounded at additional cost.

He is skeptical about how the new map will be enforced with only so many State Park police and more than 100,000 acres to cover.

I am Raven Santana.

Anchor: That will do it for us tonight but make sure you tune in to Chat Box with David Cruz tomorrow night.

A little holiday fun with Jersey's own usage in Everett Bradley and actor John McGinley, talking about the state contribution to music and the arts.

That's streaming Thursday night on our YouTube channel.

For the entire team at NJ Spotlight News, thank you for being with us.

Have a great night and we will see you back here tomorrow.

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♪