Authorities in Ocean County launched a search operation following a distress signal indicating a potential plane crash near Barnegat on Tuesday, May 7th. The signal, an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT), was reported by Joint Base McGuire and originated from western Barnegat. ELTs are devices used to locate downed aircraft.
Despite a comprehensive search involving helicopters, drones, all-terrain vehicles, officers on foot, and forest fire vehicles, no evidence of a crashed aircraft was found. The search was carried out in the area east of Warren Grove, but no confirmation of a crash was ever received.
Officials at McGuire reached out to Atlantic City Airport, but no ELT signal was detected there. Furthermore, there have been no reports of any missing or overdue planes.
The source of the ELT signal remains unidentified, and investigations into the cause of the signal are ongoing.