FILE PHOTO: A drone during a NASA demonstration on the testing of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) platform in Reno, Nevada, U.S., May 21, 2019. REUTERS/Bob Strong

Reports have circulated in recent days from residents in Temecula who say they’re seeing unexplained flying objects hovering over the area just north of San Diego County.

The sightings follow increasing observations from residents in New Jersey and other East Coast cities about mysterious large drones in the skies at night.

There’s no word on who is flying them or why, and there is no indication of any illegal activity. But given the attention generated by the East Coast sightings, the reports, which have some residents on edge, have led numerous officials to deny responsibility for drone operations in the affected regions.

Officials at Camp Pendleton issued a statement this week saying it is aware of residents reporting drone flights, while adding that none of the drones are associated with the U.S. Marine Corps base.

A person in Temecula posted a video on TikTok earlier this week, showing several illuminated drones hovering over the area.

“There’s so many. There’s like 10. And they’re all over the city,” the person can be heard saying on the video.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco suggested on a local radio show this week that Southern California Edison could be flying drones in the area. The utility, however, while acknowledging that it does use drones to inspect its infrastructure, insisted it does not fly them at night.

Responding to increased numbers of reports of drone activity, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement Friday offering guidelines for those who fly the devices.

“More and more people are using drones, which means more people are noticing them in the sky,” according to the FAA statement.

The agency noted that it investigates “all reports of unsafe operations” of drones. “However, you don’t need specific authorization from the FAA to fly drones in most locations.”

Any drone that weighs more than about a half-pound must be registered with the FAA, and it must have a registration number displayed on the device. People who fly drones at night must have a drone pilot certificate, and it must be equipped with lights.

But in general, flying a drone at altitudes less than 400 feet is permitted as long as it is not within controlled airspace around an airport, or over military bases or national security facilities.

“You can land a drone anywhere provided the landing area is safe and is not prohibited by local, state or federal laws,” according to the FAA.

The information provides little comfort to the people spotting the drones in Temecula who just want answers about who is responsible. National media, the Wall Street Journal no less, also has joined the hunt.

“I don’t think it’s regular off-the-shelf drones that (are being) flown around here,” resident Bryan Dirkes told Fox11 in Los Angeles. “Based on what we saw it was a pretty good size, almost the size of a small vehicle or car.”

Federal officials issued a statement Thursday in response to the drone activity reported in the New Jersey area, saying there is “no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”