August 24, 2026
Provided Image/Amazon
After Amazon announced it would begin drone delivery services around Mantua Township this fall, residents began raising concerns about the privacy and safety of the program.
Amazon plans to begin using drones to carry out deliveries around South Jersey starting in mid-October.
The tech giant notified officials from Mantua Township that the proposed operating area for its "Prime Air" service will cover a radius of around 15 miles from its facility at 240 Mantua Grove Road in West Deptford Township. Deliveries will be centered throughout nearly all of Mantua Township's jurisdiction northwest of Pittman as well as the Borough of Wenonah. Drone operations would be allowed to fly at altitudes below 400 feet any time between 15 minutes before sunrise until 15 minutes after sunset, officials said.
William Murphy, chief of Mantua Township Police Department, said in a Facebook post Friday that the company had a Zoom meeting last week with officials with the township’s Office of Emergency Management and other police chiefs from across the coverage area to discuss the new program.
"We are always exploring new ways to get customers a wider selection at faster speeds," Amazon spokesperson Smitha Rao said in a statement. "Prime Air currently delivers to customers in locations across the country and the response from customers using Prime Air has been overwhelmingly positive. We are currently working with local officials and exploring opportunities to expand our fast, reliable drone delivery service to reach customers in areas across the country.”
Mantua Township Mayor Bob Zimmerman was not present for the Zoom meeting, but said he was briefed on the same preliminary information. Representatives with Zimmerman's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"Please understand that whether you are for or against deliveries by this kind by drones, we have no say over the matter," Zimmerman said in a statement on Facebook.
The development came days after the e-commerce giant said it plans to expand its Prime Air service to nearly 500 cities and towns in the country by the end of 2026. The company's drones are able to deliver items that weigh up to five pounds and can fit in a large shoebox.
Drone deliveries are available in 10 metro areas around the country. Each delivery costs an additional $2.99 for Amazon Prime customers with orders under $50. Delivery fees are waived on orders over $50 from Prime members. Customers without a Prime membership can get drone deliveries for an additional $4.99 fee.
The fully electric drones are equipped with cameras and sensors that are used for navigation and to confirm there are no people, pets or vehicles in the way before delivering packages to customers. The cameras do not track individuals, record movements or record live footage, Amazon says.
An online petition was started after information about the meeting between Mantua Township officials and Amazon representatives was posted online.
More than 130 people supported the request, which demanded that local officials provide residents with a public hearing and disclosure of the company’s operations and data practices. It also requested that the company offer residents who do not want drones around their property a "meaningful opt-out."
"The people who will live under these flight paths were not part of that Zoom call," the petition states. "Neighbors, not officials, are the ones who have to live with this every day from before sunrise until after sunset. … We are not asking anyone to stop innovation. We are asking to be treated as residents of our own neighborhoods rather than as a service area on a map."
