The mysterious drones found hovering over the state of New Jersey have sparked conspiracy theories. Authorities are baffled by this phenomenon, which has been discussed in UAP and UFO podcasts and the press.
The sightings of these drones started on November 18, 2024, alarming residents and raising more questions than answers. Since then, the “UFO” drones have been lighting up in the night sky for no apparent reason. NBC News has been tracking these strange sightings, and possible sightings have been reported outside New Jersey. They have followed in Florida, New York, Delaware, and Maryland. In response to the sightings, the Federal Aviation Administration, better known as the FAA, temporarily suspended drone operations in 22 areas of New Jersey and 30 regions of New York.
More significant concerns regarding the origin and purpose of the drones remain unanswered, even as officials attempt to identify the operators. Now, there have been drone reports giving groundless and unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, claiming the drones are looking for any explosives, radioactive bombs, or nuclear weapons or that the drones are part of an alien invasion. A source has recently called this drone frenzy “Close Encounters of the Drone Kind.”
In New Jersey, drone detectors have found “little to nothing wrong” with the sightings that have popped up throughout the counties. Gov. Phil Murphy of NJ said that drones cause no wrongdoing and are of no danger. Other elected officials and US agencies have come forward to use more advanced technology to put a stop to these drones levitating in the sky. Sen. Chuck Schumer called Sunday for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to distribute better drone-detecting technology to identify the drones and operators.
Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security chief, has confirmed that some of the reported sightings “are commonly mistaken for drones.” Mayorkas continues to dismiss the flooding reports of the sightings over New Jersey, including those of former Gov. Chris Christie, who reported a craft flying over his house. Mayorkas claims there is no factual evidence of any foreign involvement.
However, in September 2023, the FAA updated its rules to allow drones to fly at night. The problem: the drones lighting up in the sky. Regardless, the public finds this “annoying.” This is a safety measure so drones can fly safer at night. A source has said this is “likely a contributing factor to the increase in sightings.” Even with this insightful observation, Americans are still concerned if these mysterious devices lingering in the night sky are drones, planes, or UFOs.
There are rules and restrictions to be met when operating drones. For example, a drone cannot reach 400 feet in some locations. With these drones there have been varied reports stating these UFO drones are flying from 100 to 4,000 feet. If the drone’s purpose is news gathering or videography, you must have a drone pilot certificate and meet other following requirements.
In Virginia, on December 19th, 2024, the public said they lacked information and required more transparency regarding this issue. The president-elect, Trump, suggested in a post to Truth Social to “shoot them down!” which many US citizens consider to be a bad idea. Trump is not the first public official to comment on the drones. Georgia’s Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed her frustration over this incident, posting, “No one knows what these are,” with her following argument being, “They can track down a guy that just killed a CEO, but they can’t identify what nightly drones are and where they are coming from.” Most of the sightings, after being assessed, do not need national security or a flight security risk.
While some officials have already concluded that these anomalies are just aircraft absent-mindedly floating around New Jersey, this drone issue is far from resolved. The confusion surrounding these drones continues to baffle Americans today, and the question, “What are these?” remains unanswered.
