On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave me… an alien-drone mystery? ‘Tis the season for colorful lights and surprises, but the recent onslaught of drone sightings sure aren’t the seasonal spectacles we’re used to seeing.
So far, officials have said there is no threat to national security and that the drones are more of an “annoyance” than anything else. But that hasn’t stopped online conspiracy theories from popping up along with videos of supposed “sightings.”
Here’s what we know about the drones, lights, and what people are saying.
Reports of Drones Began in New Jersey
Reports of large drones hovering over areas of northern New Jersey started popping up in mid-November 2024. Residents in Morris County said the bright flying objects were appearing night after night causing confusion and sleep disturbances. Some drones were reported to be as large as a small car.
In early December, the FBI announced they were investigating the phenomenon but that they did not believe the drones a safety threat. The agency followed this with a joint statement with the Department of Homeland Security in mid-December saying in part, “Upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also stated that there is no evidence of foreign involvement or in bad intent by the drone operators. He also noted that some witnesses confused manned aircraft for drones.
Drone Sightings Continue To Spread
The sightings went beyond New Jersey and have now been reported over New York City causing runways to be shut down for an hour on December 13 at Stewart International Airport. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said “This has gone too far,” in a statement about drones and their impact on airspace.
West Coast sightings began being reported across social media in mid-December. KTLA in Los Angeles received reports and videos of sightings around Southern California in areas including Redondo Beach, Pacoima, Riverside and San Diego counties.
Other states with drone sightings reported include Maryland, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.
Theories on Sightings
Aliens
Some have posited that the crafts could be from another planet. But what are they doing here??
“Project Blue Beam”
An old conspiracy theory has cropped back up that the lights/drones are part of a government plot to fake an alien invasion causing mass panic and chaos.
Orbs
TikTok users have commented on several drone videos saying that the drones have been sent out to investigate light orbs that have been spotted in the sky.
Nuclear weapons and dirty bombs
Many TikTok users have floated the idea that the drones are flying at extremely low levels to try to “smell” or detect nuclear weapons or dirty bombs.
US Aircraft
As in the video above, many are saying the “drones” are actually manned aircraft that the US deployed. The confusion being that US officials have stated that these are not their aircraft.
Whatever they are, the drones and lights have caused a fervent buzz online with everyone from reality star Bethenny Frankel to a drone company executive chiming in. As officials continue to unravel the mystery, we’ll just have to keep looking to the skies for answers. The truth is out there.