As the mystery surrounding drone sightings deepens, conspiracy theories are spreading
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As the mystery surrounding drone sightings deepens, conspiracy theories are spreading

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

The outbreak of drone activity lighting up the night skies over New Jersey and other states is fueling online posts and conspiracy theories that make bizarre claims to explain the drone “hysteria,” some of which are linked to missing nuclear material and a looming alien invasion have to do.

Federal government officials have downplayed the reports in recent days, insisting that the objects pose no threat to public safety or national security and, in some cases, could simply be normal commercial air traffic being mistaken for drones.

Since mid-November, more than 5,000 drone-related tips have been reported to the FBI across the Northeast, although the agency cautions that some are duplicates and most are not worthy of further investigation.

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Still, the lack of clarity has only fueled intrigue and speculation on social media about who or what is driving the activity.

A TikTok video from the CEO of a remote-controlled aircraft systems company in Kansas was shared by Joe Rogan on X on Sunday, prompting the popular podcaster to say, “This is the first video about these drones that really concerns me.”

Senior executive John Ferguson explained that while he saw nothing to suggest nefarious intent, “the only reason they would fly, and so low, is to try to smell something on the ground,” and referred to the statement that it was due to a gas leak or radioactive substances.

Ferguson, whose video has been viewed more than 1.5 million times, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. Other TikTok users have expressed similar beliefs that the drones may be searching for nuclear weapons or dirty bombs.

The secret behind the drones also fuels decades-old conspiracy theories. One refers to Project Blue Beam, which is an alleged government plot to fake an alien invasion and cause panic.

During a wide-ranging news conference on Monday, President-elect Donald Trump continued to cast doubt on government officials’ inability to fully explain an apparent increase in sightings and said the military could determine where drones are launching.

“Something strange is happening. For some reason they don’t want to tell people, and they should, because people are really – they happen to be over Bedminster,” Trump said of drone activity near his golf club in New Jersey. He declined to comment on whether he had received intelligence information on the matter.

A senior official briefed on the drone sightings told NBC News last week that he believed drones were indeed spotted over the Trump National Golf Club as well as the U.S. Army’s Picatinny Arsenal research facility, also in northern New Jersey.

However, Trump said he did not believe an enemy was behind the activity and that the US had “shot down” foreign unmanned aircraft. (The Federal Aviation Administration has warned private citizens not to shoot drones because it would be a federal crime and could pose a security risk.)

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters last week that the drones were neither associated with the U.S. military nor appeared to be sent by another country, such as Iran.

But Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., told reporters Saturday that foreign actors should not be excluded.

“The elusive maneuvering of these drones suggests great military sophistication, raising questions about whether they were used to test our defense capabilities – or worse – by violent dictatorships, perhaps perhaps Russia, China, Iran or North Korea.” Smith said.

Other lawmakers continue to raise similar concerns.

“Why can’t the federal government tell us where these drones are coming from?!” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, wrote Monday on “They pose a threat to national security.”

Last week, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., also called for greater government transparency, saying he was concerned it could potentially “spread, or at least fear, misinformation.” We should know what is going on above our skies.

A New Jersey mayor, Ryan Herd of Pequannock Township, told NBC New York that answers are needed to allay the community’s concerns.

“Now we’re getting to the point where this is just hysteria,” Herd said.

Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a vocal Trump critic, urged his social media followers not to be swayed by the conspiracies just because politicians don’t have all the answers.

“Drones exist,” Kinzinger wrote on X on Monday. “That doesn’t mean they come from Iran, are extraterrestrial, or detect nuclear weapons.”

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