New Jersey’s governor has urged residents of the state plagued by unexplained drone sightings to “calm down” as federal and state authorities have warned that pilots of manned aircraft are being hit in the eyes by laser pointers aimed from the ground .

The FBI and New Jersey State Police said in a statement

Law enforcement added that they were out every night to track down drone operators who “act illegally or with nefarious intent” and warned that there could be “dangerous and potentially fatal consequences” if manned aircraft were attacked.

The warnings came as the FBI, US Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Defense Department issued a statement saying an investigation into “technical data and tips from concerned citizens” had concluded that “Sightings to date, a combination of lawful conduct, have included commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and stars falsely reported as drones.”

“We have not identified any anomalies and do not believe the activity to date poses a risk to national or public safety over civil airspace in New Jersey or other Northeastern states,” the statement said.

Still, a nervous public in New Jersey and surrounding states with their eyes glued to the night sky continues to report flying lights. Conspiracy theories about a secret government program, Project Blue Beam, are on the rise, while similar theories about an alien invasion are dwindling.

Project Blue Beam is a theory introduced by Canadian journalist Serge Monast in the 1990s that posits that global elites are controlling society by orchestrating and triggering massive supernatural events – alien invasions, holographic depictions of cultural and religious figures, mind control and fake crises. will destabilize Then use the hysteria to implement a new world order.

The name is likely a derivative of Project Blue Book, a U.S. Air Force program that studied unidentified flying objects (UFOs) from 1947 to 1969.

The FBI said in the statement that “misidentifications often occur when UAS are confused with more familiar objects such as manned aircraft, low-orbit satellites, or celestial bodies such as planets and stars.”

Authorities advised residents to use flight, satellite and star-tracking apps to determine whether they are eyeing drones, UAS or “something else.”

On Monday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was asked what message he had for people staring at the sky at night.

“First of all, I would say, calm down,” Murphy said. “There is no evidence of anything nefarious here. We never say never, but… breathe.” He also pointed out that there have been fewer drone sightings in recent days. Rain and clouds were forecast.

The FBI recently said it had received more than 3,000 sightings of suspected drones in the state, with hundreds more in neighboring areas.

The governor also said the federal government sent three “very sophisticated” radar systems under the supervision of “really sophisticated people” to help solve the mystery after existing equipment proved inadequate.

But Murphy also acknowledged that “there may be suspicious activity out there as we stand here today, but there is little to no evidence of it at this time” based on what the new systems have learned.

A lack of clarity about the sightings has created a vacuum filled by conspiracy theories. On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump said the administration is “keeping people on tenterhooks” and “knows what’s happening.”

But the White House, the FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security have said that people are confusing ordinary aircraft with drones. Still, Murphy said he understands why people are alarmed.

“I can’t walk in the door and not have someone stop me and say, ‘Tell me what’s going on with the drones.’ And I completely understand that,” the governor added. “It’s troubling, and unless life is a math problem where X plus Y equals Z, there is a clear and quick answer.”

“I hesitate to exploit mass hysteria because I think the fear is legitimate.”

Murphy admitted that the collective fear struck him every time he went out with his dog at night. “I look up and try to figure out, ‘Is it a star?'” Murphy said. “’Is it a plane? What is that?'”

The FBI said in an earlier statement that it “currently has no evidence that the reported drone sightings pose a threat to national or public safety or have any foreign connection.” The agency also said it “has not uncovered any such malicious activity or intent at this time.”