“Drone sightings” are a concern, but there may be an explanation

Over the past month, New Jersey residents have reported strange lights in the sky at night, a spate of reported drone sightings that has drawn the attention of residents, politicians and even President-elect Donald Trump.

Concerned witnesses have described clusters of lights and said they look like drones hovering over populated areas across the state. Although sightings have spread to New York and Maryland, government officials have failed to reassure people.

So who (or what) is behind the mysterious drone sightings?

Federal authorities have tried to reassure residents that the objects do not appear to be operating maliciously. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said that most of these sightings were not drones at all.

“In the past, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity where reported drones were actually manned aircraft or facilities,” the authorities said in a joint statement.

The government also said it had not confirmed the sightings. New Jersey lawmakers say they believe there is more to the story than federal officials have shared publicly.

More:Mysterious drones swarm the New Jersey skies, but can you shoot them down?

The lack of clear answers has led to rampant speculation and sometimes bizarre or facetious theories.

“The drones in New Jersey are easy to explain. “The teams are clearly spying on the Jets and Giants’ practices, which is why they’ve had problems this season,” said former NFL kicker Lawrence Tynes in a post on X.

“First, a Chinese spy balloon floated through US airspace for a week. Now unknown drones are flying over New Jersey, evading radar detection. Gaps in our airspace are being exploited, putting Americans’ safety at risk,” New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew wrote.

Here’s a look at some possible explanations for the sightings – and the evidence for or against the theories. Since there is no connection between the sightings, it is also possible that different sightings have different explanations.

Are these even drones?

Government officials said it was likely that many of the sightings did not involve drones. John Kirby, White House national security and communications adviser, said many sightings were actually manned aircraft flying legally.

Harry Direen, an electronics and software development expert at DireenTech, said he wouldn’t be surprised if people saw drones first, but as the idea of drones took hold, people assumed that any aircraft they weren’t were able to identify it was a drone.

“After likely valid sightings of possibly hobby drones, any aircraft can then become suspect,” he said.

Hoaxes, UFOs, witches, drones:New Jersey is no stranger to strange occurrences

Kirby said during a news conference that authorities were unable to confirm “any of the reported visual sightings” despite using “very sophisticated electronic detection technologies.”

“The FBI, DHS and our federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights were actually drones or instead manned aircraft or aircraft otherwise inaccurate sightings. “The agencies said in the statement.

Foreign government surveillance?

U.S. government officials reassured the public this week that the spotted planes did not appear to have been sent by a foreign government, refuting a theory by Van Drew who claimed the drones could be controlled by Iran.

There is no evidence that the drones pose a threat to national security, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday. The sightings may actually be piloted aircraft operating legally, authorities said. It is also worth mentioning that the planes did not fly in restricted airspace, they said.

“To be clear, they have not uncovered any such malicious activity or intent at this time,” the authorities said in a joint statement. “Although there are no known malicious activities in New Jersey, the sightings reported there highlight the inadequacy of current authorities.”

New Jersey lawmakers told the Asbury Park Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that they were briefed by state police and told authorities that they did not know where the drones were coming from and were unable to locate them to discover.

“Look, I hope it’s not a big deal, but the federal government needs to be more honest,” said New Jersey Rep. Greg Myhre.

US government drones?

Government officials, including the Pentagon, said the drones spotted by residents in recent weeks are not operated by the U.S. government or military.

It is unlikely that a government organization would fly the drones over public places, Direen said.

“Obviously they’re not very stealthy if they do do it,” he said.

Children playing pranks or hobbyists?

Could the drones people keep seeing be someone pulling a prank or drone hobbyists just having fun? Flying drones is not illegal in New Jersey, but you must meet certain requirements under federal and state law that depend on the size of the drone and the reason you are flying it.

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“Drone sightings” are a concern, but there may be an explanation

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