Why are drones in the sky?: Live updates

NEW JERSEY – Have you heard the buzz from New Jersey? No one seems to know whether they are drones or something else, but the nighttime sightings have sparked a flurry of conversation, a wave of conspiracy theories and many necks craned to the sky.

John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, said there was no reason to be afraid and that it was likely that people were confusing manned aircraft with drones.

The backstory: But perhaps the most incredible aspect of this mystery is the growing number of conspiracies, none of which have been confirmed or even hinted at by federal or state officials who say they are investigating the incidents. While the flying objects are commonly referred to as drones, the question arises as to whether the people seeing them are really unmanned aircraft or something else entirely.

Since Thanksgiving, the story of mysterious drones over New Jersey has reached new heights.

Why you should care:This week marked the beginning of a new chapter: Lawmakers are now demanding explanations from federal and state authorities about the background to these sightings (although they have not yet received them). New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers, and newly elected Sen. Andy Kim spent Thursday night searching for drones in rural northern New Jersey, even posting updates on his search X

On Friday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged concerns about the drone sightings and assured the public that the city is working closely with federal, state and local authorities to investigate the incidents.

President-elect Donald Trump also spoke out and called on authorities to shoot down the mysterious drones that were spotted over New Jersey and Staten Island. “Mysterious drones have been spotted across the country. Can this really happen without our government’s knowledge? Trump posted on Truth Social.

Why are there drones in New Jersey?

Despite all the attention, police have not yet confirmed any actual drone sightings. While they responded to a report of a drone crash near Route 206 in Hillsborough, Somerset County, no drones were found. The first report came Thursday evening from a Lowe’s parking lot, where a drone was said to have crashed into a power line and fallen into a field.

During a ride with local police, Rep. Andy Kim described what he saw in a post on X.

“Last night I went with the local police to spot a drone flying over New Jersey. Here’s what I saw: We drove to Round Valley Reservoir and the officer pointed to lights moving low above the tree line,” Kim said in part.

What people say: The Facebook group “New Jersey Mystery Drones – Let’s Solve It” has grown quickly and had nearly 44,000 members as of Friday, up from 39,000 the night before. People post photos and videos of their sightings and the online community jumps in with theories. A video shows a whitish light flying across the night sky, leading one commenter to suggest it could be “otherworldly.” Others debate whether it is an airplane, a satellite, or something else entirely. Some have even jokingly suggested hunting the drones – but experts warn against shooting anything in the sky.