The sudden increase in drone activitiesOnline blogs and conspiracies that make strange claims to explain the drone “hysteria,” some including missing nuclear material and an approaching alien invasion, are being fueled by the lights that are lighting up the night skies over New Jersey and other states.
In recent days, federal government authorities have played down the reports, stating that the objects are not a threat to national security or public safety and that they may just be regular commercial air activity that is mistaken for drones in certain situations.
Since mid-November, the FBI has received over 5,000 drone-related reports from all over the Northeast, but warns that most of them are not worth looking any further and that some are duplicates.
However, the ambiguity has only increased curiosity and conjecture on social media, with people claiming to know what or who is behind the activities.
Following the sharing of an ATikTok video by the CEO of a Kansas-based remote aircraft system company on X on Sunday, well-known podcaster Joe Rogan wrote: “This is the first video about these drones that has got me genuinely concerned.”
John Ferguson, the CEO, clarified that “the only reason why they would be flying, and flying that low, is because they’re trying to smell something on the ground,” referring to a gas leak or radioactive materials, even though he hasn’t seen anything to suggest malicious intent.
A request for comment Monday was not immediately answered by Ferguson, whose video has received over 1.5 million views. Similar opinions have been expressed by other TikTok members who think the drones might be looking for dirty bombs or nuclear weapons.
Conspiracy theories that date back decades are also being advanced by the mystery surrounding the drones. One alludes to Project Blue Beam, a purported government conspiracy to incite fear by feigning an alien invasion.
President-elect Donald Trump said the military can determine where drones take off from during a broad news conference on Monday, continuing to raise questions about government authorities’ incapacity to adequately explain an apparent spike in sightings.
“An odd thing is happening. They should notify the public because they are actually over Bedminster, but for some reason they don’t want to,” Trump remarked in reference to drone activity near his New Jersey golf course. If he has been briefed by intelligence on the subject, he declined to comment.
A senior official briefed on the drone sightingstold NBC News last weekthat they believe drones were indeed seen 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 stated that the United States would have “blasted” down foreign unmanned aircraft and that he does not think an enemy is responsible for the action. (The Federal Aviation Administration has warned individuals that firing drones might be dangerous and would be a federal criminal.)
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters last week that the drones are neither U.S. military-related nor appear to be dispatched by another country, such as Iran.
However, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., told reporters on Saturday that it is not necessary to rule out foreign actors.
“The elusive maneuvering of these drones suggests a major military power sophistication that begs the question whether they have been deployed to test our defense capabilities or worse by violent dictatorships, perhaps maybe Russia, or China, or Iran, or North Korea,” Smith stated.
Similar worries are still being expressed by other lawmakers.
“Why can’t the federal government tell us where these drones are from?!” Monday on X was written by Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla. “The exact reason why Americans lack faith in our federal government is because of its lack of openness. Not to mention, if these are the same Chinese drones I fought to ban from our military, they’re a national security threat.”
Last week, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., also called for increased government transparency and said he was worried it’s allowing potential “misinformation to spread, or at least fear. We should know what’s going on over our skies.”
One New Jersey mayor, Ryan Herd of Pequannock Township,told NBC New Yorkthat answers are necessary toquell community concerns.
“Now we’re getting to the point where this is just hysteria,” Herd said.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told reporters Monday that there is “zero evidence” that the federal government or military leaders are hiding anything further, as Trump had alluded to, adding he “would just like to debunk there’s a lot of conspiracy theories out there right now.”
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,” Kinzingerwrote Monday on X. “This doesn’t mean they’re Iran, alien, or sniffing out nukes.”
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!