CHATHAM, N.J. (AP) 鈥� That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It's unclear if it's drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward.
Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights.
This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what's behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy asking for answers. New Jersey's new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X.
But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies 鈥� none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they're looking into what's happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing are unmanned aircraft or something else.
Some theorize the drones came from an Iranian mothership. Others think they are the Secret Service making sure President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 Bedminster property is secure. Others worry about China. The deep state. And on.
In the face of uncertainty, people have done what they do in 2024: Create a social media group.
The Facebook page, , has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 late Thursday. People are posting their photo and video sightings, and the online commenters take it from there.
One video shows a whitish light flying in a darkened sky, and one commenter concludes it鈥檚 otherworldly. 鈥淪traight up orbs,鈥� the person says. Others weigh in to say it鈥檚 a plane or maybe a satellite. Another group called for hunting the drones literally, shooting them down like turkeys. (Do not shoot at anything in the sky, experts warn.)
Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings. She said she first posted photos online last month wondering what the objects were and became convinced they were drones when she saw how they moved and when her son showed her on a flight tracking site that no planes were around. Now she's glued to the Mystery Drones page, she said.
鈥淚 find myself 鈥� instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning my house 鈥� checking it,鈥� she said.
She doesn't buy what the governor said, that Murphy told Biden on Friday that residents need answers. The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose 鈥渁 national security鈥痮r public safety鈥痶hreat or have a foreign nexus.鈥�
鈥淗ow can you say it鈥檚 not posing a threat if you don鈥檛 know what it is?鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 why so many people are uneasy.鈥�
Then there's the notion that people could misunderstand what they're seeing. William Austin is the president of Warren County Community College, which has a drone technology degree program, and is coincidentally located in one of the sighting hotspots.
Austin says he has looked at videos of purported drones and that airplanes are being misidentified as drones. He cited an optical effect called parallax, which is the apparent shift of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Austin encouraged people to download flight and drone tracker apps so they can better understand what they're looking at.
Nonetheless, people continue to come up with their own theories.
鈥淚t represents the United States of America in 2024,鈥� Austin said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e lost trust in our institutions, and we need it.鈥�
Federal officials echo Austin's view that many of the sightings are piloted aircraft such as planes and helicopters being mistaken for drones, according to lawmakers and Murphy.
That's not really convincing for many, though, who are homing in on the sightings beyond just New Jersey and the East Coast, where others have reported seeing the objects.
For Seph Divine, 34, another member of the drone hunting group who lives in Eugene, Oregon, it feels as if it鈥檚 up to citizen sleuths to solve the mystery. He said he tries to be a voice of reason, encouraging people to fact check their information, while also asking probing questions.
鈥淢y main goal is I don鈥檛 want people to be caught up in the hysteria and I also want people to not just ignore it at the same time,鈥� he said.
鈥淲hether or not it鈥檚 foreign military or some secret access program or something otherworldly, whatever it is, all I鈥檓 saying is it鈥檚 alarming that this is happening so suddenly and so consistently for hours at a time,鈥� he added.
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Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
Mike Catalini, The Associated Press
