For the past few weeks, there have been widespread reports of drone sightings and other “flying objects” across the northeastern United States. Multiple cases have been reported online, with the mysterious objects first appearing in New Jersey, then spreading to New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. These sightings have led to a mixture of reactions from viewers, with some fearing they are being spied on, and others attempting to shoot them down. The sightings have also been the headlines of controversy over social media, with thousands of users discussing the identity of these objects on Facebook and Reddit.
Despite the widespread confusion and questioning among residents, the government has yet to respond with an official statement. With the supposed lack of administrative control, the incessant sightings led residents to gain a collective “sense of panic,” as reported by Fox 5. As the bright lights of these mysterious objects continued to illuminate across the night skies, fear and panic remained prevalent in the affected areas. An urgent response from the government seemed increasingly necessary.
In the meantime, multiple conspiracy theories formed and were spread across the Internet. Some have used the unsolved nature of the drone sightings to attack and threaten the Democratic Party, conspiring that the drones are part of foreign surveillance efforts backed by Joe Biden. House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke out earlier in the week regarding the issue, suggesting that the Biden administration had purposely ignored the concerns about the drones, stating, “this is why we need Donald J. Trump back in office…he would have already had the answers.” Meanwhile, Biden insisted that the drones pose “no sense of danger” to the people and that investigation results will follow soon.
Behind the scenes, the government agencies were working together to investigate the issue. The F.B.I., the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Aviation Administration were all involved in identifying the sightings and their origins. Through their investigation, they concluded that (as Biden continued to emphasize) the drones were “not identified [with] anything anomalous.” In other words, they are harmless.
In a subsequent statement, the F.B.I. and the New Jersey State Police warned against residents shooting down the objects, whether with guns or laser beams, as many residents had attempted after seeing media coverage. Authorities explained that in the region, there had been a noticeable increase in pilots of manned, legal aircrafts being shot at with laser beams from a resident who misidentified the aircraft as a threatening drone. If these aircrafts are continued to be targeted by residents on the ground, “there could be dangerous and possibly deadly consequences,” they explained. Ultimately, this long-awaited statement from officials confirmed that these drone sightings are harmless and are likely the result of a mix of manned aircrafts, stars, and satellites. However, it remains unclear whether or not this statement will help remedy the residents’ fears of the drones and impact their actions. In the meantime, a bill was recently proposed in response to the drone sightings, only for it to be declined by the Senate. Until then, the perplexing situation remains unresolved. What will happen next? Only time will tell.
