Reports Are Nationwide With Most In Northeast

The number of sightings of unknown drones that were seemingly every day during November and December 2024 slowed down when the FAA imposed TFRs on them in New York and New Jersey, but in some areas more sightings have been reported since the TFRs lifted in certain areas on January 19, 2025.

The sightings last year had prompted the closure of some airports, leading to arrests and calls from lawmakers and the FAA for more oversight. And since restrictions have been lifted, sightings have again increased from Connecticut to New Jersey.

Enigma Labs, a research company that studies unidentified phenomena, said it has counted 650 sightings nationally that were related to drones and most were concentrated in the Northeast.

Enigma reported that the number dropped immediately following the restrictions, but so far in January it received 49 reports in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Just 14 of the reports came after the restrictions expired.

Christine Kim, a spokesperson for Enigma said, “You look at the reports that people are submitting. They’re saying, you know, ‘I’m still seeing them, ban or no ban, and they’re happening.”

The company also says it shared videos sent in by locals that show lines of flashing red lights in the night sky, some in close proximity to neighborhoods.

New York Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) confirmed the jump in sightings in a press conference: “We have now seen new drone sightings. We’re going to have to look into it.”

President Trump also addressed the sightings, saying, “I would like to find out what it is and tell the people.”

In December, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a joint statement acknowledging the sightings, but that “nothing anomalous” was identified in the tips.

The statement said in part, “We assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.”

FMI:  www.faa.gov/