The mysterious drone sightings around the tristate area in the US have left television host-podcaster Joe Rogan "genuinely concerned", he said on Sunday. This came after the 57-year-old came across a video that floated the unverified theory about drones sniffing out harmful substances.
"This is the first video about these drones that has got me genuinely concerned," Rogan wrote on X and shared a TikTok video of John Ferguson, the CEO of a remote aircraft system company in Kansas.
In the video, Ferguson claimed the drones were attempting to “smell” either a gas leak, or a “radioactive material,” or something else on the ground.
“The only reason why you would ever fly an unmanned aircraft at night is if you're looking for something,” The New York Post quoted Ferguson as saying in the clip.
He added he didn't believe the drones were nefarious. “So my belief is they are trying to smell something on the ground – gas leaks, radioactive material, whatever,” he noted.
According to Ferguson, the theory was based on his expertise. “I've not bounced this off anybody,” he said about the drone mystery which has gripped the East Coast region in the US.
“So if you think it's b******t, whatever, that's cool. I don't want to spread misinformation, as we know that there's a lot of that going around,” he said in the viral video.
Along with Rogan, Ferguson's theory about the incident resonated with several other social media users, who also posted their views on the drones that unnerved New Jersey and New York residents for weeks.
Earlier, Rogan called the claims from the US government “sus” when White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby assured they were not a public safety concern, adding many of these reported sightings were actually manned aircraft.
On Sunday, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas downplayed concerns about these drones. Mayorkas stated that part of these drone sightings were based on relaxed regulations which allow them to fly at night. “Some of those drone sightings are, in fact, drones... Some are manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones. And we do see duplicative reporting," the official noted, as per The NY Post.
Meanwhile, Mayorkas also said the concerned department deployed personnel and technology, adding that "if there is any reason for concern if we identify any foreign involvement or criminal activity, we will communicate with the American people accordingly."
The mystery of drones began when a New Jersey officer spotted around 50 drones "coming off the ocean," resulting in alerts to state police, the FBI, and the Coast Guard. The drones, emitting no heat signatures and evading detection, raised concerns when another 13 shadowed a Coast Guard vessel. President-elect Donald Trump called for the "shooting down" of the drones.
Reports of drone sightings have since spread to 12 New Jersey counties, eastern Pennsylvania, and parts of New York, sparking speculation about their origins, ranging from experimental technology to foreign involvement. While authorities believe the drones are likely legal manned aircraft posing no threat, lawmakers are pushing for countermeasures.
