Sky-watchers note: New Jersey has a history of hoaxes. The Great Morristown U.F.O. Hoax—in which two men attached red flares to helium balloons, in 2009—had people seeing things for weeks, despite the police saying they were “reasonably certain . . . that they were red flares attached to a balloon.”

TL;DR: New Jersey thought it had a drone problem. Turns out, it just has a lot of planes. Maybe next time, folks, use those flight apps before declaring the arrival of aliens.

Federal authorities have said there is no known public threat, and many onlookers suggest sightings are often just misidentified airplanes, helicopters or stars.