Lindsay Muto observed something weird in the night sky at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday.
“I looked outside, and I saw all these blinking lights, and I thought – wait a second,” Muto told Boston 25 News on Friday from her Harwich home. “I called over my husband and I asked, do you think those are the drones they’re talking about in, like, New Jersey?”
Muto says she and her husband attempted to fly their own drone to get closer and investigate.
“We tried to chase it down, but somehow the connection got lost and it crashed about 50 feet from the house,” Muto told me. “They looked like they were far away, but they kept coming down, then going back up… then slowly going left and right.”
Muto took out her phone and recorded the phenomenon. She saw about a dozen weird lights in the sky.
Muto was not the only one who saw them. Viewers in North Grafton, Plainville, Lynn, and Saugus sent in identical mobile phone videos to Boston 25 News. Several recordings show the individual on the other side of the camera expressing disbelief.
Muto understands the emotion.
“Are we safe?” I mean, what is going on? Muto contacted Boston 25 News. “I have little kids, so it makes us nervous.”
Boston 25 News contacted a number of officials, including the FAA, Department of Homeland Security, Governor Healey’s office, Massachusetts State Police, and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey.
Governor Healey’s office sent Boston 25 News to the State Police, who stated that they are aware of drone reports but have no open investigations into them. The FAA said it had received no complaints of drone activity, although it was possible that the films captured drones. A representative for the FAA stated that drones are legal to fly and that the FAA would not become involved unless a drone violated restricted airspace.
Senators Markey and Warren’s spokespeople did not react to queries right away. Homeland Security did not immediately answer to Boston 25 News’ inquiry, but did issue a joint statement with the FBI late Thursday following similar claims of drone activity over New Jersey towns and military locations.
“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,” according to a statement. “Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities.”
According to the DHS and the FBI, many of the reported sightings in New Jersey are of manned aircraft that are operating legally. However, the agencies recognize that the findings highlight a failure on the side of officials.
“While there is no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey, the reported sightings do, however, highlight the insufficiency of current authorities,” according to the statement.
Muto says she witnessed no flights entering or departing from any of the region’s airports.
“Not a chance,” she replied. “They weren’t moving like an airplane, and they’d been there at least a half hour. “At least.”
But who flew them and why is a mystery.
