‘Out of this world.’ HV residents report seeing ‘orbs,’ fast-moving flashes of light amid mystery drone probe
News 12 is receiving new accounts of strange sightings in Hudson Valley skies as unexplained drone activity along the East Coast continues to raise widespread concern and confusion.
News 12 is receiving new accounts of strange sightings in Hudson Valley skies as unexplained drone activity along the East Coast continues to raise widespread concern and confusion.
Several viewers reported seeing a glowing bright light in the shape of a hovering “orb” in the sky on Friday and Saturday and sent News 12 video of the sightings.
“I {saw} them flying for two nights in a row,” says DeAnna Camacho, from Slate Hill. “I’m freaked out. It’s like a scary thing.”
Camacho’s recording shows an image of what appears to be an airplane with flashing lights followed by what she says is an orb.
“This was not a plane. This was not a drone,” says Camacho. “That orb is completely different.”
Donna Borthwick, from Highland Mills, recorded what she said was a glowing orb hovering over her house Friday night and showed News 12 video which appears to capture a glowing image in the sky that changes in sizes.
“Just a bright white orb that didn’t move. It stayed for about an hour,” Borthwick says. “It wasn ’t the moon.”
Other viewers shared similar images on News 12 social media accounts of what they describe as recently seen orbs. A viewer in Delaware County sent a video of what appears to be fast-moving, shooting lights darting through the clouds.
“I pulled over and started recording and I was like, 'Woah,” says Reyes Mejia, of Stamford, New York. “I was looking up in the sky. I saw these two bright lights and it looked like helicopters searching for something.”
New York State Police says it received more than 900 reports of drone sightings over the weekend statewide. They come as federal, state and local officials are investigating what seems to be the increasingly unexplained drone activity for weeks along the East Coast – including New York and New Jersey. Federal and state officials have assured the public that there’s no national security or safety threat, or evidence that the unexplained activity is the handywork of a malicious foreign actor.
The unidentified flying objects, however, shut down Stewart International Airport for an hour Friday night and prompted Gov. Kathy Hochul to respond that “this has gone too far.” She urged federal officials to pass the Counter-UAS Authority Security Safety, and Reauthorization Act to give local authorities more resources and said a “state-of-the-art drone detection system” will be coming to New York to aid in the investigation.
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus says he’s frustrated by the lack of information and that the county is taking steps to independently identify the mystery objects.
“I believe the federal and state government are not sure {of} the origins of most of the drones,” says Neuhuas. “It’s been very frustrating because when we initially reported this to the state, they said that we’re wrong and these are just airplanes. Only once Stewart Airport was shut down did the governor admit something is going on.”
Orange County Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Pete Cirigliano says his office recognizes concerns and frustrations from the public. Regarding any possible orb sightings, Cirigliano says, “We have not received any information about orbs however these drones do have a series of lights on them, which could exhibit a glow-like appearance.”
None of the people News 12 interviewed for this report believe what they saw can be explained as lights from a drone or any other manmade object.
“What I saw,” says Mejia, “is something that I just think is out of this world to be honest.”
