‘Are we safe?’: Strange sightings in the sky over Massachusetts raise drone concerns

HARWICH, Mass. — It was about 9:30 Thursday night when Lindsay Muto spotted something strange in the night sky.

“I looked outside, and I saw all these blinking lights, and I thought – wait a second,” Muto told Boston 25 News Friday from her home in Harwich. “I called over my husband and I asked, do you think those are the drones they’re talking about in, like, New Jersey?”

Together, Muto says she and her husband tried to fly their own drone to see if they could 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 said. “They looked like they were far away, but they kept coming down, then going back up… then slowly going left and right.”

Muto pulled out her phone and recorded the phenomena. She counted more than a dozen strange lights in the sky.

Muto wasn’t the only one to see them. Boston 25 News received similar cell phone videos from viewers in towns like North Grafton, Plainville, Lynn, and Saugus. In several of the videos, the person on the other side of the camera expresses a sense of disbelief.

Muto understands the feeling.

“Are we safe? I mean, what’s going on?” Muto asked Boston 25 News. “I have little kids, so it makes us nervous.”

Boston 25 News reached out to a range of officials, including the FAA, Department of Homeland Security, Governor Healey’s office, Massachusetts State Police, and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

Governor Healey’s office referred Boston 25 News to the State Police, who said they are aware of drone reports but have no open investigations into them. The FAA said it had no reports of drone activity, but that it was possible the videos did capture drones. A spokesperson for the FAA said drones are legal to fly and the FAA would not be involved unless a drone violated restricted airspace.

Spokespersons for Sen. Markey and Sen. Warren did not immediately respond to questions. Homeland Security did not respond directly to Boston 25 News’ request, but did publish a joint statement with the FBI late Thursday following similar reports of drone activity in New Jersey over neighborhoods and military installations.

“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,” the statement reads. “Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities.”

DHS and the FBI say it appears many of the reported sightings in New Jersey are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully.  But the agencies also acknowledge the reports reveal a shortcoming on the part of officials.

“While there is no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey, the reported sightings do, however, highlight the insufficiency of current authorities,” the statement concludes.

Muto says what she saw was no airplane – or airplanes – arriving or departing from any of the region’s airports.

“Not a chance,” she said. “They were not moving like an airplane would move, and they were there for at least a half an hour. At least.”

But who was flying them, and why, remains a mystery.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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