Ex-CIA officer gives drone theory as terrified residents sound alarm

Mysterious drones terrorizing residents from coast to coast have now been spotted in California, Massachusetts, Florida, Wyoming, Maryland, New York and New Jersey - as a former CIA staffer has waded in on what may be causing them.

Now, the inexplicable issue has reached a boiling point as President Joe Biden remains silent - refusing to address the mounting crisis, fueling country-wide fear and confusion.

Terrified residents on the West Coast, specifically in Riverside County, California, are the latest to have spotted the flying objects in the sky after questions were first raised about drones in New Jersey airspace. 

This comes as former CIA operations officer Laura Ballman revealed her chilling theory that the drones lighting up multi-state skies may be a 'classified exercise.' 

She told Fox News Live that the drone sightings are 'extremely unsettling,' and shared her theory that they may be part of a technology 'test,' orchestrated by the Biden Administration.

Ballman said: 'Now in terms of who is behind this, seeing the statements that have been made by John Kirby, who has said that these objects are not operating illegally.

'Coupled with the several op-eds that have been out there in the last 24 hours about the need to look at our detection systems, [it] makes me think perhaps this is actually a classified exercise to test either evasion technology or detection technology in urban areas.'

Damon Angel, who lives in Temecula, California, told NBC LA that he has seen drones flying in the sky above his home on three nights this week - describing them as 'the size of a car.'

Angel revealed the concerning flying objects are 'dead silent' and unlike any amateur drones he's come across before.  

He said: 'It's kind of crazy. It's something that not a lot of people can believe because it's so outlandish. It's the size of a car.

'I've played with drones as a kid and I've had the little, tiny square ones or whatever. But these ones aren't like that, and so they're just giant triangles with lights on them that are dead silent.' 

Another West Coast local said that he saw 'several' drones in the airspace on November 29, which he described as being eerily similar to those seen in New Jersey this week.  

The unnerving sightings are causing mass hysteria - and witnesses have taken to social media to share the peculiar sightings, after Trump demanded the 'SUV-sized' drones be shot down. 

And in Miami, Florida, locals have reported seeing the unidentified flying objects too.

Realtor Jessica Blank Gerson posted a video from her Miami Beach balcony of a mysterious bright object, asking: 'What is this? Is this the same kind of drone they're seeing in New Jersey?' 

She said on Wednesday: 'It was really bright lights. I thought it was a helicopter with searchlight lights, which sometimes if they're looking for someone or something, sometimes that does happen.' 

The shocking footage Gerson posted online stunned onlookers, one of whom said: 'Okay this is the craziest one yet! I was like sure, and then it went past the building and I physically gasped.' 

One concerned Massachusetts resident exclaimed 'We've got drones!' after seeing five drones fly over her home on Friday. 'When I came out he was filming probably five of them, and it was freezing cold, we just stood there in awe.'

Lindsay Muto, from Harwich Massachusetts, also recalled seeing blinking lights in the night sky on Friday - describing the bizarre movement patterns of the drone. 

She told Boston 25: 'I looked outside, and I saw all these blinking lights, and I thought – wait a second. I called over my husband and I asked, do you think those are the drones they're talking about in, like, New Jersey?

'We tried to chase it down, but somehow the connection got lost and it crashed about 50 feet from the house. They looked like they were far away, but they kept coming down, then going back up… then slowly going left and right.

'Are we safe? I mean, what's going on? I have little kids, so it makes us nervous.' 

Retired US Army Col. Joe Buccino also provided his opinion on the ongoing crisis - slamming the Pentagon for allegedly not informing the public of the full truth.

He told Fox Report on Saturday: 'It's clear here that the Pentagon has some information. 

'And I think maybe we just keep in mind here that this is the same Pentagon that back in January lied about the location and condition of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, that lied about the conditions on the ground in Ukraine, that lied about this Chinese spy balloon for about a week.

'So I think that we can't really be comfortable with the information we're receiving here.'

Meanwhile, floods of people from multiple states have taken to social media to voice their concerns in recent days. 

'Drones have been flying over my house every single night all night in the Bay Area in California for weeks!! I didn't think anything until it was out all over the place! I have so many videos! WTF is going on??!,' one user on X wrote.

'Over 100 drones are flying over New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The drones are the size of SUV'S and came from the Atlantic Ocean and are flying over critical infrastructure and military bases,' wrote another.

'Just random, multiple drones flying around, roughly 45 minutes to an hour every night,' Wyoming's Niobrara County Sheriff Randy Starkey, recalled as he watched some of the flights himself.

'Not really sure where they're from, what they were doing or why they were doing it. We watched them go straight up and do some maneuvers and disappear,' Starkey added. 

The increased airspace activity, believed to be occupied by the peculiar drones, has even forced airports to temporarily shut down.

'Last night, the runways at Stewart Airfield were shut down for approximately one hour due to drone activity in the airspace. This has gone too far,' New York's Governor, Kathy Hochul said in a statement on Saturday.

Earlier this week, both the governor of New York and the former governor of Maryland took to social media demanding transparency and clarity on who is controlling the mysterious roaming objects.

Hochul also called upon Congress and President Biden to pass a bill that would reform legal authorities to strengthen the FAA's oversight of drones and would extend counter-UAS activities to select state and local law enforcement agencies.

'Extending these powers to New York State and our peers is essential. Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden Administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people,' she said.

Meanwhile, Larry Hogan, the former governor of Maryland, posted on social media on Friday that he had seen 'what appeared to be dozens of large drones in the sky' above his home. 

'The public is growing increasingly concerned and frustrated with the complete lack of transparency and the dismissive attitude of the federal government,' Hogan said in a post on X that included a video of shining lights in the sky. 

President-elect Donald Trump echoed their sentiments, demanding the aircrafts be shot down until the government can inform the public.

'Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government's knowledge. I don't think so!' Trump wrote on Truth Social.

'Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!'

However, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security has since issued a statement claiming there is no national security or public safety threat posed by the drone sightings, many of which are 'manned aircraft, operating lawfully.'

Over the last few weeks, federal officials have received nearly 5,000 tips, regarding the suspicious drones, however, the FBI has said only 100 of the tips have been 'worthy of further investigation.'

Using interviews with witnesses and the copious footage, investigators have determined that at least some of the roaming objects were misidentified as drones, according to officials from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Federal Aviation Administration.

Federal officials have since confirmed drone sightings over military bases in New Jersey, including Picatinny Arsenal, but have no evidence the devices were operated by a foreign government or authority. 

Local governments can however impose their own restrictions on drone use, thought it is generally not illegal to fly drones in most locations, with the exception of restricted zones like some military sites. 

According to a statement released earlier this week by President Biden's national executory spokesperson, John F. Kirby, the investigation had not yet turned up any illegal activity.

'To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully,' Kirby said on Thursday.