Pentagon report reveals commercial plane had 'near miss' with UFO near NY,

Emily Crane
New York Post
Fri, 15 Nov 2024 20:41 UTC

© Department of Defense

The New York incident, happening sometime May 1, 2023, and June 1, 2024, was among 757 cases of unidentified anomalous phenomena -- or “UFOs” — reported to US authorities within the past yearThe New York incident was among 757 cases of UFOs reported to US authorities within the past year. (The UFO pictured is unrelated to the Empire State case)

US House holds hearing on alleged concealment of UFO information

A commercial plane had a "near miss" with an unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomenom near New York, according to the Pentagon's latest report on UFOs that revealed hundreds of new instances of UFOs.

The Empire State close call was among 757 cases of unidentified anomalous phenomena — more commonly known as unidentified flying objects or "UFOs" — reported to US authorities within the past year, according to the annual report released Thursday.

In that case, the airline crew had reported to the Federal Aviation Administration that its commercial plane had a "near miss with a 'cylindrical object' while over the Atlantic Ocean" just off the coast of New York.

It wasn't immediately clear when the sighting happened, or which airline was involved.

The Pentagon's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is still investigating the incident, the office's report stated.

The New York instance was also the only case recorded where a "possible flight safety issue" was encountered "during the event," the report added.

Of the hundreds of cases reported, investigators found explanations for nearly 300 of the incidents.

In many cases, the unknown objects were later identified as balloons, birds, aircraft, drones or satellites.

But hundreds of other apparent sightings remain unexplained — though the report stressed it is often because there isn't enough information to draw firm conclusions.

For witnesses who provided visual descriptions, common reports included unidentified lights or round, spherical or orb-shaped objects.

Other reports included a witness who reported a jellyfish with flashing lights.

Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system was an increasingly common source as people mistake chains of satellites for UFOs, according to the report.

AARO officials said, though, there's no indication that any of the cases they looked into have unearthly origins.

"It is important to underscore that, to date, AARO has discovered no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology," the report's authors wrote.

The 757 cases identified in the report were made between May 1, 2023, and June 1, 2024.

The total includes 272 incidents that occurred before that period but hadn't previously been reported to US authorities, the report noted.

Comment: The Daily Mail adds:

Reporting witnesses included commercial and military pilots as well as ground-based observers.

The majority of these incidents occurred in airspace, but 49 took place at altitudes estimated to be at least 62 miles above Earth's surface, which is considered space.

No injuries or crashes were reported in any of the incidents.

But a commercial flight crew reported one near miss with a 'cylindrical object' while flying over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New York. That incident is still under investigation.

In three other cases, military air crews reported being followed or shadowed by unidentified aircraft, but investigators found no evidence linking the activity to a foreign power.

During the reporting period, 81 reports originated from US military operating areas.

Witnesses who provided visual descriptions reported unidentified lights or round, spherical or orb-shaped objects.

Other reports included a witness who reported a 'jellyfish' UAP with flashing lights.

The report states that trends of UAP morphologies remain consistent with historical patterns.

'Unidentified lights and round/spherical/orb-shaped objects made up the bulk of cases in which reports provided distinct visual characteristics,' it reads.

'Objects within the 'other' category include unique descriptions such as 'green fire ball,' 'a jelly fish with [multicolored] flashing lights,' and a 'silver rocket approximately six feet long.'

Investigators were able to explain nearly 300 of the incidents, and in many cases, the unknown objects were identified as balloons, birds, aircraft, drones or satellites.

The report stated that Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system is an increasingly common source of UAP reports, as people mistake chains of satellites for UFOs.

But hundreds of other cases remain unexplained.

The report's authors stated that this is often because there isn't enough information to draw firm conclusions.

'It is important to underscore that, to date, AARO has discovered no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology,' they wrote.

During Wednesday's hearing, lawmakers heard testimony from several expert witnesses who have studied the phenomena, including two former military officers.

The discussion included questions about alien intelligence and military research using alien technology, as well as concerns that foreign powers may be using secret aircraft to spy on US military installations.

Government Cybersecurity and Innovation Chairwoman Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) took a philosophical or metaphysical direction in her final question: 'How would you define non-human intelligence, non-human biologics? What are we actually talking about.'

House Oversight Panelist Mike Gold, a NASA legal and policy specialist who now works in the private aerospace sector, was the last to provide his answer, to which he asserted that we must re-examine the idea with modest assumptions, but noted that an advanced visiting intelligence may not actually be biological.

When pressed about what 'non-biological intelligence' means,' Gold replied: 'Artificial intelligence, ML, machines.'

The public's interest in this topic was apparent from the sheer volume of private citizen attendance at the hearing, DailyMail.com's Matthew Phelan reported live from the event.

Lawmakers said the many questions about UAPs show the need for the government to closely study the issue and share their findings with the American public.

'There is something out there,' said Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee. 'The question is: Is it ours, is it someone else's, or is it otherworldly?'