As unexplained drone sightings along the East Coast trigger investigations and demands from officials for more information, a wave of online speculation has filled the void as amateur sleuths seek to solve the mystery themselves.

One Facebook group called “New Jersey Mystery Drones – let’s solve it” has surged to over 73,000 members in recent days, becoming a hub for users to share their drone sightings and speculate on the source of the mysterious activity.

George Gary, a New Jersey resident who joined the Facebook group, told CBS News that he was sitting in his car in Moorestown when he saw what he said were “multiple drones” in the sky. “I’m honestly not sure what’s behind them,” he said, speculating that it could be connected to government activity. “I’m really curious to find out.”

New Jersey resident Vanessa Grierson, who also said she has seen drones, told CBS News she joined the Facebook group to find out what others were seeing. “It’s alarming that there are still no answers,” she said. 

Across social media, users have shared theories that range from foreign interference to UFOs to hobbyist activity. 

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint statement last week saying there is “no evidence at this time” that the reported drone sightings pose a threat to national security or public safety, or have any foreign connection.

But state and local leaders have been pushing for more information and a stronger response.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Sunday he is urging federal authorities to allocate more resources to investigate the sightings, while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that a drone detection system is being deployed in the state.

In some cases, people mistake planes for drones 

The number of drones flying over the East Coast and the identity of those behind the activity remain unclear. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Monday that the FBI has received about 5,000 tips of reported drone sightings in the last few weeks, “about 100 of which they felt needed to be followed up on.” 

Authorities say many of the reported drone sightings could be aircraft or helicopters operating from the region’s numerous airports, as residents increasingly turn their attention to the skies in search of answers.

New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim said he went on patrol with police on Thursday night to find out more about the drones. In a lengthy X thread, Kim said he “concluded that most of the possible drone sightings that were pointed out to me were almost certainly planes.” 

Kirby said many other reports were determined to be “a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones and law enforcement drones.”

In addition, unrelated videos have sparked confusion. On Friday, a video was widely shared and said to show a mysterious drone seemingly “shooting” at the ground. However, CBS News traced the footage to a military training exercise at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. 

People have also shared old videos from different contexts. One widely shared clip, allegedly showing drones over New York, is at least four years old.

Officials respond 

Rep. Mike Waltz, a Republican from Florida who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security adviser, said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that the lack of information highlights lapses in authority between local law enforcement and federal agencies like the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.

“I think Americans are finding it hard to believe we can’t figure out where these are coming from,” Waltz said. “It’s pointing to gaps in our capabilities and in our ability to clamp down on what’s going on here. And we need to get to the bottom of it.”

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said there is a “growing sense of uncertainty and urgency across the state” despite statements from federal investigators assuring residents that the drones do not pose public safety threats.

“As such, I urge you to share any relevant information about these drone sightings with the public,” Booker said. “Without transparency, I believe that rumors, fear, and misinformation will continue to spread.”

Shooting down drones? 

Some social media users have suggested that they plan to shoot down the drones if they veer too close to their homes. President-elect Trump also suggested shooting down the drones, though he did not clarify who should take such action. 

However, shooting down a drone is a federal crime. 

The Federal Aviation Administration classifies drones as aircraft, meaning damaging or destroying them is a violation of the Aircraft Sabotage Act. 

Beyond legal risks, firing at drones poses a serious safety hazard and could lead to injuries.

Most Americans may consider the standard retirement age to be 65, but the so-called “full retirement age” for Social Security is already older than that — and it’s about to hit an even higher age in 2025. 

Social Security’s full retirement age (FRA) refers to when workers can start claiming their full benefits, which is based on the number of years they’ve worked as well as their income during their working years. The longer someone works and the higher their income, the more they can receive from Social Security when they finally claim their benefits.

While the FRA used to be 65 years old, Congress overhauled the program in 1983 to raise the retirement age threshold in order to account for longer life expectancies. 

As part of that revamp, the FRA has been inching higher by two months at a time, based on a person’s birth year. For instance, people who were born in 1957 reached their FRA when they turned 66 years and 6 months old, or starting in 2023; but people born in 1958 must turn 66 years and 8 months old to qualify for their full benefits, or starting in September 2024. 

The full retirement age is set to increase again by two months, to 66 years and 10 months old, for people born in 1959. That means the higher FRA for that cohort will go into effect in 2025, with people born in 1959 starting to qualify for their full benefits in November 2025. (You can calculate when you could get your full benefits on this Social Security Administration page.)

To be sure, there is flexibility about when to claim Social Security benefits. People can claim as soon as they turn 62 years old, but the trade-off is a reduced benefit that’s locked in for the rest of their retirement. 

For instance, claiming at 62 will result in a benefit that’s about 30% less than your full benefit — a sacrifice that many older Americans opt for, given that many are forced into retirement earlier than they expected or because they believe it makes more sense to claim more years of guaranteed retirement income, even if it’s at a lower amount.

Young boomers and Gen Xers

The increase in the FRA for people born in 1959 marks the penultimate age change, with the final jump occurring for workers born in or after 1960. Those Americans won’t be able to claim their FRA until they hit 67 years old, which means that someone born in January 1960 must hold off until January 2027 to get their full retirement benefits. 

That will mostly impact the youngest baby boomers and Gen Xers, with the latter generation spanning 1965 to 1980. 

These workers, however, are among the least prepared for retirement, according to recent research. The youngest boomers — those born between 1959 and 1965 — started to hit 65 this year, but many of them lack adequate savings to support themselves in old age, the ALI Retirement Income Institute found earlier this year.

About 1 in 3 of these younger boomers will rely on Social Security benefits for at least 90% of their retirement income when they are 70, the study found. But Social Security benefits are designed to replace about 40% of a person’s working income. 

Gen X, meanwhile, is also shaping up to hit retirement without enough saved for their golden years. The average retirement savings of Gen X households is about $150,000 — far below the roughly $1.5 million that Americans say they need to retire comfortably. Another study found that about 40% of Gen Xers don’t have a penny saved for retirement. 

Meanwhile, older Americans can also maximize their Social Security benefits by delaying claiming until they turn 70 years old. At that point, one’s benefits are boosted about 25% higher than their full benefits. But only about 4% of Americans wait until they’re 70 to claim the maximum Social Security benefit, according to a recent study from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.