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'Mystery Drones,' ABC News and Transylvanian Castle

'Mystery Drones,' ABC News and Transylvanian Castle

Plus: Snopes' Top 10 Most Popular Fact Checks in 2024

Izz LaMagdeleine
December 17, 2024

TUESDAY EDITION

Snopes Debunker

A white person wearing a blue suit speaks at a podium that says THE WHITE HOUSE. An object faintly appears to be in the sky behind them.

'Mystery Drones' Flying Over New Jersey? Here's What We Know

Mysterious drones have been flying over New Jersey, according to people posting across social media platforms in December. Some of the posts suggested they were not human-made drones, but alien unidentified flying objects. For example, someone on TikTok posted a video of herself looking puzzled, with the following: "Why is no one talking about the fact that there are thousands of drones flying over nj and the government doesn't know what it is and flights are getting canceled."

It is true that for weeks residents of New Jersey and state officials reported strange "car-sized" drones flying over the state. The sightings began in November. On Dec. 10, an FBI official told the Homeland Security Subcommittee that the federal law enforcement agency had received more than 3,000 reports of such sightings. Earlier in December, some reported drones flying over a golf course belonging to President-elect Donald Trump. Snopes reporter Anna Rascouët-Paz has the details.

Two white men are pictured. The man on the left is pointing towards the camera while wearing a blue suit, while the man on the left wears a black suit while grinning at the camera.

ABC News Will Pay $15M to Trump in Defamation Settlement

The lawsuit stemmed from an interview in March where George Stephanopoulos incorrectly said Trump had been found "liable for rape."

A phone shows United Healthcare while a sign says "AI" in the background.

The Facts Behind Accusations That UnitedHealthcare Uses Error-Prone AI to Deny Claims

The rumor, which stemmed from a 2023 lawsuit, circulated following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

A white man wearing a black suit is shown next to a X post that says, "In most cases, the word "homeless" is a lie. It's usually a propaganda word for violent drug addicts with severe mental illness."

Elon Musk Did Say the Word 'Homeless' Is a Lie

The tech entrepreneur has a history of suspicion toward organizations helping homeless people.

A castle is shown. Surrounding it is an image of a vampire, with bats flying on the right side of the image.

Real Dracula Didn't Live in This 'Abandoned' Transylvanian Castle

Bran Castle has been a tourist destination for Dracula fans since the 1960s.

Staff Pick

From clockwise, a white man raises his hands surrounded by other people, a Black woman holds out her left arm as a white woman looks on, a white man raises his index finger while speaking in front of a microphone and a white man stands while wearing a white shirt.

Snopes' Top 10 Most Popular Fact Checks in 2024

These fact checks attracted more readers than any others since the start of the year.