No, those aren’t mystery drones in the sky. It’s just the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.
After a large number of mysterious drones were reported flying over parts of New Jersey in recent weeks, sparking speculation and concern over who sent them and why, Weld County sheriff’s officials took to social media to warn Coloradans of an upcoming drone training.
According to the sheriff’s office, drones will fly near and around North 11th Avenue and H Street in Greeley from noon to 3 p.m. Monday. There is no danger to the community.
Colorado has its own history with mystery drones after nearly 20 were spotted flying nighttime search patterns over northeast Colorado five years ago.
The unexplained drones with 6-foot wingspans, which quickly became a national mystery when they appeared in December 2019 and disappeared more than a month later, flew over at least nine counties in eastern Colorado and western Nebraska.
Local authorities said they had no idea where the machines came from and the estimated size and number of drones makes it unlikely they were being flown by hobbyists.
The drones stayed 200 feet to 300 feet in the air and flew steadily in grid-like squares of about 25 miles. They emerged each night around 7 p.m. and disappeared around 10 p.m., local sheriff’s officials said.
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Several reports of drones across the state turned out to be planets, stars or commercial aircraft, according to state agencies. Others were never identified.
At least one national media outlet declared the drones never existed and said Coloradans and Nebraskans were swept into mass hysteria. Still, people who saw something fly in formation above their homes insist the phenomenon was real.
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