Is New York the New Area 51? UFO Sightings Surge in First Half of 2025

You might want to keep your eyes on the sky, because apparently, New York is getting a little extra-terrestrial attention this year.

According to the latest data from the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), there have been 66 reported sightings of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) across the Empire State this year!

From New York City to Rochester, these mysterious sightings span suburban neighborhoods, rural towns, and even crowded urban airspace. The sightings include everything from glowing orbs and silent triangles to fast-moving metallic spheres and shape-shifting lights. And no, this isn’t an episode of The X-Files, these are real reports.

So, What Are People Seeing?

Some of the most common shapes reported were orbs, spheres, and triangles, often seen flying in formation, making sharp turns, or moving at speeds no drone should be capable of. Witnesses described flight patterns that included sudden accelerations, right-angle turns, and erratic zig-zagging maneuvers, basically, stuff that would make your average pilot pass out.

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One sighting in Chester on March 25 was especially wild. A local resident walking their dog around 6 p.m. said they spotted two bright white orbs flying in close formation. At first, they thought it was birds, until the objects made a sharp 90-degree turn without slowing down and suddenly morphed into pitch-black aerodynamic shapes before vanishing into the dusk.

Commercial Flights Have Seen UFO's Too

Even the friendly skies weren’t safe from weirdness.

On June 24, a passenger on a commercial flight into New York City from Toronto reported seeing a metallic ball fly in the opposite direction, just 100 to 200 feet below the plane. According to NUFORC, the object had a “perfectly round, shiny surface” and appeared to be moving deliberately, not floating or drifting like a balloon might.

The passenger alerted the flight crew after landing, but no one else on board saw the object.

What Could It Be?

While some sightings have plausible explanations: think drones, weather balloons, fireworks, or the International Space Station, most remain officially unexplained. NUFORC hasn’t released photos or video yet, but a few submissions did include visual evidence that’s still under review.

Interestingly, areas like Evans Mills, located near a military base, have seen repeated sightings of glowing orbs, which has sparked theories about everything from secret military aircraft to something… less earthly.

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NUFORC says that April through June brought a spike in sightings, likely because warmer weather equals more people outdoors.

Are Aliens Real or...?

Look, no one’s saying aliens are definitely visiting New York, but 66 sightings in six months? That’s enough to make even the most grounded among us start side-eyeing the stars.

You can check out the national sightings database at www.nuforc.org. Or better yet—report your own if you spot something strange hovering over your backyard in Utica, Rome, or anywhere else in Central New York.