Trenton, NJ – During a wide-ranging and at times bizarre interview New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy shut down growing speculation that extraterrestrial life had been spotted over the Garden State’s skies, insisting that what many believed to be UFOs were nothing more than drones—or possibly planes earlier this year, but he still has no idea who was operating those drones.
“There are no aliens. There was no there there, believe it or not, based on everything we know,” Murphy said.
Murphy confirmed the state had conducted its own investigation into the unidentified aerial sightings, but ultimately found no evidence to support claims of alien life, nor did it determine who was flying the unexplained objects. He described the situation as a national security vulnerability rather than an interstellar incident.
Murphy admitted that even he and his wife had looked to the skies at night, intrigued by the strange lights.
Governor Murphy’s comments came during a podcast-style discussion where Minhaj pressed him on the flood of citizen videos showing glowing lights, erratic movements, and unexplainable aerial formations hovering above cities like Hoboken and Jersey City. In response, Murphy made it clear the sightings had been thoroughly analyzed and attributed to earthly origins—primarily drones.
“I am telling you that, yes, those [were] drones,” Murphy said, adding that the federal government’s equipment confirmed the conclusion. “We ultimately got the equipment that confirmed that there was no there there.” Still, Murphy acknowledged that the confusion surrounding the incident exposed troubling gaps in the nation’s aerial defense systems in the state which is home to one of the key joint military installations in America.
Calling the response “a 9/11 without the tragedy,” Murphy said the episode served as a reminder of the country’s vulnerabilities to unknown and unmonitored aerial technologies. He urged future administrations to take seriously the implications of unauthorized drone activity, even in the absence of hostile intent.
Although the governor dismissed alien theories, he remained notably less definitive on the topic of “orbs”—a term frequently cited by social media users who insist the floating, pulsating lights observed at night are not drones. Murphy conceded he hadn’t spoken much on that specific aspect but maintained that the situation required serious attention from national security officials—not science fiction speculation.
The state has not announced any ongoing investigations, and no federal agencies have released official reports on the incidents seen by thousands of New Jersey residents.
For now, the only confirmed alien was the one the Governor said was once living in his Middletown mansion’s garage attic.
