Joe Rogan, the podcast king, said the mysterious drones that have hovered around the tristate area have left him “genuinely concerned” Sunday after watching a video that floated an unconfirmed hypothesis about the unmanned aircraft sniffing out toxic compounds.
John Ferguson, CEO of a remote aircraft system company in Kansas, stated in a lengthy TikTok video on Saturday that the drones are seeking to “smell” a gas leak, “radioactive material,” or something else on the ground.
“The only reason you’d ever fly an unmanned aircraft at night is if you were looking for something,” Ferguson said in the video, adding that he doesn’t think the drones are dangerous.
“So my belief is they’re trying to smell something on the ground – gas leaks, radioactive material, whatever,” stated the company’s CEO.
Ferguson noted that the notion was his best estimate based on his knowledge and simply his view on the drone mystery that has gripped the East Coast, and stated, “I have not bounced this off anyone.”
“So, if you believe it’s all nonsense, that’s fine. “I don’t want to spread misinformation, which we know is prevalent,” he added in the TikTok video.
But his notion resonated with many online, including Rogan, who shared his thoughts on the drones that have been frightening New Jersey and New York residents for weeks.
“This is the first video about these drones that has got me genuinely concerned,” he commented on X on Sunday.
The renowned podcast host earlier dismissed the US government’s allegations as “sus” when White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby stated that the drones were not a public safety risk and that many of the claimed sightings were of manned planes.
On Sunday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas downplayed worries about the drones, suggesting that some of the sightings were due to looser laws that enable the devices to fly at night.
“Some of those drone sightings are, in fact, drones,” he informed reporters. “Some are manned aircraft that are often mistaken for drones. We do detect some duplicative reports.”
Mayorkas also stated in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that the department has deployed staff and technology, and that “if there is any reason for concern, if we identify any foreign involvement or criminal activity, we will communicate with the American people accordingly.”
“We are currently unaware of any. If we become aware of any, we will communicate and take appropriate action,” he stated.
The Post has requested a response from the DHS regarding the current theory.
A wide range of politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, have been vocal about the seemingly constant drone sightings in the tri-state area. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has called on the federal government to use radar technology to spot drone swarms.
Schumer, along with New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim, wrote to the FBI, Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration last week, demanding an explanation of what they are doing to “identify and address the source of these incursions.”