FBI Northeastern Orb Sightings (2021–2026) – PURSUE Files

These FBI records cover a series of glowing “orb” sightings by members of the public in the northeastern United States between 2021 and 2026. FBI agents collected the witnesses’ videos (FD-1057 forms) and interviewed them (FD-302 forms). The four videos are titled “Triangle Orbs” (November 2021), “Red Orb Rotation” (March 2022), “Orbs Over the Pond” (October 2024) and “Northeastern Orb Sighting” (July 2025), in which a couple reported a “brilliant red sphere” about a meter across, with a basketball-sized white “plasma sun” at its center, hovering 25 ft above their backyard before a second identical orb appeared above it.^[1]

The records

FBI-UAP-PR001, “Triangle Orbs,” Northeastern United States, 2021

FBI-UAP-PR001, “Triangle Orbs,” Northeastern United States, 2021 — official upload on DVIDS (public domain).

In November 2021, at approximately 0500 local time in the northeastern United States, an eyewitness observed a bright light source near the horizon at an estimated distance of 2,000 feet. The light source initially appeared as a single intense luminous object before resolving into multiple lights exhibiting erratic rotational motion relative to one another. The object slowly moved laterally from left to right during the encounter. The eyewitness captured the video with a hand-held iPhone 12 Pro, resulting in unintended camera movement. The location was well known to the eyewitness and is sparsely populated.

The description above is derived from statements provided to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by the eyewitness to the event. The FBI assesses the individual who reported this event as highly credible. The subject matter described in files FBI-UAP-D004 through FBI-UAP-D008 and depicted in the video footage FBI-UAP-PR001 through FBI-UAP-PR003 corresponds to reports originating from the same general area in the northeastern United States.

— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-PR002, “Red Orb Rotation,” Northeastern United States, 2022

FBI-UAP-PR002, “Red Orb Rotation,” Northeastern United States, 2022 — official upload on DVIDS (public domain).

In March 2022, at approximately 1920 local time in the northeastern United States, an eyewitness observed two bright red luminous light sources hovering near the horizon at an estimated distance of 2,500 feet. Both luminous objects maintained generally stationary positions throughout the encounter. The lower light source appeared to rotate slowly relative to the upper light source, moving from an apparent 6 o’clock position to slightly beyond the apparent 9 o’clock position. The eyewitness did not hear any sounds from the light sources. The eyewitness captured this video using an iPhone 12 Pro at a location well known to them, which is sparsely populated.

The description above is derived from statements provided to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by an eyewitness to the event. The FBI assesses the individual who reported this event as highly credible. The subject matter described in files FBI-UAP-D004 through FBI-UAP-D008 and depicted in the video footage FBI-UAP-PR001 through FBI-UAP-PR003 corresponds to reports originating from the same general area in the northeastern United States.

— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D004, FD-1057-02, Northeastern United States, 2024

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This document is an FBI FD-1057, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses to record investigative activity. This FD-1057 documents the FBI’s contact with a U.S. person in October 2024, during which FBI special agents collected video footage and gathered information regarding the circumstances surrounding its capture. The U.S. person captured the video footage in the same general location as the incidents described in documents.

The subject matter described in files FBI-UAP-D004 through FBI-UAP-D008 and depicted in the video footage FBI-UAP-PR001 through FBI-UAP-PR003 corresponds to reports originating from the same general area in the northeastern United States.

— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D005, FD-1057-04, Northeastern United States, 2024

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This document is an FBI FD-1057, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses to record investigative activity. This FD-1057 documents an October 2024 interview with a US person regarding several incidents potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena in the northeastern United States over the previous three years.

The subject matter described in files FBI-UAP-D004 through FBI-UAP-D008 and depicted in the video footage FBI-UAP-PR001 through FBI-UAP-PR003 corresponds to reports originating from the same general area in the northeastern United States.

— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D006, FD-1057-05, Northeastern United States, 2024

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This document is an FBI FD-1057, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses to record investigative activity. This FD-1057 documents a November 2024 site survey of a location where a U.S. person reported observing unidentified anomalous phenomena multiple times over the previous three years.

The subject matter described in files FBI-UAP-D004 through FBI-UAP-D008 and depicted in the video footage FBI-UAP-PR001 through FBI-UAP-PR003 corresponds to reports originating from the same general area in the northeastern United States.

— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D007, FD-1057-06, Northeastern United States, 2024

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This document is an FBI FD-1057, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses to record investigative activity. This FBI FD-1057 documents first-hand observations made by two FBI special agents’ during the course of an ongoing investigation in November 2024.

The subject matter described in files FBI-UAP-D004 through FBI-UAP-D008 and depicted in the video footage FBI-UAP-PR001 through FBI-UAP-PR003 corresponds to reports originating from the same general area in the northeastern United States.

— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D008, FD-1057-07, Northeastern United States, 2024

Open FBI-UAP-D008 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is an FBI FD-1057, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uses to record investigative activity. This FBI FD-1057 documents a December 2024 site survey of a location where two FBI special agents had previously observed unidentified anomalous phenomena.

The subject matter described in files FBI-UAP-D004 through FBI-UAP-D008 and depicted in the video footage FBI-UAP-PR001 through FBI-UAP-PR003 corresponds to reports originating from the same general area in the northeastern United States.

— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-PR003, “Orbs Over the Pond,” 2024

FBI-UAP-PR003, “Orbs Over the Pond,” 2024 — official upload on DVIDS (public domain).

In October 2024, at approximately 1851 local time in the northeastern United States, an eyewitness observed a light source below the horizon, hovering above a pond at an estimated distance of 2,700 feet. The luminous object resembled a “plasma-like sphere” intermittently changing shape and luminosity. At times, the primary light source appeared to separate into smaller luminous points. A luminous point below the primary source hovered just above the water and did not appear consistent with a surface reflection. The object remained generally stationary for approximately 45 minutes before disappearing. The eyewitness did not hear any sound from the objects. This video was captured by a private citizen on an iPhone and subsequently analyzed and authenticated by the U.S. Government. To protect the individual’s privacy, the footage has been cropped. Apart from this privacy-protective measure, no edits, enhancements, or alterations have been made to the visual content.

The description above is derived from statements provided to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by an eyewitness to the event. The FBI assesses the individual who reported this event as highly credible. The subject matter described in files FBI-UAP-D004 through FBI-UAP-D008 and depicted in the video footage FBI-UAP-PR001 through FBI-UAP-PR003 corresponds to reports originating from the same general area in the northeastern United States.

— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-PR004, “Northeastern Orb Sighting,” 2025

FBI-UAP-PR004, “Northeastern Orb Sighting,” 2025 — official upload on DVIDS (public domain).

In July 2025, at approximately 2100 local time in the northeastern United States, an eyewitness observed an intense bright light in their backyard as they parked their car upon returning home from work. The light was hovering approximately 25 feet off the ground, below a tree line near the center of their backyard, at an estimated distance of 90 feet. The eyewitness exited their vehicle briefly before retrieving their phone to record the event. The spouse of the eyewitness came outside to assess the situation. The spouse also witnessed the light, describing it as a “brilliant red sphere” about one meter in diameter. The center of the red sphere appeared to be a white plasma “sun” about the size of a basketball. The orb slowly rose and moved to the left, and both eyewitnesses observed a second, identical orb, hovering above the other orb.

The eyewitness then began recording the event using an iPhone 14 Pro Max, capturing the footage depicted in this video. As the eyewitness began recording, the orbs moved westward together above a nearby tree line. The witnesses described the orbs’ motion as silent and smooth, and as moving in tandem as though they were flying in formation or tethered together. As the orbs moved out of sight, both eyewitnesses saw them appear to merge. The eyewitnesses estimated that the orbs moved from their initial position before disappearing from view at an estimated distance of 75 yards. This observation occurred within 25 miles of the “Triangle Orbs,” “Red Orb Rotation,” and “Orbs Over the Pond,” sightings at a location well known to them, which is sparsely populated.

The description above is derived from statements provided to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by eyewitnesses to the event. The FBI assesses the individuals who reported this event as credible. The subject matter described in files FBI-UAP-D009 through FBI-UAP-D010 and depicted in the video footage FBI-UAP-PR004 corresponds to reports originating from the same general area in the northeastern United States.

— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D009, FD-302-67, “Northeastern Orb Sighting,” 2026

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This document is an FBI FD-302, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation uses to record interviews. This FD-302 records a February 2026 interview with a U.S. person, in which they described incidents potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena.

The subject matter described in files FBI-UAP-D009 and FBI-UAP-D010 and depicted in the video footage FBI-UAP-PR004 corresponds to reports originating from the same general area in the northeastern United States.

— Official PURSUE description

FBI-UAP-D010, FD-302-71, “Northeastern Orb Sighting,” 2026

Open FBI-UAP-D010 (PDF) on war.gov →

This document is an FBI FD-302, a form the Federal Bureau of Investigation uses to record interviews. This FD-302 records an interview with a U.S. person regarding their first-hand account of an incident potentially involving unidentified anomalous phenomena.

The subject matter described in files FBI-UAP-D009 and FBI-UAP-D010 and depicted in the video footage FBI-UAP-PR004 corresponds to reports originating from the same general area in the northeastern United States.

— Official PURSUE description

Analysis

Context. Several of these reports date from the wave of nighttime “drone” sightings across New Jersey, New York and neighboring states in November–December 2024, which led to airspace restrictions and congressional hearings. Federal agencies later said most of those sightings were lawful drones, crewed aircraft, stars or planets. See Northeastern U.S. drone sightings (2024).^[2]

Case by case. Red lights that hover and slowly rotate relative to each other (PR002) and objects estimated 2,000–2,700 ft away (PR001, PR003) are consistent with drones carrying colored lights, and night estimates of distance are often badly off. The July 2025 backyard case is the most unusual because of its close range (about 90 ft); a hovering drone with a red light and white center lamp is the simplest explanation, though the FBI file does not say whether one was found.

New or previously released? New.

Released files

See also

• Northeastern U.S. drone sightings (2024)
• Morristown Lights (2009 hoax)
• FBI
• PURSUE Release 03 (June 12, 2026) overview
• PURSUE

References

1. ^ U.S. Department of War (2026). PURSUE Release 03 (June 12, 2026): FBI-UAP-PR001, FBI-UAP-PR002, FBI-UAP-D004, FBI-UAP-D005, FBI-UAP-D006, FBI-UAP-D007, FBI-UAP-D008, FBI-UAP-PR003, FBI-UAP-PR004, FBI-UAP-D009, FBI-UAP-D010, with official descriptions. war.gov/ufo.
2. ^ FBI, DHS, FAA and DoD joint statements, December 2024, on drone sightings in New Jersey and the Northeast.