UFOs Skip NYC So Far This Year, Sightings Report Shows

NEW YORK CITY — They didn't come in peace, or much at all.

Alien visitors took a cue from earthbound tourists and skipped their trips to New York City so far this year — at least judging by sightings logged by the National UFO Reporting Center.

Just five UFO sightings were in the city out of 37 across the state, according to the Center. New Yorkers reported seeing cylindrical objects, red orbs and other unexplained things in the sky.

"i was driving and seen a light shoot straight up in the sky i looked around to make sure i wasn't bugging but i swear i know what i seen," one reporter wrote about a Feb. 28 sighting in Rockaway. "it was really so fast!!!"

UFO sightings shot up in 2020 in the state as the coronavirus pandemic struck and everyone had more time to pay attention to the skies.

The National UFO Reporting Center logged 290 sightings during the whole year, compared 151 the prior year.

Of those, 57 were in New York City.

But it appears the pace of close and not-so-close encounters has slowed so far in 2021. There have been 37 sightings in the state compared to 62 during the same span in 2020.

The first in New York City is titled "UFO in Manhattan," from an observer who emphasized he is sober.

"So no alcohol or drugs were involved," he wrote. "I've never reported anything like this."

The sighting involved a white object with no lights and an unusual shape.

"It seemed to be reflecting the lights from the streets or it was glowing," he wrote. "It had a light grey coloring. It was moving so fast from south to north. I knew it wasn't a bird or plane because of it's speed. It had the shape of a butter knife."

Another observer — a self-described skeptical person — reported seeing a cylindrical object in the sky above Brooklyn on Feb. 9.

"The object I saw was clearly lower than air traffic in my area, and also moving in the opposite direction of the air traffic flow of my area," the observer wrote. "I was walking up the block, and as I was nearing the end of the block, and object moved over my head, and disappeared over the buildings. I moved up the block to get a better view, but there was nothing in the trajectory in which the object was moving.My best description of the object is that it was cylindrical, and had a light in front, with almost like a fog in front like it was passing through clouds."

The observer wrote the object appeared lower than the cloud line and traveled with a trail behind it like a shooting star.

"I can barely see anything in the sky in Brooklyn, and I've seen my fair share of shooting stars," the observer wrote. "It was too discernable to be one."

Catch up on all the UFO reports here.