Watch CBS News

New Yorkers Mistake Balloons For UFOs?

NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- A lot of people saw it, but no one's quite sure what it was.

We're talking about something in the sky spotted over Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon.

CBS 2 cameras captured the objects while shooting up above Chelsea at 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue.

Local media and the NYPD received several calls throughout the afternoon.

However, as CBS 2 cameras showed, the objects appeared to be yellow balloons, although there has been no official confirmation from the NYPD. On the streets below there was a lot of intrigue about the mystery going on up above.

Weird sightings in the sky are not new to our area. Back in January of 2009, strange, red, blinking lights could be seen across Morris County, N.J., and officials thought they had figured out what caused them.

In the end, though, it wasn't exactly a close encounter.

It turns out the lights were part of a hoax. Prosecutors said two men with too much time on their hands pulled off the trick with five flares, fishing line and helium balloons.


View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.