Drones

Does a video show a "drone down" in New Jersey? No, that's not true: This footage shows the wreckage of a small plane that crashed on Interstate 684 in Greenwich, Connecticut, on December 12, 2024. There were two people on board the plane, but only the pilot survived. The video appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on December…

Are the drones reportedly seen over New Jersey and New York being used to track nuclear material in the country? No, that's not true: The National Nuclear Security Administration's emergency team told Lead Stories it doesn't use drones to detect nuclear or radiological materials. In a joint statement on December 16, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Federal Aviation…

Did the Pentagon say in early December 2024 that drones reportedly flying over a New Jersey military installation were "not of earthly origin," as was implied by a post on Instagram? No, that's not true: A Pentagon spokesperson told Lead Stories that the agency never described the drones as "not from earthly origin." A meme shared to Instagram included a…

Do videos in a social media post show drones firing weapons in New Jersey in December 2024? No, that's not true: A military spokesperson at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst told Lead Stories that both videos show a "U.S. Marine helicopter conducting nighttime aerial gunnery training." The spokesperson added, "This is normal training conducted monthly." The claim appeared in a post that…

Does a video shared to X in early December 2024 authentically show a drone flying over New Jersey? No, that's not true: The original poster described the video as having been "created digitally." It was shared online after unexplained "possible drones" were reported in New Jersey in late 2024. The claim appeared in a video posted on X on December…

Does a video show former One Direction singer Liam Payne falling to his death in Argentina? No, that's not true: The video is of another person escaping a fire. It was taken in Mexico in 2023, before Payne's death. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on October 17, 2024. The post, which included a series…

Does the closure of airspace in North Carolina for the visits of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris halt the Hurricane Helene rescue missions? No, that's not true: A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson told Lead Stories that pilots involved in "aid and assistance" for hurricane recovery can fly through restricted areas if they plan the flight with air…

Does a video on an Iranian news website show a blaze that broke out in Tel Aviv, Israel, following an Iranian drone strike in October 2024? No, that's not true: The same footage appeared in June 2022 on a YouTube channel belonging to news outlet Al-Jazeera. The description from 2022 says it shows a fire that broke out at a…

Does a video show an Iranian drone used during the country's attack against Israel stuck in power lines in Iraq? No, that's not true: The video, posted online as early as February 2024, predates Iran's April 13, 2024, attack against Israel. The video was most likely taken in Syria. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X…

Does a video show missiles being launched by Yemen at Israel on April 13, 2024? No, that's not true: The video has been on the internet as far back as 2015 and on YouTube since 2016. The original video did not have the flag of Iran in the top right hand corner. The video had nothing to do with the…