Joe Rogan says he’s ‘genuinely concerned’ about drone sightings
Podcast king Joe Rogan said the mysterious drones that have buzzed around the tristate area have left him “genuinely concerned” Sunday after watching a video that floated an unverified theory about the unmanned devices sniffing out harmful substances.
John Ferguson, the CEO of a remote aircraft system company in Kansas, claimed in a drawn-out TikTok video on Saturday the drones are attempting to “smell” either a gas leak, “radioactive material,” or something else on the ground.
“The only reason why you would ever fly an unmanned aircraft at night is if you’re looking for something,” Ferguson said in the clip, noting he doesn’t believe the drones are nefarious.
“So my belief is they’re trying to smell something on the ground – gas leak, radioactive material, whatever,” the CEO said.
Ferguson added that the theory was his best guess based on his expertise and just his opinion on the drone mystery that’s gripped the East Coast and admitted “I’ve not bounced this off anybody.”
“So if you think it’s bulls–t, whatever, that’s cool. I don’t want to spread misinformation, as we know that there’s a lot of that going around,” he said in the TikTok video.
But his theory resonated with many online including Rogan, who offered his two cents on the drones that have unnerved New Jersey and New York residents for weeks.
“This is the first video about these drones that has got me genuinely concerned,” he wrote on X on Sunday.
The popular podcast host previously called the claims from the US government “sus” after White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the drones were not a public safety concern, and many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also downplayed concerns about the drones on Sunday, claiming part of the drone sightings are based on relaxed regulations that allow the devices to fly at night.
“Some of those drone sightings are, in fact, drones,” he said. “Some are manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones. And we do see duplicative reporting.”
The Post has sought comment from DHS over the latest theory.
A wide range of pols – both Republicans and Democrats — have been making noise about the seemingly endless drone sightings in the tri-state area. New York Sen. Chuck Schumer called on the feds to deploy radar technology to identify the swarms of drones.
Schumer, along with New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim sent a letter to the FBI, Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration last week demanding an explanation about what is to “identify and address the source of these incursions.”