Does New York State Lead the Nation in UFO Sightings?

When you think about what New York leads the nation in, a variety of answers may pop into your head.

Recently, the state was ranked as one of the most fun places to live. But sometimes the categories are a little more dubious. The Empire State has often ranked high as one of the most expensive, most highly taxed states in the U.S. There are also thousands of residents who continue to leave for less expensive and warmer parts of the country.

But now, New York has been ranked 5th in the country for something you may not necessarily think about, or even in believe in. Let's just say it's really weird.

New York Is Number 5 in What?

Unidentified Flying Objects (or UFOs) have been documented and reported since early history, and have become deeply rooted in our culture. Often, these sightings and strange encounters can be simply explained as other things like weather balloons, commercial or military craft, or even just a bright star in the sky. But some other reports just don't add up. What is out there in this huge universe we live in?

Back in May, the first open congressional hearing on UFOs in more than 50 years took place. On Wednesday, a bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act passed, which will make it easier to report UFOs. This is certainly encouraging news for those who believe and want to share their stories with others.

UFO Data

Using data from the NUFORC, the website Stacker compiled a list of the states with the most UFO reports, and according to their numbers, New York is 5th in the country. The data says that New York saw 3,830 reports of unidentifiable craft or other objects. We ranked right ahead of Pennsylvania, which was 6th. Only Texas, Washington, Florida, and California ranked higher.

Recent Hudson Valley UFO Sightings

So where are we so far in 2022? It is still early in the year, but the National UFO Reporting Center website lists several sightings across the Hudson Valley over the past few months. The website allows you to file your own reports which can then take several weeks to be posted for the public to view.

The website states that a report was made concerning "orbs going in direction" over Orangeburg on February 11, at 10 PM. The reports also say there are four hours of video of the encounter, and that the objects were not visible to the naked eye. On January 8, at 3:30 PM, several high-altitude objects were seen moving in a similar pattern over White Plains. There is no exact indication of how many objects were spotted in either report.

There have also been sightings as recent as June in Harriman, Somers, Woodbourne, Peekskill, and Chester. Also, read this very odd (and somewhat amusing) report of a "UFO" in Yonkers on June 14.

Saw 2 spinning things like a tornado but the size of a bird, then a third, pass the moon.

Huh? Must be some very small aliens in such a little craft. What was this person taking when they called in this report?

New York Also Ranks 5th in Another Very Weird Category

Someone like Fox Mulder should move to our state because he'd have quite a time researching all these bizarre reports. Do you believe in Bigfoot? In fact, Whitehall, New York is known as the "Bigfoot Capital of the East Coast". Read HERE.

New York Has Its Own Area 51

It's just a day trip away from the Hudson Valley. Read HERE.

Check Out the National List and Some History Into UFO Sightings Below