New York jumps to No. 3 for US alien abductions — experts reveal why it’s such a hot zone
The chances of an alien encounter in New York City might be higher than you think.
According to the annual rankings by gambling guide Casino.ca, released in honor of National Alien Abduction Day on March 20, New York ranks as the third-most likely state for UFO encounters in the United States.
The Empire State has seen 8,314 reported sightings since 1974, roughly one for every 1,003 residents, earning it a jump of two spots from last year. Only Delaware and Washington reported more, with Delaware averaging one sighting per 928 people and Washington one per 977.
California, despite its reputation for strange phenomena, came in 22nd on the list, with one reported sighting for every 1,708 residents. For context, the odds of a shark attack are roughly one in 11.5 million.
Recent reports from New York have included a “white, Tic-Tac-shaped object in the sky” and a “silver orb flying overhead.” A trio of glowing lights was recently seen hovering above Corona, Queens—famous as the filming location of the final scene in the 1997 sci-fi movie “Men in Black”—reviving conspiracy theories across social media.
New York has had some legendary UFO incidents. In 2001, the “Arthur Kill Lights” appeared as five to 16 bright orange ovals in a V-formation over the waterway between Staten Island and New Jersey. “They were huge, only about 1,000 feet above the ground,” said Dennis Anderson, a former investigator with the Center for UFO Studies.
Anderson also referenced the notorious Brooklyn Bridge abduction of 1989, when Linda Napolitano was reportedly taken from her lower Manhattan apartment by small extraterrestrials ascending with her in a beam of light. The incident was later featured in a 2024 Netflix docu-series.
Despite the dramatic stories, experts urge caution. “Probably 99% of UFO reports in New York are just people seeing something familiar but not recognizing it,” said the former director of Staten Island’s Wagner College Planetarium. “With so much light pollution, it’s easy to misidentify objects in the sky.”
Anderson added that many sightings stem from city residents simply being less familiar with stargazing. “Out in rural areas, people spend more time under dark skies. They know what the night sky looks like, so unusual objects stand out less,” he said.
Casino.ca based its ranking on 150,000 reports from the National UFO Reporting Center between 1974 and 2026, cross-checked with current social media posts. Overall, the U.S. has recorded 187,870 sightings, making the odds of an extraterrestrial encounter roughly one in 1,770.
“An alien could appear anytime,” the guide warned.
The top ten states for potential abductions:
- Delaware – one sighting per 928 people
- Washington – one per 977
- New York – one per 1,003
- Oregon – one per 1,054
- Florida – one per 1,102
- Texas – one per 1,119
- Montana – one per 1,125
- Vermont – one per 1,158
- New Mexico – one per 1,169
- Georgia – one per 1,260
The safest state for avoiding alien encounters? Louisiana, with just 1,325 sightings, or one for every 3,464 residents.
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