Whether you think they are aliens or weather balloons or planes, the fact of the matter is UFO sightings are reported all the time in New Jersey.

The number of UFO sightings reported right here in the Garden State may surprise you. Believe it or not, on average, there is a UFO sighting in New Jersey reported about once every three weeks since 1974, according to The Stacker.

The actual annual average UFO reports per year in New Jersey is 19, and that means we have had 862 sightings since 1974.  The statistics are based on reports to the National UFO Center's 24/7 Reporting Hotline.

If this is all a little weird for you, this may make you feel better. New Jersey ranked 38th in the nation in sightings, so, while we may be an international tourist destination, we may not be an intergalactic one. I guess the tourism board could work on that.

If you really want to be in the place where the UFO's are, then you should head to California, where they have had 13,248 reports since 1974. That's an astounding 301 a year on average, or about 6 a week!

I have to say, Diane and I were once in Cape May and saw a bright light over the ocean at night. It made no noise and then disappeared, only to return seconds later. It was low, bright and silent. We have no idea what it was to this day.

Of course, it's not clear how many of these reports have an explanation, but if only one can't be explained, that's pretty weird, right? If you believe you have seen something you can't explain and you want to report it, you can do so at the National UFO Center's 24/7 Reporting Hotline.

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