A video showing a nighttime scene with a small plane on a road is being shared with false claims that it depicts a drone crash in New Jersey. In reality, the footage shows a small plane crash on Interstate 684 in Westchester County, New York, on Thursday night, which tragically resulted in one fatality. While a separate drone incident did occur the same night in a residential area of Pequannock Township, Morris County, New Jersey. This video is unrelated and specifically captures the Westchester County plane crash.
Sharing the video on X (Formerly Twitter) @CaptCoronado wrote. “Update: A drone is supposedly down in New Jersey”. The post has received more than 40k views and a significant number of engagements.
🚨🚨🚨Update: A drone is supposedly down in New Jersey!!🔥🔥🔥
— US Civil Defense News (@CaptCoronado) December 14, 2024
pic.twitter.com/9HH3xPNezg
Several other users and Influencers have also shared the video and made similar claims. Their posts can be seen here @JDunlap1974, @CubanOnlyTrump, @SheilaG2024.
The truth about the viral video, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the video and claims came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis of the video and found that the video was related to a small plane crash, not a drone crash.
To verify the claims made by users. We conducted relevant keyword searches and reverse image searches of keyframes from the viral video using Google Lens. These efforts led us to several media reports featuring the same visuals.
According to CBS News, “One person was killed when a small plane crashed along Interstate-684 in Westchester County, New York, on Thursday night”.
New York State Police said two people were aboard the plane when it went down at around 7 p.m. local time in the town of Harrison. The plane landed in a patchy area that separates the north and south lanes of the highway.
Another report by “PIX 11” Authorities confirmed a drone came down in a residential area in Pequannock Township in Morris County Thursday night.
Therefore, it is evident from verified sources that the video was not related to the drone incident in Morris County. But instead showed a small plane crash in Westchester County.
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— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) December 14, 2024
ANALYSIS: Misleading
FACT: A video showing a nighttime scene with a small plane on the road is being shared with false claims that it depicts a drone crash in New Jersey. In reality,the video shows a small plane,not a drone. The footage relates to a small plane crash (1/3) pic.twitter.com/yblucy1bwf
Intent
Influencers are circulating videos from Westchester County with misleading claims to get the spotlight on social media.
Conclusion
Claim– The video depicts a drone crash incident in Morris County.
Fact – The video is not from the drone incident in Morris County. But from a small plane crash incident in Westchester County.
Related Article: Fact Check: Old, unrelated and unverified video of drone attack falsely linked to the recent Iranian attack on Israel – D-Intent Data
