--- title: "Jetpack Sighting May Have Been Something Very Stupid, Cops Say" description: "Humanoid-shaped balloons may have been behind several mysterious \"jetpack guy\" sightings made by pilots near the Los Angeles international airport." date: "2021-11-03" modified: "2021-11-03" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/jetpack-sighting-stupid-cops" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "jetpack" - "los angeles" - "the digest" --- # Jetpack Sighting May Have Been Something Very Stupid, Cops Say ![Humanoid-shaped balloons may have been behind several mysterious "jetpack guy" sightings made by pilots near the Los Angeles international airport.]() *\Image: LAPD\* ## Ex LAX Last year, pilots flying near Los Angeles International Airport [started reporting]() something strange: a person seemingly flying around using a jetpack — and far too close to the airfield. An investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI still hasn't come up with any definitive answers as to what the hell the pilots saw. Even efforts [using law enforcement aircraft]() yielded no results. But now, we may have a tentative answer: the jetpack sightings may have been humanoid-shaped balloons. An [image and a video]() released by the LA police department show a balloon in the shape of Jack Skellington, from the film "The Nightmare Before Christmas," flying over LA — rather than some daredevil Evel Knievel blasting past commercial airliners. "The FBI has worked closely with the FAA to investigate reported jetpack sightings in the Los Angeles area, none of which have been verified," the FBI [told *Fox11*]() in a statement. "One working theory is that pilots might have seen balloons." ## Return of the Jetpack The video released by the City of Los Angeles shows the Jack Skellington balloon zipping through the air like some early Halloween prank. Pilots made several sightings of the mysterious jetpack starting in August 2020. Then in August of this year, "jetpack guy" [made an even more mystifying return](), according to reports LAX from air traffic control. "Use caution, the jetpack guy is back," an air traffic controller told other pilots in the area at the time, [according to the *LA Times*](). Could the Jack Skellington balloon really be behind all of the bizarre jetpack sightings? We may never know with any degree of certainty. One thing's for sure: now that [jetpacks exist](), we're probably going to hear periodic rumors — true or false — that they've been spotted in the wild. **READ MORE:** [LAX 'Jet Pack Man' Latest: New video may finally solve viral mystery]() \[*Fox11*\] **More on the jetpack:** *[That Jetpack Guy Is Reportedly Buzzing Around Airports Again]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()