Photo: Getty Images
Photos of a life-sized inflatable “Jack Skellington” captured by the Los Angeles Police Department may provide a possible explanation for the recent “jet pack” sightings near LAX. An LAPD helicopter crew captured photos of the human-shaped balloon thousands of feet above Holmby Hills and Beverly Hills in November 2020, about two weeks after jetliner pilots reported seeing a jet pack.
The FAA and FBI say the images seem to align with one possible explanation for the sightings:
"One working theory is that pilots might have seen balloons."
The first jet pack sighting was made on Aug. 30, 2020 by an American Airlines flight crew on final approach to LAX. The second report was made on Oct. 14, 2020, when a China Airlines flight pilot said there was an object seen around 6,000 feet over Culver City or Century City. The third sighting was reported on July 28, 2021 when a pilot told air traffic controllers he could see a jet man off his right wing at an altitude of about 5,000 feet.