Jetpack man
Jetpack man is an unknown person or object observed flying what appeared to be an unauthorized jetpack around the Los Angeles area at least five times from 2020 to 2022. Multiple airplane pilots reported seeing the jetpack man at altitudes around.
It is unknown whether each sighting was the same person, or whether it might have been a drone designed to look like a person with a jetpack. Neither jetpacks nor large drones are commonly flown at that altitude or at that distance from land, and there were no sightings of a takeoff or landing. It was theorized by the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration that the jetpack man was a novelty helium balloon.
Sightings
First sighting
On August 30, 2020, two different airline pilots reported seeing a "guy in a jetpack" hovering near Los Angeles International Airport at, from the course of planes on a final approach.Second sighting
In November 2020, a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter crew recorded a video of what appeared to be a balloon of the fictional character Jack Skellington from the film The Nightmare Before Christmas. The video was recorded over the Beverly Hills area. A balloon is believed by many to be the explanation for the phenomenon. The behavior of the balloon was similar in the footage to the jetpack man as it was and would later be described.The LAPD later released the footage in November 2021. The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a statement on the matter, remarking that "the FBI has worked closely with the FAA to investigate reported jet pack sightings in the Los Angeles area, none of which have been verified," and later adding that "One working theory is that pilots might have seen balloons."
Third sighting
On October 14, 2020, a China Airlines flight reported seeing "a flying object like a flight suit jetpack" at during the approach to LAX.Fourth sighting
On December 21, 2020, a pilot and flight instructor with Sling Pilot Academy captured the first video of such a flying object, at around near Palos Verdes and Catalina Island. The academy posted the video to their Instagram account, commenting:The video appears to show a jet pack, but it could also be a drone or some other object. If it is a 'guy in a jet pack' then it remains to be seen whether it is a legal test flight... or related to the jet pack sightings near LAX recently that caused disruptions to air traffic.