Mysterious drones seen across the country now emerging in Texas

Mulitple drones were spotted over Houston and other areas along the Gulf Coast this week. Jimmy Madrigal

Dozens of mysterious aircraft were spotted flying over Texas' Gulf Coast for hours at a time over the past few nights. From 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Cheryl Bowman in Crystal Beach told Chron she saw about 20 drones flying in from the Gulf of Mexico toward the Galveston Ship Channel and beyond. More drones appeared around 10 p.m. and remained in the area until midnight on Wednesday. "Three hovered near us lower, then slowly rose up above the clouds for more than three hours," Bowman said. "They seem to be fairly big because we see them so far out in the Gulf as they fly toward us on the Peninsula."

Overnight, more were spotted near the High Island area of the Bolivar Peninsula then toward Rollover Pass. Bowman followed them by car to get a closer look. "It hovered near us for more than 3 hours lower then rose up above cloud, but I could see them as the clouds passed over," she said. "With the naked eye, they are more clear. iPhone video doesn't do it justice." Bowman's neighbors also spotted the drones. She reported the sightings to the FBI tip line.

Residents expressed concerns about the drones flying in Bowman's videos, one writing: "This is in very close proximity to the Port of Houston, Big Hill National Oil Reserve, Port of Beaumont, NASA, and the largest oil refinery in North America...This area probably has more national infrastructure than anywhere in the U.S."

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Some of the drones were also seen over Houston Thursday night. Jimmy Madrigal photographed a group of drones flying over houses near I-45 and Fuqua Street in southeast Houston. The sightings follow reports about similar drone activity in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in recent weeks, the flying devices seemingly increasing daily, raising concerns among residents and local officials as the source of the drones and their purpose hasn't been confirmed.

The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and other federal and state agencies released a joint statement on Thursday saying they have "no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus." Still, the agencies are investigating the situation to confirm whether the devices are actually drones, manned aircraft, or "otherwise inaccurate sightings."