Aliens or AC/DC? The Staten Island Lights

What happened

In early October 2026, TikTok users on Staten Island shared clips of bright white lights that seemed to move and rotate high in the night sky. They argued over whether the lights were aliens. SILive’s write-up, “Aliens or AC/DC?”, and a USA Today video dated 5 October tied the lights to AC/DC’s concert at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on the night of 2 October.

The footage

The most-shared clip was posted to TikTok by a Staten Island-area creator. She filmed from Stapleton Waterfront Park, looking across the water toward New Jersey, and asked whether anyone else had seen the lights “spinning in the sky.” The clip shows several bright white lights appearing to move and rotate. USA Today’s 5 October video compiles views of the lights over New Jersey and New York City. The sources give no clip length or timestamps, and the original TikTok’s posting time is not stated in the sources reviewed.

Timeline

• December 2024: A wave of New Jersey “drone” sightings prompts joint DHS/FBI/FAA/DoD statements.
• Fiscal year 2025: AARO’s annual report reiterates that resolved cases were prosaic.
• 25 September 2026: AC/DC’s MetLife show is postponed by a nor’easter.
• 2 October 2026: The rescheduled show, which is also the tour’s final date, goes ahead. Foo Fighters open at 7 pm. The lights are filmed that night.
• 5 October 2026: USA Today posts its video.
• October 2026: SILive publishes its account.

What witnesses reported

The TikTok creator and commenters are private people, and none is named here. According to SILive, commenters quickly pointed to the concert, while others questioned why no beams were visible from the source. The creator described lights spinning in the sky. No one reported a craft, a sound or a landing.

What the research found

The show. The band’s site states: “The AC/DC show at MetLife Stadium on September 25, 2026 has been rescheduled for Friday, October 2nd, 2026.” Rolling Stone confirms the reason and the stakes: “The MetLife gig was originally scheduled for September 25, but a nor’easter along the East Coast pushed the date to Friday, making it the last date of AC/DC’s two-year-long Power Up tour.” Consequence opens with the weather: “If it weren’t for a nor’easter that rolled into the New York-New Jersey area the previous Friday, the pairing of Foo Fighters and AC/DC at MetLife would never have happened.” The regular opener, The Pretty Reckless, was unavailable for the new date.