Group Of Jets Make Pass Over Levittown Area

UPDATE: Military Spokesperson: Jets Over Levittown Area Belonged To Saudi Arabia

What appeared to be four fighter jets and a larger transport jet caused a stir after they made their way over the Levittown area Monday evening.

The jets appeared first over Montgomery County before flying over Northeast Philadelphia, Langhorne and Levittown around 6:45 p.m., roughly two dozen LevittownNow.com readers reported.

Two of the fighter jets fell in line behind the larger transport jet on either side as the planes cruises at only a few thousand feet above the ground before banking toward New Jersey.

An on-duty spokesperson at North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said U.S. Northern Command was not aware of any threat intercepts or monitoring of any major operations in the Philadelphia region. The spokesperson added that the operations center at NORAD was staffed and dealing with the remains of Hurricane Harvey and a recent missile launch from North Korea.

Spokespersons at the sprawling Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which lies 20 miles from Levittown, were not immediately available for comment.

Several LevittownNow.com readers noted the fighter jets escorting the transport plane did not appear to match any used by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. A review of government data shows that frontline fighter jets most commonly in use by the American military do not match the shape of the four fighter jets spotted over Levittown, suggesting a possible visit or by a foreign air force. A former airman emailed to note the planes that flew over his home in Middletown looked more like French Dassault Rafale or Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, which are commonly used by American allies.

Numerous locals speculated that the flight was part of an escort for President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence or the president of Finland, who was visiting Washington D.C. earlier Monday. However, the plane that flew over Levittown did not appear to match ones used by either of the three men and domestic fighter escorts of the Air Force One and Air Force Two flights are rare.  

Earlier this summer, airman from the United States, United Kingdom and France took part in an international air refueling support exercise that involved crews from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

Military and commercial flights over Lower Bucks County are not uncommon, but it is less common to see a larger jet escorted by several fighter jets.