On 4 February 2023, an incredible event took place in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A local resident, @alex__davis, filmed a jet shooting down a Chinese spy balloon from their front porch. This event sparked national attention and raised questions about the frequency of Chinese spy balloons flying over the United States.

According to a senior US defense official, there were three instances during the Trump administration when China briefly flew a surveillance balloon over the continental United States. The official stated, “The PRC (People's Republic of China) government surveillance balloons transited the continental United States briefly at least three times during the prior administration and once that we know of at the beginning of this administration, but never for this duration of time.”