Rascal Flatts’ drummer ignites a paranormal debate after posting creepy ‘orb’ video
Bugs are often cited as the cause when mysterious blurs and spots appear on security footage — but a Tennessee-based musician says his motion sensors picked up something not so easily explained.
Jim Riley, the drummer for country trio Rascal Flatts, shared the Ring.com footage Thursday on Facebook and quickly ignited talk of “paranormal activity” and ghost orbs.
The 12-minute video shows an elliptical white spot bouncing erratically around a room in his Nashville home.
Riley wrote he had “hours and hours” of footage showing the orb.
“This is freaky,” Riley posted. “My Ring motion camera has been going off all night ... even before dark! What the heck is this! When I (turn) on the light there is nothing in there!”
Riley, who is also an adjunct professor at Belmont University, has nearly 16,000 followers on Facebook, and many have weighed since Thursday. Some offered jokes (Tinkerbell), while others tried to find a sensible explanation (a moth, a spiderweb, someone shining a light into the house).
“It’s 100% not a bug,” Riley posted. “Trust me. I have a video of my wife walking in the room and it disappears. Not a bug. ... Happened at dusk and all night.”
Riley said he also got up to investigate, switching on the lights in the process, and found no sign of a bug, moth or spider web. He said his plan was to see if the orb reappeared Friday night and then investigate further.
Some commenters suggested the object was spiritual in nature, including a man who said he’d experienced something similar in his home.
“It’s been happening more lately ... It’s a spirit most likely,” he wrote.
“Last time I saw something like that was on Ghost Adventures! It’s technically called an orb ... according to those people that believe in them,” another said.
The Website “Ghosts & Graves” says “orbs are are probably the most photographed type of anomaly.”
“It is believed that orbs are the soul of a human or even an animal that has died and is traveling around from one place to another,” the site says. The circular shape ... is the first state they appear in before they become a full-bodied apparition. If you’re lucky enough to capture an orb on video, you’ll be amazed by how fast they can move.”
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Rascal Flatts’ drummer ignites a paranormal debate after posting creepy ‘orb’ video."