The mysterious objects spotted flying above New York weren't UFOs but balloons that escaped from a teacher's party, a school said.

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Officials at Milestone School in Mount Vernon said the objects spotted Wednesday above Manhattan, setting off a flurry of calls to police and the Federal Aviation Administration, were pearl balloons from language arts teacher Andrea Craparo's engagement party, the New York Daily News reported Friday.

"UFO? They're crazy -- those are our balloons!" said Angela Freeman, head teacher at the school. "To me it was the most automatic thing. But it's all over YouTube."

Freeman said a gust of wind carried the balloons away at about 1 p.m. Wednesday, about an hour before authorities began receiving calls about the purported UFOs.