Also, there are several U.S. military facilities on eastern Long Island that may have played a part in the exercises, which may explain why these exercises couldn't be done in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
One theory postulated was there was a drone launch off one of those naval facilities on Long Island and a missile launch to take out the drone that went awry.
That's why some witnesses reported more than one rocket trail in different positions in the sky (drone booster and missile launch).
Again, just going on witness reports and the books I read. So pick it apart if you must, I wasn't an eye-witness. I was in Europe. It wasn't me.