US tracked suspected Chinese spy balloon for 5 days before shooting it down over the Atlantic

An Air Force jet shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon off the South Carolina coast Saturday afternoon, after it drifted for five days across Idaho, Montana and the continental U.S. before reaching the Atlantic.

An F-22 Raptor jet fired a single missile that sent the balloon into the ocean at about 2:39 p.m. Efforts to recover its surveillance equipment were underway.

The Pentagon had been tracking the balloon, which appeared over Billings, Montana, Wednesday after passing near an American missile launch site.

• TV footage: Video shows balloon being shot down.
• Second balloon: Pentagon says another balloon found over Latin America.
• Read more: Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancels trip to China.
• Pacific tension: U.S. is realigning military forces to counter Chinese threat.