| 1999
Sighting Reports |
The
following incidents were among the sightings of alleged UFOs and
the Unusual reported to researcher Stan Gordon throughout Pennsylvania
and neighboring states (when available). These cases have come to
Stan Gordon’s attention from various sources. Many sightings
that have already been identified as natural or manmade in origin
are not listed. Some of these reports are still being investigated. |
| DATE |
January
7, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Williamsport
|
| Witness
reported seeing at 8:25 P.M. five lights of various colors in the
sky that were making various odd maneuvers. The lights at times pursued
one another, and later another group of lights displayed one object
catching up to one in the front. Then the two lights suddenly backed
apart from each other as if being repelled. |
| DATE |
January
19,1999
|
| LOCATION |
Sheakleyville |
| Around
6:20 A.M., several witnesses in Mercer County observed a strange early
morning glow in the sky. The people were looking north, and the entire
horizon looked fiery red in color. The red glow at times seemed to
get brighter and dimmer as though a huge fire was blazing in the distance.
The glow was only apparent on the horizon, as no red color could be
seen in the upper section of the sky. Later in the day after checking
the local newspapers for a story about a fire in that area, one witness
was unable to find anything that would explain what was observed.
She then contacted the police to see if they knew what caused the
glow. They also had no explanation. One possibility is that the people
were seeing the northern lights even though I have not heard of any
other sighting reports, and at least one of these observers has seen
the northern lights previously, and says that this was different in
appearance. |
| DATE |
February
2, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Morgantown,
W.VA. |
In
recent months there have been numerous reports of unusual booms
occurring in various locations around the country. I was informed
by researcher Jim Brown, that he is investigating a report of a
mystery boom that shook the Morgantown area during the afternoon
on this date. Jim has provided the following preliminary report.
"A loud boom was heard in the Morgantown, W.VA.. area about
1:30 P.M. on 2 Feb. 1999. The emergency center received several
calls about it from Star City and the Mileground areas. No emergency
vehicles were responded however. Local radio stations also received
calls from areas several miles from the city. A representative from
WAJR got calls from Brookhaven and Star City. I contacted the station
and arranged to do call-backs on any calls they received. Several
calls on the afternoon talk show were about the boom. One caller
described it as a blast and stated it was heard in the Core and
Westover areas as well. It was also described as "bad"
in the Cassville area.
Another heard
it on Point Marion road area and attributed it to a local stone
quarry. In a telephone interview he commented that he felt the boom
before he heard it. Another witness said it definitely was not a
blast, but a sonic boom. She stated she lived near an airfield several
years ago and was familiar with them. It should be noted that due
to the large area the boom was heard, it is unlikely a blast was
responsible since one would expect some sort of damage in the immediate
area of the source. MECCA 911 reported no such damage . Weather
conditions were cloudy and 45 degrees.Rain had ended about 4 hours
previous. Winds at 10-15 SW. |
| DATE |
February
8, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Turtle Creek |
| A
man working on his computer looked out the window at 1:54 A.M.and
towards the southeast, he saw the entire skyline lit up like a large
fire. The rosy-orange glow was pulsating brighter and dimmer. The
witness observed this for 2 to 3 minutes, when suddenly in the center
of the red glow, a brilliant white diamond shaped light appeared for
a second "like a flash bulb going off." Instantly after
this bright flash, the sky went back to normal darkness, and the fiery
glow disappeared. There were no reports of any fires in that area
that night. |
| DATE |
February
9, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Finleyville |
| Observer
reported in the late evening looking towards the south, and observing
3 to 4 shooting stars that were moving upwards in the sky. These objects
appeared 2 to 3 seconds apart, they just suddenly appeared, and flashed
upwards in the sky and disappeared. |
| DATE |
February
13-1999
|
| LOCATION |
Norristown |
| E-mail
report that witness had seen on three nights in the past week, during
early morning hours, an odd flashbulb type effect in the sky. |
| DATE |
February
14, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Parkersburg,
W.VA. |
| (via
researcher Jim Brown.) Jim received a second hand report that a fireball
was seen around 2 A.M. in the Parkersburg area. The object was described
as a bright blue-white object which traveled in a northeast direction.
The observation lasted about 5 seconds, then disappeared near the
horizon. |
| DATE |
February
14, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Latrobe |
| Two
people looking towards the Latrobe area, noticed above the Chestnut
Ridge, a very bright white light moving in a circular manner. This
light was extremely bright and was observed for about a minute. The
witnesses are quite familiar with aircraft lights since they are close
to an airport. |
| DATE |
February
17,1999
|
| LOCATION |
State College |
| Witness
was driving in a vehicle around 7 P.M., when he saw just above his
windshield an object moving fast. The object was described as a blue-white
light moving in a perfectly straight line from west to east across
the sky. The object had no tail, and no sound was heard. |
| DATE |
February
23, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
King of Prussia |
| A
witness reported seeing a bright star-like object from the far NW
section of Philadelphia, which seemed to be hovering over the King
of Prussia area. The object was white, and had multiple points on
it that made it appear like a Christmas ornament. What made the light
interesting was the appearance of a white beam emanating from it at
a 45 degree angle towards the ground. Within this beam were several
thinner white thread-like structures. According to the witness, the
beam and the threads appeared to come to a slight focus about 1/3
of the distance between the bright object and the ground. The size
of the object was estimated at about 20 % of the size of the full
moon. The time of observation was about 30 seconds. The witness is
an amateur astronomer. |
| DATE |
April
10, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Latrobe |
| The
witness is a law enforcement officer for a state agency who had taken
a walk outside, when at about 7:40 P.M., he observed a brilliant star-like
object very high in the sky. The observer said that the object looked
similar to the planet Venus, which he is familiar seeing in the western
sky. The sun had just set, and he thought it a little early for stars
to be visible. He lined up the bright object with the corner of a
building, and was able to see that the device was moving very slowly.
Curious about the shiny object, he ran inside and got his 10x50 binoculars.
The object was moving very slowly, and steadily from northwest to
southeast. Through the binoculars, the actual shape of the object
couldn’t be determined since the sun was reflecting off the
body, and it was extremely bright.
What was most interesting about the sighting, was
that hanging from the bottom of the brilliant object, was a long
appendage that "looked like a very long pole." The witness
felt that due to the very high altitude of the object, this part
would have to have been very large for him to have seen it so clearly.
This straight device gave the man the impression of a pendulum,
since it was rotating under the object counter-clockwise, but at
times would remain straight down and stop. This mechanism which
appeared solid, and always remained straight (tight) was silver
in color. There may have been some bumps or irregularities along
the appendage. This observation lasted about 20 minutes. The witness
was distracted from the object for a short time, and when he tried
to locate the device again he was unable to find it. This witness
has seen NWS weather balloon packages, and is sure that this wasn’t
what he observed. The winds were checked for speed and direction
at an altitude between 20,000-30,000 feet for that general area.
The 7 P.M. observations were between 290 at 71 knots and 285 at
65 knots. So the winds would have been from the WNW at the time.
Investigation continues.
|
| DATE |
April
21, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
West Mifflin/Pittsburgh |
| The
observers live near the flight path of an airport and are familiar
with seeing various types of aircraft at night. At about 9:15 P.M.,
The occupants of a car say they saw an object that was described as
looking like an 1/8 slice of pizza, flying with the crust end forward.
This front section was reportedly covered with numerous white non-blinking
lights. The witnesses could see no other detail except the silhouette
of the object against the sky. The nearly triangular shaped object
was reportedly seen in the sky at the same time that an aircraft,
believed to have been a commercial airliner was moving towards Pittsburgh.
According to one of the viewers, the object was above the airplane,
and it stopped as the aircraft continued on it’s course. Then
suddenly the object began to pace the aircraft, and quickly caught
up to it. During an interview, I was told that the object was then
in a diagonal position with the plane. A bright beam of light was
then emitted from the side of the object, and was directed on the
aircraft. This beam of white light which at first was narrow, began
to expand, and it reportedly completely illuminated the aircraft.
Seconds later, the beam of light vanished. The witnesses at that point
pulled into a driveway, and lost sight of the event, while asking
another person to come outside. When the other person came out, all
that could be was a bright light moving in the distance. I have sent
written inquiries in an attempt to determine if any pilot reports
are on record concerning this incident. |
| DATE |
April
25, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
South Park/Pittsburgh |
| The
witness is a professional who works in a scientific field. He had
recently started a photography course. He was out on a photographic
class project, shooting some landscape scenes, when at about 7:25
P.M. he observed a V formation of six or seven lights moving above
the moon. The lights were orangish-pinkish-white in color, very luminous
and non-blinking. The formation was moving slowly,and the last lights
were observed at 7:35 P.M. The witness did take some photographs of
the strange lights, and is awaiting development of the film. |
| DATE |
April
28, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Pittsburgh |
| Witness
observed a brilliant green fireball over the city at 12:22 A.M., and
says that he has never seen anything like this before in his 25+ years
of stargazing. The object was a brilliant green, appeared round, and
possibly had a short tail. It was seen for only seconds. The object
was moving SSE to due North. |
| DATE |
May
16, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
|
| Between
Latrobe and Greensburg, PA- Around 12:35 A.M., two people in a car
observed a bright solid round white light over a hillside. As they
watched, the light went down below the trees, then rose up again,
and the object began to dim. They pulled the car over, and watched
as the object dropped down again below the trees, but didn’t
rise back up. |
| DATE |
July
through September
|
| LOCATION |
|
| Special
Attention: During July through September, 1999, there was an apparent
surge of UFO sightings being reported in Pennsylvania. While some
of the cases are listed below, you might want to check out the National
UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) web site for additional reports. |
| DATE |
July
10, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Indiana County,
PA |
| At
4:05 A.M.-Several people observed a red flash of light in the west
that lit up the sky above the clouds. Immediately after the flash,
two other lights appeared in the east. These lights were shaped like
an hour glass, and white in color. They appeared to rise from the
ground, and looked as though they touched the clouds. “On the
third and final light, a huge green spotlight-type thing rose from
the ground within the light and stopped in the middle and remained
visible until the light disappeared.” The entire observation
lasted about 10 seconds, and no sound was apparent. |
| DATE |
July
24,1999
|
| LOCATION |
Pittsburgh,
PA |
| A
resident was driving her car about 11:15 P.M. in a suburb of the city,
when suddenly a wide beam of white light appeared from above, and
illuminated the interior of her car. The witness heard no sound, and
looked up but no source for the beam could be observed. She stopped
the car, and immediately got out, but the beam which lasted about
10 seconds had disappeared. No helicopters or other aircraft were
heard or observed. The witness who was frightened by the experience,
also mentioned that she was listening to an FM radio station at the
time the beam appeared, and noticed that the radio signal faded during
the occurrence. |
| DATE |
August
12,1999 (via NUFORC)
|
| LOCATION |
Herminie, PA |
| A
man and his daughter were observing the Perseid meteor shower when
three lights were observed towards the north. The lights were in an
L formation (one light at each point) , and were dim. The lights moved
towards the northwest. This observation occurred about 3:30 A.M. |
| DATE |
August
12, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
New Stanton,
PA |
| A
witness observing the meteor shower just before 5 A.M., observed a
brilliant round white light in the sky. As the observer watched, the
light became brighter, then shortly began to dim, then moved towards
the south and continued on until it was out of sight. There was no
sound from the object. |
| DATE |
August
16,1999 |
| LOCATION |
Reading, PA |
| About
5 miles from Reading, a young man watching some birds about 2:12 P.M.,
reported that his attention was drawn to a silver disk shaped object
high in the sky above him. The witness noticed that at the bottom
of the disk, was a figure like a U that appeared dark green in color.
While under observation, the object suddenly zoomed off at a high
rate of speed towards the south. The witness recalled a low rumble
as the object sped away, and was gone from sight in seconds. |
| DATE |
August
16, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Butler, PA |
| A
husband and wife relaxing in a swimming pool at about 5:45 P.M., noticed
in the eastern sky, a circular object which appeared to be a dull
gray metallic color. At first the object was quite small and high
in the sky. Soon the object began to move towards the direction of
the observers, but remained at a high altitude. As the object approached,
it appeared larger, and more details could be observed. It was apparent
that there were actually two round or circular objects that appeared
to be joined together side by side, yet giving the impression that
they were individual objects. The silent objects were “like
quarters on edge” and they appeared thin with little depth.
The sun didn’t appear to reflect off of the objects. As the
couple watched, the objects suddenly stopped, then made a sharp 90
degree turn towards the north, and moved behind a tree which blocked
their view. The objects were never seen again. |
| DATE |
August
18, 1999 (via NUFORC)
|
| LOCATION |
Nineveh, PA |
| A
man and his wife at about 10:05 P.M., were driving south on Route
819 when they observed two very large triangular shaped objects about
100 feet above the ground, and about 125 feet away. Amazed by the
sight, the car was stopped so that the passengers could take a better
look.
The objects were moving extremely slow, and a slight
humming sound could be heard. The two objects appeared to be about
100 feet long, and about 20 yards apart. The objects appeared solid,
with a steady light at each corner. There appeared to be numerous
rectangular windows on each object that were approximately 2x4 feet
in dimension. There was light visible in the windows which gave
off illumination similar to that produced from a 60 watt bulb. The
objects continued to move over the hills in the distance towards
the north.
|
| DATE |
August
20, 1999 (via researcher Jim Brown)
|
| LOCATION |
Morgantown,
W.VA. |
| Around
2:20 A.M., Jim received a report of two lights in the sky about 4
miles south of this location. The two white lights were converging
on each other, one from the east, and the other from the west. Witnesses
stated that the lights were visible for about 20-30 seconds until
they met at about 60 degree elevation in the northern sky. When they
met, there was a brief flash of light and both shot off away from
the flash, one went north the other south. They faded from view in
about 2 or 3 seconds and were not seen again. |
| DATE |
August
22, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Irwin, PA |
| Two
men at 5:45 P.M., observed a black spot in the sky in the northwest.
No definite shape could be discerned, but it was observed for about
7 minutes. One of men said the object “went like hell”
and moved away towards the south. |
| DATE |
August
28, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Pittsburgh,
PA suburb |
| At
11:30 A.M. man heard a propeller noise and looked up to see a medical
helicopter moving through the sky. At the same time he observed a
white sphere that appeared silent. The object which appeared to be
in the path of the helicopter “made an upside down V so as to
get out of the way of the helicopter.” The sphere then ascended
upwards in a swirling motion and continued until it was out of sight.
The event was witnessed by two other individuals. About an hour later,
what appeared to be the same object was seen for over a minute before
it flew into the only cloud in the sky. The object was never seen
again. |
| DATE |
September
14, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Washington County,
PA |
| A
witness claims to have seen as many as 12 objects that appeared white
and gold in color around 9 P.M.. The objects reportedly moved up and
down, and right and left in the sky for nearly 30 minutes. |
| DATE |
September
14, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Latrobe, PA |
| At
9:20 P.M., residents living on the top of the Chestnut Ridge reported
that their dogs were carrying on unusually, and at the same time a
bright white light with 5 smaller lights that were lined up vertically
below it, were observed over the ridge towards Donegal. The lights
were observed for about 10 minutes. |
| DATE |
October
8, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Snyder County,
PA |
| Residents
in this rural area reported seeing odd lights including 4 lights in
a triangular configuration which appeared to be about 40 feet off
the ground. Some of the lights appeared to move quickly almost like
fireflies, and no sound could be heard. Other people up to 10 miles
away also reportedly saw odd lights in the area that night.
|
| DATE |
October,
1999
|
| LOCATION |
Pleasant Unity,
PA |
| Around
5:30 P.M., a family driving down a rural two lane road near this community
in Westmoreland County, claimed to have seen a Bigfoot creature. At
the time of the incident it was just getting dark, yet not dark enough
to use the car headlights. The wife who was in the front passenger
seat, was the first to notice the large figure ahead. At about 40
feet ahead of the vehicle, crossing from the right side of the road,
was a hair covered, manlike creature with long arms extending below
the knees. The woman stated that she had never seen anything move
this quickly. The creature was stooped over, and it’s arms were
swinging back and forth very quickly. As it crossed the road in three
giant strides, it entered a wooded area.
The creature never looked towards the approaching
vehicle. It seemed intent on crossing the road, so it was only observed
from the side. No facial features could be seen. The creature was
estimated to be about 6 feet tall when it was in the stooped position,
and would have been much taller if it stood erect. The hair which
appeared smooth, and dark reddish brown in color, seemed to cover
the entire body. There did appear to be an area of longer bushy
hair around the ankles and down towards the feet. The creature was
very broad across the shoulders which was estimated at about 3 feet.
The head was described as very large, and seemed to slope back into
a cone shape. It was about 18 inches from the jaw to the peak of
the head. No neck was observed. Neither sound or any odor was reported
during the observation. The husband who was driving stated “It
seemed to be in a hurry.
It looked human but it wasn’t. What struck
me was how very fast it was and how it crossed the road, and didn’t
hesitate to go into the woods on the other side. A human would probably
hesitate and go looking for footing and watching their step, but
this thing didn’t.”
|
| DATE |
November
11, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Ligonier, PA |
| At
6:05 P.M. a witness reported observing a dim star-like object high
in the sky. The object was moving straight across the sky at a fast
pace towards the west. |
| DATE |
November
16,1999
|
| LOCATION |
|
| Many
sections of Pennsylvania and numerous other states: Just after 7 P.M.,
there were numerous sightings of a formation of luminous objects crossing
the sky. There were many sightings from ground observers, as well
as from aircraft flight crews. Sightings were reported through the
PA UFO Hotline, the National UFO Reporting Center, as well as to other
agencies. Two men from Butler County, PA which is north of Pittsburgh
had a good viewing of the objects. One of the men who provided a detailed
account, thought that there were 10 to 12 solid objects which passed
overhead in a staggered formation and appeared to be an equal distance
apart. The silent objects which were mostly white, with some orange,
and a hint of blue color, were round, had the same brightness, and
kept the same speed. The sighting appears to have been the observation
of a processional fireball. |
| DATE |
December
8, 1999
|
| LOCATION |
Pittsburgh,
PA suburb |
| The
witness around 8:20 A.M. observed an elongated object which was described
as long and flat with the sides rounded. The witness pulled off the
road to observe the device which was estimated to be about 150 feet
long and displayed no tail section or wings. The object itself was
silver, not shiny, and the bottom of the object showed a lot of details
including evenly spaced square windows. The object at first moved
rapidly just slightly above the tree line. The object then glided
gracefully and came to a complete stop. It suddenly blinked out and
disappeared. |
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