Over the past few months, NUFORC investigators dug into several of our best cases from 2024, performing witness interviews and contacting officials to gather more information. In all four of the cases below, the witnesses were deemed to be credible, and their experiences to be of an anomalous nature.

Case Number 1837666

• Location: Saluda, VA, USA
• Incident Date/time: 10-23-24 at 10:45pm
• Witnesses: 2
• Phone interview date/time: Tuesday 11-12-24 at 6:40pm.
• Investigator: Lynda S. Thompson
• Original Witness Report

CLICK HERE FOR LYNDA’S FULL REPORT

Case Number 180827

• Location: Springfield, Oregon
• Incident date/time: 3-15-24 at 12:30pm.
• Witness: PK/Retired Army/Cobra helicopter mechanic/Farmer.
• Phone interview date/time: Monday 11-25-24 at 4:35pm.
• Investigator: Keith Bickford
• Original Witness Report

PK reported his incident to NUFORC on 3-15-24 at 2:36pm. I interviewed PK by phone on 11-25-24 at 4:35pm. PK stated that on 3-15-24, he was talking to his father on the phone while sitting on the couch. PK then stated that while he was talking, he was looking out his bay window which was facing south. PK stated that it was sunny outside with little wind, and no obstructions blocking his view of his 60-acre field.

PK stated that he saw a 30 foot in diameter orange sphere come from behind his garage and traveling upward in a north/northwest direction. PK stated that he used his garage as a way to measure the sphere. PK then stated that the sphere was approximately 200 feet in the air and traveling approximately 50mph. PK stated that his father was still on the phone when this incident occurred, and PK was telling him what he saw.

PK stated that the sphere was a burnt orange at first, but then it would turn bright white, and then back to burnt orange. PK stated that the changing colors made the sphere look like it was “breathing.” PK stated that the sphere was perfectly round, solid and metallic. PK then stated that when the sphere was approximately 7 to 8 miles away, it disappeared completely for a few seconds, then reappeared. PK stated that he was able to watch the sphere for another minute until it disappeared for good approximately 20 to 30 miles away.  

PK stated that the sphere made no noise at all even when it changed course to climb up approximately 100 feet to miss his trees. PK then stated that the sphere was an “outrageous thing to see” and he “never saw anything like it before.” PK also stated that his farm animals and rottweilers did not react to the sphere, and that the whole incident lasted approximately 15 minutes.

PK stated he was frustrated because his phone was unable to make a video of the sphere. He also stated that for about 2 weeks after the incident, he was worried that the sphere might come back. PK stated that he also made a police report, MUFON report, and attempted to contact a radio station and the radio station told him to contact NUFORC. PK stated that there is a Marine Reserve Unit approximately 5 miles from his house.

PK made every effort he could think of to report this incident. He felt it was important to tell as many people about this sphere as he could because in all of his military experience, he never saw anything like this sphere. PK is open to more conversation about this incident.

Case Number 183117

• Location: Anthony Lake, Oregon.
• Incident date/times: 8-1-24 at approximately 8 – 9pm and 10:30pm.
• Witnesses: MC and her teenage son JP.
• Phone interview date/time: 12-6-24 at 4:30pm.
• Investigator: Keith Bickford
• Original Witness Report

I interviewed MC first with her son JP listening in on speaker phone. MC was the one that reported this incident to NUFORC on 9-20-24. MC stated that she wasn’t planning on reporting the incident, but someone at her work was asking if anyone had ever seen a UFO, and this question got her thinking about her Anthony Lake incident, so she reported it. MC then stated that she was camping at Anthony Lake with family on 8-1-24 when the two incidents occurred. MC works in child services and is very experienced in report details and report writing.

MC stated that the first incident occurred on 8-1-24 at approximately 8-9pm. MC stated that she was with her youngest son down by the lake freeing a toad that her son caught. MC then stated that she looked across the lake and observed a small amber light on the west shoreline about the size of a golf ball. MC stated that it was very dark, and the light was bright enough to see it flickering and blinking. MC also stated that the light did not look anything like a flashlight. MC stated that the amber light blinked on and off several times before turning off for good.

MC stated that the second incident occurred on 8-1-24 at approximately 10:30pm. MC stated that she needed to use the restroom which was about a quarter mile walk from their campsite. MC stated that she didn’t want to walk a quarter of a mile alone in the dark, so she asked her oldest son JP to walk with her. MC described JP as six feet tall, athletic, a UFO skeptic, and a blue belt in karate.

MC stated that as she and JP were walking along the trail to the restroom, they saw a

bright orange and red light approximately 350′ from them and near the northwest part of the lake. MC was worried that it might be a fire starting because the area around the lake was very dry and there was also a fire ban. MC then stated that she noticed that the orb appeared to be floating above the lake, so the two of them shined their flashlights at it. MC stated that when the lights were on the orb, it appeared to react to the lights and started coming towards them.

MC stated that as the orb continued to get closer to the both of them, it appeared to get bigger, and it was hovering above the water and not attached to anything, MC also stated that the orb was round but had no defined edges. She said it looked like a “liquid ball of fire.” MC stated that the orb had swirls, shimmers, and flickering, flaming light while holding its shape. MC stated that the “absence of sound was notable” because the geology of the area amplifies any sound, and there was no sound coming from the orb.

MC stated that the small orb became more like a sphere, and she estimated that it was 1 0′ to 1 2′ in diameter. MC stated that she was sure that the sphere was getting closer to them, and she started to feel an “increase of terror.” MC stated that she and JP approached the boat ramp, which was a wide-open area, so they stopped to avoid being out in the open. MC stated that they both could see the sphere hovering approximately 6′ above the water, and they could see the sphere’s reflection in the water. MC stated she was unclear if the sphere was always this current size, or that it grew as it got closer to them.

MC stated that JP grabbed her arm unexpectedly and yelled out “F-no, let’s go”. MC stated that she tried to talk JP into staying, but he refused and walked her briskly back to camp. MC stated that JP told her that he thought he saw a “large skull” inside the sphere, so he decided to leave the area quickly with his mom. MC stated that she saw the sphere pacing them along the shoreline and the sphere was still over the water. MC stated that the two of them never saw the sphere go onto land.

MC stated that when the two of them reached camp, they noticed that the sphere was no longer following them. MC stated that she woke up her uncle and told him about the incident. The uncle got dressed, and the 3 of them went back to the boat ramp. MC then stated that when they were at the boat ramp, they all saw the orange ball far away from them and it was headed to the northwest end of the lake. MC said that they all watched as the ball slowly got smaller until finely disappearing.

MC stated that her uncle left on his own in the direction of the orange ball, but couldn’t find it. MC said that her uncle startled a sleeping deer in the grass, and it ran away, then came back and stayed close by the three of them. MC wanted to mention this because it is very unusual for a startled deer to return and then stay close to humans. The deer didn’t appear to be injured.

Since MC did not see anything but orange and red inside the sphere, I wanted to specifically ask JP what made him grab his mother’s arm and leave the area quickly. Jame stated that he was a UFO skeptic until the incident on the 8-1-24. JP stated that just before he grabbed his mother’s arm, he saw “flames dancing around a huge skull.” JP stated that he had no explanation why he saw what he saw, but that’s what he remembers. JP then stated that the skull was approximately 6′ tall and 3′ wide. JP also stated that the flames around the sphere looked like “plasma”, and it reminded him of pictures of the sun.

Both MC and JP are very experienced in the outdoors especially in the area around

Anthony Lake. MC stated that her family has been hiking, camping, hunting, and fishing Anthony Lake for 50 years, and no one has seen anything they couldn’t explain until 8-1-24. I believe both MC and JP are telling the truth. MC is obviously experienced in report writing, and JP now believes there are things that cannot be explained. Both of them understood that this report will be available to read on the NUFORC website.

I contacted the Anthony Lake lodge, ranger station, and local law enforcement, and was unable to find any other reports regarding this incident.

Case Number 183328

• Location: Seaside, OR
• Incident date/time: 10-3-24 at 7:37pm PST
• Witnesses: GS and SS
• Witness contact number: 503-338-9415
• Phone interview date/time: Saturday 12-21-24 at 9:30am PST
• Investigator: Keith Bickford
• Original Witness Report

GS reported this incident to NUFORC on Saturday 10-5-24 at 5:10pm PST.  I interviewed GS and his wife SS on speaker phone on 12-21-24 at 9:30am PST. Both were very excited to speak with me about their encounter. GS and SS have lived on their property for 25 years. GS stated that on 10-3-24 at 7:37pm PST, he was standing in his backyard when he saw a lighted aircraft approaching his property from the south. GS then stated that as the aircraft got closer, he noticed that there was no sound.

GS stated that he called out to his wife SS to come outside so she could also see the silent aircraft. GS then stated that while the aircraft was approaching their property, he could see two bright lights attached underneath the aircraft that were approximately twenty-five to thirty feet apart and pointing down. GS stated that as the aircraft flew over them, it appeared to be a triangle shape. GS then stated that the aircraft actually had three lights now and was approximately forty to fifty feet long.

GS stated that the triangle aircraft was moving in a forward motion with the point to the rear. He then stated that the two bright lights, that were always on, appeared to be in the front of the aircraft, and the third larger light was on the end point of the triangle. GS said that the third light was flashing every two to three seconds and appeared to be a smooth dome light. GS estimated that the dome light was approximately five to six feet wide.

GS and SS both stated that the triangle aircraft was approximately one hundred to one hundred fifty feet above them and traveling south to north following U.S. Route 101, or Highway 101. They both stated that the craft was a metallic gray color and when the large dome light flashed on briefly, they could see what looked like a blue/gray ledge on the belly of the aircraft. GS stated that there didn’t appear to be a fuselage that he could see. Both stated that the aircraft appeared to be “floating” as it flew over them and was not going fast enough to stay airborne.

At the end of the interview, GS stated that Camp Rilea is the only active military base that he knows of near their house. SS made an interesting statement about the way she felt during the incident. SS stated that the aircraft made no sound when it went over them, but she did experience a “lifting feeling” during the incident, and her hair moved even though there was no wind. GS stated that he felt the “lifting feeling” as well, but he thought it was from the excitement of seeing the flying triangle.

SS stated that the two of them weren’t comfortable contacting law enforcement about this incident, so she did some checking and found NUFORC to make the report. SS also stated that she looked online about flying triangles and found a few pictures of a “Dark Manta”, and both agreed that the aircraft they saw was very similar to the “Dark Manta” pictures.

GS and SS are both 25-year seasoned observers when it comes to the sights and sounds of common aircraft flying around their house day or night. They even provided very detailed drawings of their encounter on the initial NUFORC report. SS stated that she was so excited to see something she’d never seen before, and didn’t know who they should call to report the aircraft. GS stated that he was “awe-struck” for the twenty seconds that the two of them observed the aircraft. GS even made a comment about “checking off a UFO sighting” on his bucket list.

I told GS and SS that I would contact the Seaside Police Department and see if there were any more sightings of the aircraft they observed. Both GS and SS were fine with that and gave me permission to mention their incident to the police, and to contact them if I need any further follow-up. I contacted Seaside Police Department, and they said they had no reports regarding this incident.