NUFORC Sighting 178036

Occurred: 2005-08-02 23:00 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2023-09-04 15:00 Pacific
Duration: 20 to 25 minutes
No of observers: 15

Location: Coalinga, CA, USA
Location details: The sighting took place over Interstate 5 near Coalinga

Shape: Triangle
Characteristics: Lights on object

A commercial jet-sized grayish metallic boomerang with 4 bright lights witnessed performing gravity-defying maneuvers over Interstate 5

In early August 2005, either the 2nd or 3rd, I was traveling northbound on Interstate 5 from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay area. I had left Los Angeles in the evening and by the time I had made it through the Tejon pass it was after 10pm, but before midnight. It was very warm out and the sky was mostly clear. But, light pollution from traffic obscured any stars. The interstate was busy with a steady stream of cars and tractor trailers.
I was in the vicinity of Coalinga, when traffic suddenly slowed to a stop. There was an overpass ahead, for some unknown road, blocking my view, but I assumed an accident had just happened. Traffic was at a crawl on both sides of the interstate. Some cars and trucks had pulled over ahead of me and on the overpass above. They had gotten out of their vehicles and were looking ahead, to the north. I had noticed what I thought was a low flying plane also to the north of the overpass, which I took to be a crop duster or the highway patrol surveying the scene. I didn’t focus on it too much as this all happened in an instant while I was trying to focus on the traffic and not hit anyone.
I had turned off my car stereo and unrolled my driver side window to get a better sense of what was going on. Traffic was moving at a steady crawl. Just as I came out from under the overpass I saw what I initially had thought to be a small plane now diving straight down into oncoming northbound traffic, right ahead of me. I could see that it was in fact very large, the size of a commercial jet, and it appeared to be attempting to land on the interstate, at least that is what I assumed. About 10 to 20 feet before it was about to hit a tractor trailer, that was a few cars ahead of me, it suddenly pulled up and was now going straight into the sky! I put my head out of the window and watched in amazement as it traveled at a near 90 degree angle with the ground.
I was in a state of absolute astonishment. Still thinking it was somehow a jet that was about to crash I watched as it rotated several hundred feet above the interstate and started heading east. One wingtip pointed at the ground and the other pointing up to the sky. As it continued to fly, or rather glide as that would be a better description, it righted itself, turned to face the south and began abruptly descending again. This time towards a line of what looked to be Eucalyptus trees, several hundred feet from the interstate, to my right. I expected to see an explosion at any moment as the craft went out of sight behind the trees. Instead, the craft rose up above the tree line into the sky, gaining several hundred feet of altitude before leveling off and crossing the unknown road that went over the interstate. Then, it began to slightly turn towards the west and back over the interstate to the south of the overpass. Again, wingtip to wingtip in vertical alignment with the ground.
At this time I was awe-struck and began to doubt this was a conventional plane at all. There was no sound coming from the craft. No jet engine, no props, no sound at all above that of the traffic around me. By this time, the craft had leveled out, flown over the unknown road and was now on the west side, to my left. It began descending once more, towards some barren hills that were not far from the interstate. The craft went out of sight behind these hills. This time I was sure I would see an explosion. A plane couldn’t rise and fall at such angles and to such heights without an engine to support its massive size. However, no explosion occurred.

Once again, the craft rose straight up from behind the hills into the sky for several hundred feet. It then rotated forward to right itself and began heading east. As it neared the interstate it turned to face the south over the northbound traffic. And as before, it began to dive into oncoming traffic, pulling up moments before hitting the cars and trucks below it. I was watching this from my rear view mirror. Traffic was clearing ahead of me and I started navigating through the cars ahead. Cars and trucks were still pulling over to watch. I was so filled with terror that I hit the gas and sped away towards the north as soon as I was able.

By now I believed I was witnessing a UFO and instead of the astonishment that I felt previously a sense of great fear arose in me.. Having watched too many movies, I was checking the clock to make sure I hadn’t missed any time. I expected the craft to chase me, but it did not. Instead I watched it as it repeated the same flight pattern, over and over again. The interstate was almost empty of traffic beyond the jam caused by the UFO so I had an open, unobstructed, view behind me. The elevation was slightly increasing so I had a great vantage point of it as I sped northward. I watched the craft for nearly 20 minutes before the road began to curve downward and I lost sight of it. Never once did it deviate from its pattern.

The craft was huge, it dwarfed the tractor trailer that it nearly hit in front of me. Perhaps between 150 and 200 feet from wingtip to wingtip. It was boomerang shaped. I saw no tail, no fins, no engine, no vents, no labels or writing, no windows or cockpit. How long it was was hard to tell, but it couldn’t have had a fuselage more than that of a B-2 bomber. It had four large bright white lights spaced evenly across the front of its ‘wings’. They were likely several feet in diameter and extremely bright. The closest I got to it was about 50 feet and the lights were shining right at me. It was like staring down a group of security flood lamps. They were constant and did not blink or change in any way. There were no other visible lights on the craft. I could tell it was grayish beige with a metallic sheen. It appeared smooth and curved, I saw no sharp angles on it.
What struck me the most was how it moved. It glided through the air without any resistance, struggle, or stress from the incredible dives and climbs it made. Its speed was constant, and faster than that of the traffic below. When I broke through traffic I was going over 100mph, it could have easily overtaken me, but it seemed to move without urgency. As described before, it rotated several times, instead of turning but it did this while moving, it never hovered. Its movements were deliberate and calculated, amazingly smooth, and executed with exact precision. Not only did the craft not make any audible sound, it also did not generate any noticeable heat when it was near me. It had no exhaust, it made no trail in the sky. It did not produce any wind, even when it swooped past the tree line, nor did it disturb the dust and dirt of the road or fields. My car's power never gave out, nor did I experience any electronic phenomena.
Whoever was piloting this thing had no hesitation and no fear as it put what was likely over a hundred people’s lives in danger, including their own. It would go straight into the air and pull up from a dive as if the laws of motion did not apply to it. It absolutely defied the laws of gravity as I know them to be, and moved like no other flying machine I have ever seen before or since.
I had a camera, but never once thought of taking a picture. Never once did I think I should pull over and watch. There were no other flying vehicles in the sky at the time. No emergency vehicles on the ground. No sirens. The whole time I was heading north no emergency vehicles were heading south towards the craft. It was as if all was normal outside of the area where the craft was performing its stunts. In fact, I never thought to call the police, make a report, or search the internet about it until many years later. After doing a little research, this type of sighting apparently happens frequently in the area, even up until recently.

My conclusion is that whatever it was it was not government or military, as it would be too dangerous to maneuver a vehicle that large in the way it did. Not only that it would be too costly if it crashed. If it was a rogue military pilot flying some sort of experimental machine, why would they do this over such a busy road, with hundreds of witnesses? Why were no jets scrambled to intercept it, whether the craft was a known or an unknown? Lenmore Navy Air Base was nearby. They could have been there in minutes. There was nothing on the news about it. If it was a rogue pilot, military or not, surely that story would be worth covering.

I always wanted to see a UFO as a kid, but when I actually saw one I was scared out of my wits and regretted it for years afterward. Of course people thought I must be wrong or mistaken. And I have experienced my fair share of ridicule because of it. I know what I saw, I didn’t choose to see it. The craft was just there as if it had nothing better to do. However, in spite of all the negativity I have experienced from some friends over the years, I stand by what I saw. In all truth, I hope I am lucky enough to see a UFO again someday. However, next time I will make a point to stop and take a better look.

Posted 2023-09-10