NUFORC Sighting 30858

Occurred: 2003-08-21 22:40 Local
Reported: 2003-08-22 21:47 Pacific
Duration: 1-2 min.
No of observers: 2

Location: Folly Beach, SC, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object, Emitted other objects

Four or five yellow glowing balls of light

While locking our car for the night,around 10:40 p.m., in our hotel parking lot located along the beach, I happened to look up at the stars and noticed a red light moving quickly overhead, eastward,into the dark ocean sky. When, what I believed to be an airplane suddenly had four or five yellow glowing balls of light appear one at a time behind it, in a line. I told my wife to look, which she did. We both watched the balls of light seem to hang in the air and then disappear several seconds later. All I could think is they were signal flares,she was unsure. Before the balls of light had disappeared the red light had changed course and sped out of sight to the south at the same high rate of speed. There were other people walking along the beach and fishing on a public fishing pier nearby who must have seen the same thing.

NUFORC Note:

We observe that the report is not inconcistent with a military jet releasing flares of some variety, perhaps the type designed to confuse an infra-red- homing anti-aircraft missile. However, it would be unusual for an aircraft to do that over a populated area, we believe, unless the flares were released accidently. PD

Posted 2003-08-28