UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL OBJECT, Sighted at Scullville, New Jersey 27 January 1950, at 1715 hours

This document is a formal Report of Investigation concerning an unidentified aerial object sighted in Scullville, New Jersey, on January 27, 1950. The investigation was initiated following a letter from a civilian witness who observed the phenomenon at approximately 1715 hours EST. The witness reported seeing a white streak traveling northwest through and above the clouds. According to the report, the object was observed for approximately thirty minutes. During this time, the witness noted that the object turned black, performed a zig-zag motion, and ascended at an angle of approximately sixty degrees. The witness estimated the speed of the object to be roughly half that of a firework rocket at close range. The phenomenon did not disappear suddenly or fan out like a cloud, but instead faded gradually. Special Agent Ernest M. Hubbard of the 17th District Office of Special Investigations conducted the inquiry. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force investigators was that the phenomenon exhibited all the characteristics of a vapor trail produced by a high-flying aircraft. Because this was a single sighting and the information provided lacked the necessary technical data to obtain a triangular fix on the object's path, the Office of Special Investigations determined that it was not advisable to expend further resources on the investigation. The report was forwarded to the Commanding General of the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The document is marked as confidential and includes instructions for its eventual downgrading and declassification.