Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Jersey City, New Jersey, 11 January 1955

This document consists of a series of records and teletype communications regarding a UFO sighting that occurred on 11 January 1955 in Jersey City, New Jersey. The primary witness, identified as John Cappolla, an employee of the Hudson Aluminum Window Company, observed a ball-shaped object at approximately 2331Z. The object was described as having a bluish-green and red color, with a flaming red appearance, luminous fire following, and sparks flying. The witness estimated the object's diameter at approximately 10 feet and noted that it followed a straight flight path toward the northeast before fading out of sight. The duration of the observation was reported as 30 to 40 seconds. The weather conditions were described as clear with good visibility. Military communications indicate that the report was processed through the 26th Air Division and sent to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record card and the UFOB index card is that the object was a possible meteor. One teletype communication notes that the observer was an Air Cadet from 1944 and stated the object was of a meteoric type rather than man-made. Another communication mentions that the Jersey Journal reported a dump fire at the time of the sighting, which was visible over smokestacks in Jersey City, though this is presented as a potential alternative explanation for the observation.