Project 10073 Record Card — Farmingdale, New York, 6 November 1957

On 6 November 1957, at approximately 0600Z, a 33-year-old housewife reported an unidentified aerial phenomenon while driving north on the Bethpage Parkway in Farmingdale, New York. The witness described observing a bright light, initially appearing as a single headlight about 100 feet in front of her vehicle. This light remained at a constant distance for approximately five minutes. As the witness drove under the Boundary Avenue overpass, the object was lost from sight, but it reappeared 50 feet in front of her shortly thereafter. During this second sighting, the object was described as a large light surrounded by a flaming red mass, estimated to be as large as a car. The witness reported that her car radio ceased functioning for the duration that the object was visible. Frightened, the witness accelerated toward the object, at which point it lifted and passed overhead. She then exited the highway, and the radio resumed normal operation. A subsequent recheck of the site by the witness and her husband 30 minutes later yielded no further sightings. The official military assessment, recorded on a Project 10073 record card, suggests the phenomenon may have been ball lightning, though it notes the report is potentially unreliable and references a 'Lovelland sighting' for comparison. The document concludes that there was insufficient data for a formal analysis. Handwritten annotations on the document provide a skeptical perspective, noting that car radios frequently lose signal when passing under overpasses and that a tail light seen through drizzle can resemble a headlight.