Project 10073 Record Card — Levittown, New York, 14 December 1958

On the evening of December 14, 1958, a civilian in Levittown, New York, reported observing an unidentified aerial phenomenon while taking photographs of his family on his front lawn. The witness described the object as a glowing ball of light, approximately one-quarter the size of the moon, which appeared stationary in the sky for about ten seconds before fading away. The witness noted that the weather was cloudy with light snow falling, and there were no stars or the moon visible. He captured the object on film using a Polaroid camera. Following the incident, the witness submitted his photograph and a letter to the 2500th Air Base Group at Mitchel Air Force Base, New York. The report was subsequently forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for evaluation. Major Robert J. Friend, acting on behalf of ATIC, requested further information from the witness, noting that a proper analysis could not be conducted without additional data. The witness completed a U.S. Air Force Technical Information Sheet, providing details about his location, the duration of the sighting, and his observations. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force investigators was that the object in the photograph was not an actual aerial phenomenon, but rather a result of internal lens reflections. This determination was based on the presence of an additional, corresponding image in another location on the photograph, which is characteristic of lens flare. The case file includes the original record card, correspondence between the Air Force and the witness, the technical information sheet, and the photographic evidence.