Unidentified Flying Object Report — Newark, New Jersey, July 1962

This document contains a series of reports and internal correspondence regarding a sighting of an unidentified flying object in northern New Jersey on July 10, 1962. The primary report, dated July 19, 1962, from the 1611 Air Transport Wing (MATS) to the Air Technical Intelligence Center, details a sighting by a civilian witness. The witness, a 20-year-old male student at Rutgers University, described observing an unusual, elliptical, incandescent object while driving on U.S. Route 1 near Fords, New Jersey. The witness provided a detailed account, including sketches, describing the object as having a revolving, gyroscopic motion, a red light on top, and a size comparable to a basketball. The witness initially believed it to be an experimental aircraft. However, subsequent investigation by the Air Force, supported by local press reports from the Newark Evening News, concluded that the object was an advertising aircraft. The plane was towing a 39-foot sign equipped with 245 electric lights that flashed messages promoting ice cream. The reports note that this sighting was part of a brief 'flap' of reports in northern New Jersey during that week. The document includes internal notes from military personnel discussing the investigation, confirming that the object was identified as the advertising plane and that the case was considered closed.