Project 10073 Record — Sighting Incident, Berea, Ohio, July 17, 1964

On the night of July 17, 1964, John W. Meckel and his wife were driving home from a shopping center in Berea, Ohio, when they observed an unusual aerial phenomenon. According to their report, the object was first spotted near Whitney Road and Big Creek Parkway. Mr. Meckel, a former U.S. Navy gunner, stopped his car to observe the object, which he described as being at a low altitude, roughly twice the height of nearby telephone poles. The object was initially described as a bright, white, tear-drop-shaped light that exhibited a rocking motion. As they followed it, the object reportedly changed color from white to pink and then to a glowing red, resembling a coal in the dark. The witnesses tracked the object for approximately four miles at a speed of 55 M.P.H. before it suddenly reversed course and ascended vertically, disappearing into the distance. The witnesses noted that the object had no wings, no exhaust trails, and made no sound. Following the incident, the Meckels contacted several agencies, including NASA and the Office of Special Investigation, but were largely unsatisfied with the responses they received, which included suggestions that they had seen a bolide meteor or a satellite. The Foreign Technology Division of the Air Force eventually processed the report under Project 10073, concluding that the characteristics were consistent with a balloon. The Meckels remained skeptical of this conclusion, citing the object's specific maneuvers and appearance.