PROJECT 10073 RECORD - Patchogue, Long Island, New York

On October 21, 1966, a police sergeant and other officers from the 5th Precinct in Patchogue, Long Island, reported observing a light in the southeastern sky for over two hours. The object was described as flashing red, white, and green, moving very slowly in an arc, and occasionally appearing to stop. The witnesses, who observed the light from a parking area behind the Dutton Avenue School, reported the incident to Westhampton AFB. Air Force radar and local control towers at Kennedy and La Guardia reported no unusual activity. A photographer reportedly took a long-lens shot of the object, which appeared as a large, round, sausage-shaped light. Major Quintanilla of the Air Force investigated the report, noting that the area had recently experienced vandalism involving helium-filled balloons with lights, though he remained skeptical that a balloon could remain in the area for the duration reported. Dr. J. Allen Hynek of Northwestern University subsequently spoke with the reporting detective. Hynek requested that the detective observe the sky at 2:00 a.m. the following morning to compare the object with the star Sirius. The detective reported back that the star Sirius was in the same position and looked identical to the object he had previously observed. Consequently, the official conclusion for Project 10073 was that the sighting was an observation of the star Sirius.