Project 10073 Record — Bayshore, Long Island, New York, March 31, 1967

This document consists of a Project 10073 record and subsequent correspondence between the United States Air Force and a civilian witness regarding an aerial sighting on March 31, 1967, in Bayshore, Long Island, New York. The witness, a female resident, reported observing a yellowish-orange object while driving on North Thompson Drive. She described the object as moving steadily in a northeasterly direction. Using binoculars, she observed the object to be red and white, with a shape resembling an egg sliced lengthwise. Her two daughters, aged 8 and 11, reported seeing a dark band around the middle, which they likened to a hamburger. The witness further described the object as having a rod at the tip and a rod at the back with a red light. She noted that the object dimmed, appeared to 'ark' up and back, and then briefly brightened again before fading completely. The total duration of the sighting was approximately fifteen minutes. In her letter to the Air Force, the witness expressed frustration at the potential for being labeled a 'nut' for reporting the incident. In response, Lieutenant Colonel George F. Freeman, Jr. of the Air Force Office of Information assured the witness that the Air Force does not ridicule observers and that her report was being treated seriously. The Air Force provided a potential explanation, suggesting the object was a hot air balloon, noting that such devices are often made from plastic dry cleaning bags with a straw frame to support candles, which would account for the observed glow and appearance.