Project 10073 Record — Sighting Report, Rochester, Michigan, 19 April 1967

On 19 April 1967, at approximately 0100 hours local time, a female witness in Rochester, Michigan, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness, a housewife with a college education, was watching television when she heard a noise outside described as a string of five or six firecrackers popping. Upon looking out the window, she sighted a large, round, reddish-orange light. She subsequently awakened her 19-year-old son, and together they observed the object as it moved steadily from east to west until it disappeared behind houses and trees. The observation lasted approximately five minutes. The witness described the object as pulsating at one-second intervals, changing from bright to dim. She noted that the object moved slowly, at an estimated speed of 5 to 10 miles per hour, and appeared to be approximately 200 yards away. The witness stated that the object's steady, purposeful movement convinced her and her son that it was a controlled vehicle of some kind. The report was investigated by Major R.W. Nyls of the 1st Combat Support Group at Selfridge AFB, Michigan. The official Air Force conclusion, as stated in the report, was that there was no data presented to indicate the object could not have been an aircraft. Major Nyls specifically noted that the object's steadiness of course and description precluded the possibility of it being a hot air balloon. The Foreign Technology Division subsequently sent a letter to the witness on 26 April 1967, requesting that she complete an FTD Form 164 for further scientific evaluation, as the initial information was deemed insufficient.