Project 10073 Record — Wilson, Ohio, 19 March 1968

This document collection details a UFO sighting reported on 19 March 1968 in Wilson, Ohio, involving a 12-year-old boy who claimed a flying object hovered over him and emitted a stream of light that burned his coat. The incident was investigated by the Monroe County Sheriff's office and the U.S. Air Force. The Sheriff's department, having interviewed the boy and inspected the scene with a Civil Defense Director using geiger counters, concluded that the report was a hoax. The Sheriff noted that the local youth were 'fanatics' about UFOs and that the boy's jacket lacked the expected signs of a chemical or fuel-based burn. The case also involved the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO), which collected samples of the boy's clothing for scientific analysis, though the Fire Marshall eventually took possession of the remaining samples for state testing. Internal Air Force memos from Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr. confirm the official classification of the incident as a hoax.