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PDF · DoWPURSUE Release 03

Department of War PURSUE File

DOW-UAP-D082, Narrative Statement 4, Western United States Event, 2023

Westen United States·October, 2023

Declassified

Editorial summary

This Department of War memorandum, dated June 2, 2026, presents the first-hand account of Witness 4, a federal law enforcement agent who reported unidentified anomalous phenomena in October 2023 in the western United States. Just after 7 p.m. the witness saw a bright orange and white ball of light cross a hillside, then multiple orange orbs that appeared to hatch smaller orange lights repeatedly, and a line of nine evenly spaced static lights above a ridgeline. The next night the witness reported similar phenomena along with white trails and lights that darted between mountains at speeds the witness said no standard vehicle could match.

Editorial summary written by govweird from the declassified document text. The official government description follows below.

Government description

This memorandum presents the first-hand narrative from Witness 4 provided to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Witness 4 was one of several United States (U.S.) federal law enforcement special agents who reported observing unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) over a period of two days in October 2023 in the western United States.

Caption issued by the U.S. Department of War on war.gov/ufo. Verbatim, unedited.

Originating agency

Department of War

Record type

PDF

Incident date

October, 2023

Incident location

Westen United States

Release tranche

Release 03 (May 8, 2026)

Distribution

Cleared for public release

Original document

PDF hosted by war.gov. If the embedded viewer fails to load, open the file directly.

More from DoW

Source: war.gov/ufo · PURSUE Release 03

PURSUE = Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters. Records released by the U.S. Department of War on May 8, 2026 are unresolved cases for which the government cannot make a definitive determination, and the Department has invited private-sector analysis.