Little Silver, N. J., March 1950March 1950

On the evening of March 15, 1950, several people in the Little Silver area of New Jersey reported seeing three distinct white vapor trails moving across the sky. The sightings occurred around 1730 to 1800 hours (5:30 to 6:00 p.m.) on a clear evening with good visibility. The objects traveled from southwest to northeast, moving toward the Atlantic Ocean.

Mrs. Lewis Prentiss, driving on Ridge Road in Fair Haven, was among the first to notice the phenomena. She described three perpendicular white vapor lines that at first she thought might be sky-writing. As she continued to watch, the objects took on the appearance of three port holes with lights behind them, surrounded by a sky-blue colored haze. She noticed another car had also stopped, and the occupants were watching the same sight. After returning home, she called the Rumson Police and the Provost Marshal's office at Fort Monmouth to report what she had seen.

Other witnesses in the area provided similar accounts. A man arriving by train in Little Silver estimated the objects were at approximately 40,000 to 50,000 feet altitude, moving at the speed of a sky-writing plane. Another witness near Red Bank described three shiny objects causing white streaks in the sky, with reflections from the setting sun. A woman near Waterwitch noted three luminous discs with white streaks projecting from the rear of each object, gliding silently across the sky at high speed. A government radio engineer who observed the objects for three to four minutes calculated the phenomenon covered at least 40 miles and traveled at roughly 600 miles per hour. He concluded the objects were either one very large aircraft with three engines, or three smaller planes flying in perfect formation at very high altitude.

All witnesses agreed the objects made no sound, traveled in a straight line, and disappeared toward the ocean. The Air Force evaluation recorded for this case is listed as unknown. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives and comprises 13 pages.