Newark AFB, Newark, N.J., November 1948 - Incident Number: 202November 1948

On November 8, 1948, at 1850 hours (6:50 p.m.), a civilian dispatcher at Newark Air Force Base in New Jersey was standing outside a hangar when he looked up toward the moon and saw a pale, glowing object streak across the sky. The object appeared about one-third as bright as the moon, was round like a disc with little or no thickness, and seemed roughly the same size as the moon. It traveled from north-northwest in an arc toward the south-southeast, passing out of sight over another hangar in about one second. The observer heard no sound from the object.

The dispatcher estimated the object's speed at about 800 miles per hour. He based this judgment on his familiarity with jet aircraft making tactical approaches at roughly 600 miles per hour, which he believed the object significantly exceeded. He gauged the object's altitude at 5,000 to 6,000 feet and calculated that from his position, he could see approximately 75 percent of its path. The observer was described in the case file as a very reliable and highly intelligent employee of excellent character. He was a former Air Force captain and regular participant in reserve flying activities.

The Air Force investigated the sighting and interviewed the observer. No commercial, military, or private aircraft were reported in the vicinity at the time. The Air Force checked weather balloon records and determined the sighting occurred five hours after the last scheduled balloon release, making it unlikely to have been a balloon escaping after takeoff. The case file notes that the object seemed to have no details and maintained steady luminosity throughout its brief appearance.

The file includes technical evaluation forms filled out by military personnel and correspondence routing the investigation through several Air Force commands. However, the case file does not provide a definitive conclusion about what the object was, nor does it state whether the Air Force ultimately classified the sighting as identified or unidentified. The full case file, comprising 23 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.