San Gabriel, CaliforniaMay 1960

On the evening of May 12, 1960, a man sat on the north ledge of the east entrance of Mark Keppel High School in San Gabriel, California, waiting before church. At around 8:40 p.m., he looked up and saw what he described as a flying saucer moving toward him and somewhat to the east. The object resembled a morning star, reddish like Mars, except it had a cross-like extension resembling a spine. The witness removed his bifocals to get a clearer look, and the object passed by his line of sight near the cross arm of a light pole before disappearing. A star remained visible in the same area, but it showed no movement.

The witness wrote to the Air Force in May 1960 with very limited details about what he had seen. He mentioned he could show a military representative the approximate path the object took between a nearby tree and light pole. In his account, he expressed uncertainty about whether the initial sighting might have been a light refraction through his bifocals. The object's movement and appearance suggested to him something airborne rather than a fixed celestial body, though its exact size and distance were difficult for him to judge.

The Air Force responded in July 1960, requesting the witness complete a detailed questionnaire since his initial letter lacked sufficient information for evaluation. The witness returned the completed form months later, in early 1961, along with a lengthy follow-up letter discussing military service and other matters. His responses to the questionnaire indicated the object appeared about the size of a dime held at arm's length, though he was not certain of this estimate. He could not estimate its speed or distance with confidence.

The Air Force recorded the case as unidentified, noting that the information submitted was very limited and no follow-up information of substance was ever received from the witness. The case file reproduction below contains the full 14 pages as held by the National Archives.