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From: Lloyd Jacobs <lkj@front.net>
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 03:54:10 -0400
Fwd Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 11:28:37 -0400
Subject: Wanaque Reservoir, New Jersey, January 11, 1966

On January 11, 1966,  an interesting UFO mass-sighting took place on the
Wanaque Reservoir in New Jersey.

The mayor, a councilman, policemen, media and residents all witnessed what
was describe as a very bright and silent object hovering over the reservoir
from 6:20PM until 8:58PM that evening.

One policeman who was dispatched to the scene after a flood of reports was
Officer Joe Cisco. "I saw a bright light.  You tell me.  I don't know what
it was."

"It stayed in the air, there was no noise. I was trying to figure out what
it was." (1)

Others reported over the radio that the light was burning a hole through the
ice which was found later.

The current Mayor of Wanaque, Warren Hagstrom was there.  "We didn't know
what it was," he said.  "We thought it was a helicopter, but we didn't hear
a motor; it looked like a helicopter with big landing lights on.  We got
goosebumps all over when we saw where the hole in the ice was.  None of us
ever said it was a flying saucer, we just saw a bright light."

  "It was there.  I saw it, a brilliant white object and the color kept
changing.  We watched for a good half hour then it zoomed away," said
another councilman.(1)

The case is interesting because of air force and government people tripping
over each other with copious and contradicting debunking explanations of the
light.  The following description of official reaction is by John R. King:

"Stewart Air Base reported no military aircraft
in the area.  Later, McGuire Air Base said that the UFO
was a weather balloon which was launched from Kennedy
International Airport.  A weather observer at Patterson,
N.J. then said that the UFO might be the planet Venus
or an aircraft.  Then Stewart Air Base said that an Air
Force helicopter with a powerful beacon had been on a
mission in the area.  McGuire then called the local police
and rescinded their balloon explanation.  A Major Sherman
then called from Stewart Air Base and denied the earlier
Stewart explanation of the helicopter.  he said that there
were no aircraft from Stewart in the area.  This call took
place after several aircraft were seen over the reservoir.
The next day, the Pentagon announced that the UFO was a
helicopter with a powerful beacon.  Shortly thereafter,
Wright-Patterson made the announcement that the UFO could
be attributed to the planets Venus and Jupiter and an
Air Force Helicopter."(2)


Sources

(1) Witness quotes from Weird N.J. #8, pg. 46
    "Wanaque UFO Sightings Revisited"
    1997

(2) King, Major John R. USAF,
    The UFO Problem: Time For A Reassessment, pg. 57
    June, 1968 (thesis)
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Lloyd Jacobs
lkj@front.net
ab922@torfree.net