1986-10-15 - Ridgecrest, CA - Disk

Saucer shaped UFO, lights, no sound, 20 minute observation

Around 7:20 p.m. I left a friend's house in the 700 block of Commercial Street to head home after having dinner and chatting. I was carrying my toddler daughter (15 months old) out to my car when I noticed what I thought was a small airplane preparing to land at a nearby airfield. I put my daughter in her car seat and started my 1963 Dodge Dart and the non-factory installed car radio came on. When the radio started, I heard three electronic beeping sounds (like a microwave oven beep) and the KRTH-FM music was heard. I drove home, heading south, and parked the car at the curb. As I was getting out of the car, I looked up and saw an object over the house. I shut the car door, and stood in front of the car door, then leaned against it. I saw a dark, non-reflective saucer shaped object, over the roof peak. The object and a red, green and white light along the bottom. The lights did not strobe or twinkle. They were solid in color. Trained as a reporter, I made a mental checklist and started making observations of what the craft looked like and what it did. I noticed the dark metallic color, the lights and the lack of sound. Then I thought I myself, if you are a UFO do something to prove it. At this point, the UFO shot straight up in the air and hovered over the house. It did this three times moving up and down over the house. Also, the mostly full or full moon was to the left of the craft (south of it) and should have backlit the UFO. It did not. The only sound I could hear was faint fanlike sound. I had to strain my ears to hear that. By this time, I started looking for a neighbor's house to go stay at, but no one was home. I live in housing tract and usually someone is home. I finally got scared, after the third time the craft shot up in the air, and grabbed my daughter to make a run for the house. At the front door I fumbled with my keys but finally managed to get inside the house. I then ran and turned on the television for comfort and heard the final minutes of the Jeopardy game show which would have bee! n around 7:50 p.m. I used this to estimate the time of the UFO sighting. Once inside the house I did go to the back sliding glass door but was afraid to look outside.

I was able to give three points of where I saw the UFO and the distance was estimated between 85 to 100 feet. I'm nearsighted so for me to make out the craft, etc. meant that it was close.

The weather was cool, clear with no wind.

The following information was reported to MUFON and they have most of my UFO sightings in the 1980s.

After the incident I suffered from chronic neck and back pain. I still suffer from the pain, although it has abated with time. I did see a doctor about the neck pain approximately one week after the incident.

Before this experience, I was a skeptic of UFOs, but always said I would believe in them, if I ever saw one.

((NUFORC Note: Date may be approximate, although the witness does not indicate that fact. Given that the witness occupies a position of responsibility in the news publishing business, the reported date of the incident may be exact. PD))