2010-02-01 - Mare Island, CA - Circle

UFO Sighting on Mare Island, California, February 1, 2010 at approximately 1715 hours

Earlier this evening, I came home from work and took out the trash. When I returned into the kitchen, I heard the motor from the spa in my backyard turn on. It does this automatically and I am used to this. The inside of the house was quiet; I did not have any appliances on. The time was around 7:15 pm.

Immediately after noticing the spa turn on, I heard a louder, unrecognizable noise that seemed to drown out the otherwise noisy spa motor. I was curious and mildly alarmed by the unfamiliar noise. Puzzled after a few seconds and the noise still continuing, I stopped what I was doing (replacing the liner on the kitchen trash can) and opened the patio door a few inches and paused. I confirmed the noise was from outside. I quickly stepped outside, and when I was about four-five feet from the house, looking in the direction of the noise, I saw an unidentified object flying low in the sky, above the row of house on my side of the street, moving above the homes along Crisp Avenue, then Klein Avenue toward Flagship.

I am familiar with how helicopters sound as I used to have a neighbor who owned one and flew it regularly from his home across the street from me. I was also an EMT and know the sound of helicopters up close as I have loaded patients onto medevac copters. This object did not sound like a helicopter. It was too slow to be a plane. It was hard to determine its shape but it appeared to have at least four lights at opposite points, at/near the craft’s outer perimeter. The shape of the craft had a ring or circular silhouette. As it moved in a northerly direction away from me, it stayed very low to the houses and within a few seconds was out of my sight.

I ran inside to get my iphone the only camera I have - that was in my workbag in my upstairs office. Hoping to see it and photograph it, I ran downstairs with my iphone, out the front door and out onto the street. I did not see it, nor could I detect the sound anymore. I ran back inside and upstairs again, this time to retrieve my wallet. I jumped into my car and started driving slowly on the streets of Mare Island with the top of my convertible down. I pulled over to park, look and listen. Wanting to share my experience, I telephoned my brother’s home, first speaking with my sister-in-law who is a middle school teacher, then with my brother who is a retired police officer like me. I am 52 years old and of sound mind. I have never seen a UFO before tonight.