Winter 1979, Morristown, NJ Sighting Date and Time of Sighting?
Not sure - too long ago - but it was DEC/JAN, 1979 - around midnight.
I've have been bothered by this for long time, want to know more since many people saw UFOs/strange atmospheric phenomena that night all over New England area.
Shape, Size, and Color of UFO?
only "strobe" lights seen - one VERY close (20 meters) DIRECTLY into our eyes - another not directly seen but estimate a few hundred? meters away.
Name of other Witnesses?
John S. (I haven't talked to him in 20 years and don't want to compromise his privacy right now), and Howie.
Did you see or hear any airplanes or helicopters?
No sounds, no other lights - just my car headlights and the streetlight back down the road about 70m away - and some moonlight.
Weather conditions at time of sighting?
Totally clear, no wind - just below freezing - clear skies, scattered clouds.
Were there any unusual smells associated with the sighting?
No
Were there any electromagnetic effects, like engine stalling, etc.?
A streetlight that was off, went on when my car got directly below it, and then started flickering when about 70m away - and there was red lightening behind clouds in the sky.
Did you experience any "missing time?"
No - we confirmed this with each other's watches/car clock and clocks back home.
Were there any pictures or videos taken of the object/s?
No - but I was in the Air Force - have a strong interest/history with flying and understanding of flight - and NO TECHNOLOGY I KNOW OF could explain this.
Please give all details of the sighting that you can recall.
I was driving a station wagon outside of Morristown, NJ west down Route 24 near the intersection of Picatinny Rd - no other traffic - clear road, snow on ground - clear skies, some clouds.
Red flashing light caught my eye in side view mirror (I was driving) and when I looked over my shoulder I saw red lightning backlighting the clouds.
Since I was driving, I quickly turned back to the road and was about to tell my other two passengers what I'd seen - when a strobe-like, super-fast flash of the same color red light flashed from the same "rear quarter" direction as the lightning, lit up the car and the whole countryside.
Judging from the shadows cast by the trees onto the snow, it came from about a 30 degree angle - couldn't tell distance, but seemed fairly close (a few hundred meters?).
I was with a good friend, John (in passenger seat) and his friend (whom I did not know, Howie) was in the rear seat.
We turned off radio, heater, put windows down and went back to the intersection of Picatinny Rd and the street light at the corner was off, but when my car got directly underneath, the light went on.
We realized it was just the streetlight and turned south onto Picatinny Rd and went up the road to investigate thinking maybe lightning had caused a fire or a transformer had blown up (trying to be rational about this).
About 70m up the road from Rte. 24, Howie in the rear seat was looking out the back of the station wagon still wondering why the streetlight went on when it did and then said the light started flickering on and off.
Everything was totally silent, windows open, no radio/heater - John and I were looking intently out the front window of the car - suddenly - about 10m above the road and only 20m in front of the car, a 2m wide round light source (mechanical, I remember seeing a filament/structure in the middle - it reminded me of a standard search light you'd see for advertising in a parking lot) flashed like a super-fast strobe the same red color directly into our eyes blinding us.
We sat there stunned for a few seconds and then shouting about what happened - there was no sound at all, no wind, no movement, nothing - just the car running and our voices.
As our vision slowly returned over the next minute or two, we got out of the car and looked around, went up the road at least 30m - saw nothing.
Went back next day, nothing but trees and snow, imprints in the snow on the side of the road, no radio towers, just deciduous forest with trees with no leaves.
Next day news reports of "unexplained atmospheric explosions around New England area with numerous UFO sightings" - lost the paper during one of many moves over the years - thinking of hiring an archivist to find it if I can.
John and I met up about 10 years later and individually recounted the same story confirming our memories of it.
John said Howie never wanted to talk about it after that - John found it, like me, to be an unexplainable - and somewhat bothersome occurrence, and always wondering what it was.
I've searched the internet a lot - ran across your site and thought I'd report it (will probably do the same with MUFON to include it in their database), have an e-mail for Jack Nicholaise, who investigated the summer 1979, Denville, NJ sighting of "flying lights" and will probably contact him too.
But ANYTHING you can help tie to this sighting - especially pinning down the date would be very, very much appreciated (I'm not even 100% sure it was 1979, it may have been 1978 when I was on leave from the AF - I remember the years I had that car, a 1971 Buick Estate station wagon) - and after telling my dad about it that night, the next day he saw the incident published in major newspapers.
I'm not a nut, I'm actually a science teacher - and very skeptical of odd things, but this I cannot explain by any rational means at all and need help.
