Case · C-051

Hudson Valley: the wave of the “boomerang” of lights

Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties (New York) and Fairfield County (Connecticut) · United States · Mar 1983 – 1984

In flight Mixed witness types Video Photos

What happened

Between 1983 and 1984, thousands of residents of the Hudson Valley and western Connecticut reported at night large formations of white, red and green lights in a V or circle shape, described as silent and able to hover. A State Police Troop K officer followed the lights to the small Stormville airport and reported that they were light aircraft in formation, whose pilots were amused by the confusion. Rumors of an object over the Indian Point nuclear power plant in 1984 have no documentary support: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission replied to a FOIA request that it had no documentation of the episode.

Proposed explanation

According to the New York State Police, who followed the lights to Stormville airport, they were small private planes flying at night in tight formation with colored lights; the FAA observed that formation flying was not prohibited. The ufologists Philip Imbrogno, Bob Pratt and J. Allen Hynek (book “Night Siege,” 1987) argued that some of the observations did not fit this explanation.

Official investigation

New York State Police (Troop K); FAA (statements to the press); Nuclear Regulatory Commission (response to a FOIA request)

Sources

1. Skeptoid, “The Hudson Valley UFO Mystery” (episode 598) (analysis, skeptical)
2. Connecticut Magazine (CT Insider), “Examining some of Connecticut's most spectacular UFO sightings”, 2021 (press)
3. Wikipedia – 1984 Hudson Valley UFO sightings (other)

On this site

People 1

• J. Allen Hynek

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