Untitled Document

1998 Sighting Reports

The following incidents were among the sightings of alleged UFOs and the Unusual reported to researcher Stan Gordon throughout Pennsylvania and neighboring states (when available). These cases have come to Stan Gordon’s attention from various sources. Many sightings that have already been identified as natural or manmade in origin are not listed. Some of these reports are still being investigated.

Some of the other unusual events that came to Stan’s attention during the year included strange field formations, odd animal killings, mysterious booms, and mystery animal sightings. Stan received information on strange incidents from 18 counties in Pennsylvania during 1998.

DATE	January 26, 1998
LOCATION	Allentown, PA
Blue circle of light moving very fast across the sky from south to north.

DATE	March 5, 1998
LOCATION
A witness traveling on the Mount Pleasant road between Greensburg and Norvelt, in the vicinity of the University of Pittsburgh campus, observed something odd in the sky at about 8:30 that evening. What was seen looked like two non-blinking white headlights in the sky. These lights were side by side and appeared to be hovering very low, estimated to be about 3 times the height of the trees. At one point the lights seemed to slant at an angle. The witness put down the car window but could hear no sound.

DATE	March 12, 1998
LOCATION	Apollo, PA
At about 9 P.M., witness saw a solid oval shaped white lights source in the sky that was zig-zagging under the moon. and moving up and down the left side of the moon. The object then dropped down lower "like in an upside down arc" then went back up into the sky towards the right side of the moon, where it was lost from site in some clouds moving in. The object was seen for about 2 to 3 minutes.

DATE	March 31, 1998
LOCATION	Westmoreland County
At about 8:40 P.M., there were reports from various locations in Westmoreland County about 35 miles east of Pittsburgh, of a bright fiery object with flames and particles falling from it, as it moved quickly across the sky from west to east.

DATE	April 4, 1998
LOCATION	Washington County
In the vicinity of the Meadow’s racetrack at about midnight, a man reported seeing a large round object with four lights that were non-blinking, and appeared hovering at about 2,000 feet above the ground. As the witness approached the object he slowed down, and passed under it, then he quickly sped off. There was no sound heard from the device. About five minutes later the witness returned to the location, but the object was gone and was not seen again.

DATE	April 18, 1998
LOCATION	Rostraver
Traveling in a car on Route 70 west, at approximately 9:45 P.M., witness saw to his right a very unusual object whose shape was well defined by the background light. The object was hovering at tree top level, and was all black in color. He could only see two dimensions, so he could tell the true geometric shape, but it seemed generally rectangular, at least 300 feet long, and about 15 to 20 feet high. There were a total of six blue-white lights that were very bright, and pulsed from the right to left. Only one light would be seen at any one time.

DATE	April 27, 1998
LOCATION	Bradford, PA
(via researcher Scott Corrales) Just before 10 P.M. a man saw a luminous object in the sky that appeared three to four times brighter than planet Venus. The object was moving west to east, and was seen for over two minutes. The object changed from a white to a red color, and appeared to become smaller and fainter before it disappeared.

DATE

May 7, 1998

LOCATION

Butler County

(This case investigated by Dan Hageman of BORU) A farmer was doing some late night planting of a cornfield, when at about 3:30 A.M. he saw experienced something unusual. The man was riding his tractor when about 200-400 yards away in a wheat field, he observed some bright lights. His first impression was that someone was driving in the field, but that idea soon changed as he observed an object approximately 30 to 40 feet long, and 4 to 5 feet high, moving only several feet above the ground. The object was of a dark color, and was domed shape in the front displaying a light. The body of the device narrowed outwards towards the back where it became rounded. Towards the front section, there appeared 5 to 6 lights which were along the edge on both sides of the object. There were also about 5 lights in the same position towards the back.

The lights were square, and very bright, and were orange, blue, and light pink in color. These lights pulsated on and off, but never went completely out. There was a gas or vapor which seemed to encompass the entire object while it was seen. The farmer reported that his tractor engine began to sputter, and an electronic monitor used for corn planting began to beep constantly while the object was nearby. The witness watched as the object began to ascend from the field in a straight line path into the sky. The object seemed to barely clear the tops of the trees estimated at 60 feet high, when suddenly it seemed to suddenly evaporate into thin air, and was not seen again.

DATE	May 17, 1998
LOCATION	Belle Vernon
Four people observed for about 40 minutes a bright starlike object which appeared stationary. The sighting occurred at about 8:15 in the evening. Through binoculars and a spotting scope, the object looked similar to an "illuminated donut." Some type of device appeared to be hanging down from the main object. While under observation, the donut shaped object appeared to suddenly explode, with many small fragments and particles seen to disperse. A red sphere appeared moments later which reportedly split into two smaller objects.

DATE	May 17, 1998
LOCATION	Penn Hills/Pittsburgh
At 11:40 P.M., two luminous objects were seen in the clear western sky. One object began to move off, and in a few minutes was gone from sight. The second object appeared to be swirling, and bright red and blue flashes were emitted from it. The object appeared to be changing shape, and appeared to be rotating and giving off various light patterns. When the object was in a straight position, the witness said it displayed a red neon light pattern towards it’s bottom, then other colored lights became apparent as well. During the sighting, this object appeared as a narrow oval shape with a light effect which separated the top and bottom sections. After about an hour, the object’s lights pulsated on and off, suddenly appeared to vanish, then returned to it’s luminous state. Nearly 10 minutes later, the object quickly moved to the right of the observer and became to become stationary above some trees in the distance. It remained there for a few minutes, then moved off to another position in the sky, and was soon lost from sight.

DATE	June 8, 1998
LOCATION	Pittsburgh
A man had just purchased a new digital camera, and was trying it out. He observed a bright white object that appeared to be round. The object was stationary then began to move very fast. He took two photos that show "something".

DATE	June 10, 1998
LOCATION	Bethel Park/Pittsburgh
At 10:20 P.M., five unusual lights were seen in the sky. The lights were round and bright, with a yellow coloring around the outer edge. The first three lights were evenly spaced and trailing each other about two seconds apart and moving NW to SE. About 5 minutes later, the 4th object appeared in the same spot in the sky and moved w to e. Shortly the fifth object appeared and also moved W. To E. All of the lights seemed to disappear in the same part of the sky.

DATE	July 6, 1998
LOCATION	Ross Twp./Pittsburgh
At 8:42 P.M., a man and his wife were looking at the beautiful sunset. Looking west they noticed a black object at the top of a cloud layer which appeared stationary. The NWS indicates that the skies were generally clear, with spotty clouds at 10,000 feet in the area. The object looked like the fuselage of a helicopter minus wings or rotor blades. While under observation, the object appeared to slowly ascend and move towards the north. The man quickly obtained his binoculars. Through his WWII Navy issue 6x42 optics, the same appearance was evident, and no lights could be seen. He could see two long protuberances that he described as looking like "two big antennas" or "like giant lollipops" emanating from the top of the object. They were long and solid looking with a round object on the end. The object later while under observation, began turning side by side "like a fishtail movement." The object seemed to change physical form when it was turning, from rounded to a cigar shape, then triangular. At one point, there appeared to be a grid pattern on the surface of the triangular shape. As this object made these front to rear turns, the witness could see additional long devices around the top, sides, and underneath which were about 6 to 10 in number. After about 8 to 10 minutes, the object seemed to pick up speed as it moved north, and it was soon lost from sight behind some trees.

DATE	July 12, 1998
LOCATION	Sutersville
The witness who is familiar with the stars, was observing some aircraft at about 8:45 that evening, when he noticed a very bright star-like object in the nearly clear WSW sky. Curious, he pulled out his telescope and through it he observed a solid white globe with a nearly transparent center. Just above this globular object, was another smaller sphere which was making a continuous back and forth motion in a roughly circular fashion. The smaller sphere would move from a 10 o’clock to a 2 o’clock position, then would reverse this motion. It would take about one second to move right, then another second to reverse back. This movement continued for about two minutes. The main globe appeared stationary, and through the telescope always remained in the eyepiece. He did not have to move the scope such as when he is generally watching stars and planets.

DATE	July 14, 1998
LOCATION	Between Hollidaysburg and Williamburg
Man was driving his car on Route 22 and at about 10 P.M. at approximately 75 yards before he hit the crest of a hill, he saw three round blue-white lights in a triangular formation that at first appeared to be hovering. The lights then began to move and stayed in view of the observer for a short while. It was a warm night and had the windows down, but no sound could be heard. The object suddenly shot forward and disappeared very quickly.

DATE	August 3, 1998
LOCATION	Monroe County
Around 12:30 or 1 A.M., a woman reported seeing a strange object hover over her lake. The lady called police who responded to the scene. I received the report shortly after the occurrence, and talked with the police as well as the witness. The police had not seen anything and had no other reports at the time. The witness sounded verbally shaken, and said that she had never seen anything like this before. She explained to me that she was inside her home when she saw red and green lights reflecting off the surface of the lake about 50 feet away. She thought at first it was lightning, but soon realized that wasn’t the case. She observed a "perfectly round" object with red and green lights hover over the lake for about 30 seconds. The object was illuminate underneath. The object suddenly accelerated straight up into the sky and according to the observer "in the blink of an eye it was gone." The woman noticed at the time that her two cats seemed disturbed and ran out of the room.

DATE	September 25, 1998
LOCATION	Indiana/Westmoreland Counties
Approximately 2 P.M. near Saltsburg in Indiana County, a man heard what sounded like a huge explosion. It started out with a very low pitched explosion followed by a long rumble of a higher pitch. The rumble lasted 15-30 seconds after the blast, and decreased steadily in intensity. I have also interviewed other individuals who live about 15 miles away into Westmoreland county who also claimed to have experienced this effect. I have since received reports of several homes shaking the same day near Clarksburg in Indiana County. It is reported that the dogs in the area were going crazy when this occurred.

DATE

September 27, 1998

LOCATION

Fayette/Washington Counties

A mysterious boom was heard over about a 15 mile area, but seemed to center on the town of Brownsville in Fayette County. This occurred about 8:30 P.M. and so far no source for the sound has been determined. Some of the possible explanations that have surfaced associate it with a distant thunderstorm, a sonic boom, or detonation of explosives.

One source told me that a family in California Boro said that their glass curio cabinet " was rocked with glassware inside, falling and breaking." Another person this source knew in West Brownsville said the blast jolted her out of bed.

One of my associates, researcher Jim Brown has been investigating the matter, and has submitted this initial report on his findings. "Reports were received by Brownsville police around 8:30 P.M. on September 27, 1998 regarding a loud explosion. The boom was heard as far away as Smock, PA and also into Washington County. I contacted Brownsville police and spoke with one of the officers on duty at the time. (Name withheld pending clearance to publish.) He states he heard the boom and describes it as a concussion. When asked he said it definitely was not thunder, but more like an explosion.

Another officer also on duty reports he heard what he describes as a fizz just before the boom. He compared it to a "launching." He agrees it was a concussion sound. Both investigated the area along with fire department personnel but no physical evidence of any explosion was found. Neither witness saw anything visual at the time of the boom, and of the numerous reports received only one claims to have seen a flash of light. (I have not been able to contact this person as of this date.) The weather at the time had a storm cell just north of Brownsville, but it was not storming in the immediate area. There have been no other reports received by Brownsville police of any other phenomena as of this date (9-29-98)"

DATE	September/October 1998
LOCATION	Columbia
This sighting occurred in Lancaster County. The witness says he was on the Wrightsville-Columbia bridge around 8:30 P.M. the evening of the incident. The observer states "As I was looking out over the Susquehanna river, I saw an unusual sphere appear. This sphere appeared to be about 3 times bigger than the full moon as was present that night. The location of this was about 5 to 10 miles south-southeast between the Columbia-Washington Boro area. I’m not sure exactly how long this illuminated though I watched a few minutes and was stationary. This sphere had a light orange-white pale appearance and was left of the full moon adjacent to the river hillside."

DATE	October 4, 1998
LOCATION	Spartansburg
I received information on this incident from several sources including the Center For UFO Studies. I interviewed one of the witnesses on October 22nd. Three people in a truck were traveling on Route 77 near Spartansburg when at about 8 P.M. the driver spotted something in the distance. On the horizon was an object with flashing red lights. They watched the object move out of sight over a hill. About 10 minutes later, as they were driving further down the roadway, a similar object began to move towards the car on the passenger side. They slowed the car down and pulled off the road to get a better look. "The object slowed down and was directly overhead" one passenger told me. The object was triangular in shape, and appeared solid, and possibly gray in color. There were pale blue lights at the bottom. The lights were estimated at 10 in number and were non-blinking. There were flashing red lights on the sides of the object. The driver got out of the vehicle and looked straight up at it. The other two passengers rolled down the window and looked out. The object was making a whirring type sound. The object began to pick up speed and went back in the direction from which they came.

DATE	October 12, 1998
LOCATION	East Freedom
It was nearly 12:30 A.M. when the witness looking east, observed zig-zagging colored lights in the sky for about two hours. They would go up and down and appeared at times like colored streaks of light.

DATE	October 20, 1998
LOCATION	Washington County
A woman and a young child driving through a rural area saw what looked like a large amber star. The "star" crossed over the road in front of them and moved to their left. The woman pulled over for a better look. When a light was turned on in the car, the object began to display various colors and moved off. A short distance down the road, the pair again saw a large amber light which they thought was probably the same object. The driver pulled the car off the road again. She had a small camera in the car, and attempted to photograph the light. She took two pictures, and the witness says that when the flashes went off, the amber light split into two silver spheres that "began dancing around, one leaping in an arc over the other." The spheres moved to the left and over the horizon. The pictures have since been developed, but only a pinpoint of light is visible on the picture.

DATE	October 30, 1998
LOCATION	Ford City
A man taking a walk outside observed a bright orange ball of light in the sky. While he watched, the light made a straight line across the sky from the North. The sphere then accelerated upwards and moved to his left. The orange globe then stopped, and moved straight down. The man was startled, so he ran inside and awoke his wife to come out and look. His wife in an interview told me that she also saw it, and that it was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was much bigger and brighter than any of the stars. She watched as the light moved across the sky then quickly stopped. "Then it just took off faster then anything I ever saw before. It left a streak of light in the sky."

DATE	November 11,1998
LOCATION	Greensburg, Jeannette
About 9:30 P.M. the witness saw a bright white fireball with a trail moving from east to west for several seconds. There was debris and white sparks falling from the object as it moved through the sky.

DATE	November 15,1998
LOCATION	Youngstown
Several people reported seeing a bright orange fireball at about 8:15 P.M. as it moved from west to east in the direction of Ligonier, and over the Chestnut Ridge.

DATE	November 16, 1998
LOCATION	Penn Hills/Pittsburgh
(via the National UFO Reporting Center) A motorist says he saw 4 objects during a 10 to 15 minute period. The objects were low in the sky, square in shape and displayed red flashing lights as well as three round lights. One object is said to have hovered nearby before it moved in the distance. The objects were all silent.

DATE	November 22, 1998
LOCATION	Allentown
(Via the National UFO Reporting Center) A family reported the daylight observation of 5 silver disc-shaped objects moving very fast from west to east for about 25 seconds.

DATE	November 24, 1998
LOCATION	Wilmerding/Pittsburgh
During the afternoon about 3 P.M., a man looking towards the southwest noticed two contrails that formed a large x in the sky. He pulled his car over after noticing a silver-gray object (similar to the fuselage of a helicopter) that rose straight up from below the contrails, and moved quickly upwards through the sky above them. It then shot straight down through the contrails and then could no longer be seen.

DATE	December 8, 1998
LOCATION	Larimer
People saw a bright object very high up in a tall cherry tree during the daylight. They could see it best when the sun was reflecting on it. There appeared to be parachute cords attached to it. Myself and another investigator went to the site, and were able to quickly identify this object. It was a popular 16oz. Soft drink container that had been attached to a parachute and sent airborne for whatever reason. This would have made a good commercial.

DATE	December 14, 1998
LOCATION	Girard
The witness was out early in the morning removing some items from the car. All of a sudden a bright object which at first was thought to be a meteor, passed directly overhead, and was very low in altitude. This object continued to move about 30 feet, and hovered just above the roof of her home. The object appeared as a round white light that started to blink on and off, in about one second intervals. The witness quickly ran into her home.