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Triangle ufo sightings report on Milstadt, Illinois.
National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS)
NIDS received a report at on 1/5/2000 from a police officer at
Milstadt, Illinois. The officer reported an unidentified flying object
seen by a business owner and several police officers at Lebanon,
Millstadt, Shiloh and Dupo, Illinois. The report to NIDS came
approximately two hours after the sighting. After multiple telephone
calls to the locale, NIDS dispatched two investigators to the location
to conduct face-to-face interviews with eyewitnesses.
1-5-2000 St. Clair County, IL
This UFO incident involved multiple witnesses, which mainly consisted
of police officers from a number of small Illinois towns.The officers
were able to track the unknown object and maintain radio contact with
each other during the event. Adding to this, Scott Air Force Base was
only two miles away from the flight path of the UFO. This episode
became the focus of intense media coverage, which continued weeks after
the actual event. The first person to notice anything unusual that
early morning was Mr. Melvern Noll. Mr. Noll is the owner of a
miniature golf course located in Highland, IL, which is approximately
24 miles from St. Louis, MO. During the off-season, Mr. Noll is a truck
driver making deliveries at all hours of the day and night. Mr. Noll
was returning from a delivery run he had just completed at
approximately 4 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 5. Before returning home, he
thought he would check his miniature golf course and make sure
everything was in order. He parked his truck in the back of the
building and began to exit the vehicle. While doing so, he noticed a
"bright star" over in the northeast sky. He didn't give it much thought
at the time and proceeded to enter the building. After checking things
inside, he locked the building and was returning to his truck. Again,
he noticed the "bright star" in the northeast sky. This time, he
stopped and observed it more closely. He noticed the light was, in
fact, moving in his general direction. In just a few minutes, Mr. Noll
noticed the bright white light was only part of a larger object. It
appeared to be rectangular in shape. The apparent size of the object
was comparable to the size of a football field. Mr. Noll added that the
object was also very tall. This object had a series of "windows" that
ran down the side. He also noticed two "floors" each having two
"windows." These were described as rectangular with an intense white
light radiating out from them. The "windows" appeared to be located
more toward the rear of the object. When the object was very close, Mr.
Noll stated he could see a large number of dim red lights on the
bottom. He assumed the exterior color must have been black or dark gray
.The description he used to initially describe the object was looking
like a "two-story house" in the sky. During this time, Mr. Noll did not
notice any sound, odor, or emission coming from the object. As it moved
away to the southwest, Mr. Noll noticed "windows" on the back of the
object. He added that these appeared to have a series of lines or bars
in them that ran up and down.The object appeared to move in a northeast
to southwest direction. The speed was determined to be slow when
compared to conventional aircraft. Mr. Noll did state that he recalls
the object slowing down as it passed in close proximity to him before
regaining speed as it moved away. Mr. Noll estimated the object was
possibly a half-mile distant when it moved closest to his location. The
altitude was estimated to be around 5 mintues in length.
Mr. Noll promptly drove his pickup truck to the Highland Police
Station. He thought that nobody would believe him, if he told his
story. He hoped that the Highland Police could contact a neighboring
town's police officer that could verify there was something strange in
the sky. The dispatcher at the Highland Police Department listened to
Mr. Noll's account and determined that he was a rational individual,
despite his unusual claim. She then contacted the Lebanon Police
Department. Officer Ed Barton responded to the call around 4:10 - 4:15
a.m Officer Barton was initially skeptical upon hearing the
transmission. He asked the dispatchers if they were joking. They stated
they were not joking. He then proceeded to the north end of town, past
Horner Park, on Widicus Road. He did not see anything in the sky at
this time. He then followed Widicus Road, as it turns from the North to
the East, heading towards Illinois Route 4. About halfway to Route 4,
Officer Barton observed two large, brilliant white lights in the
northeastern sky. The lights appeared so close together that Officer
Barton thought they were almost touching each other. He stated the
lights were so brilliant in intensity that the light rays radiated
outward like the symbol of the Japanese Rising Sun battle flag from
World War II. He became curious and decided to drive a little faster.
Upon arriving at Illinois Route 4, Officer Barton turned south, heading
back towards Lebanon. He was able to observe the lights to his left
through his driver's side window as he was proceeding into town. At
some point, as he was alternating between watching the lights and the
road in front of him, the two bright lights now appeared to be one
bright light. At this point, he switched on his overhead lights. He now
believed this could possibly be an aircraft having problems. Upon
arriving in town, he made a left turn onto East Route 50. He proceeded
east to a bridge at the bottom of the hill. At this point, while he was
still driving, he noticed the one bright light now appeared as an
elongated cigar-shaped object. The object appeared to be stationary in
the sky over the northeast end of the neighboring town of Summerfield.
He proceeded along until he stopped his vehicle on the side of the
road. He did this because he now noticed the object appeared to be
heading in his direction. He stated it was not moving very fast but not
very slow either. Upon stopping the vehicle, he turned off all the
lights and his squad car's radio in an attempt to hear any noise
possibly coming from the object. No noise was evident. As it
approached, he noticed the distinct shape of the object. It appeared as
a massive, elongated, narrow triangle. It appeared larger in length
than width. The apparent size of the object was conservatively
estimated to be approximately 75ft in length and 40ft in width. At each
corner, Officer Barton observed a massive, bright, white light. These
lights did not waver in intensity and appeared to be pointing straight
down. He stated they did not light up the ground, but were very bright.
In addition to these, there was one smaller flashing red light. This
was situated closer to the two rear white lights, yet in the midline of
the object . He noticed that the object was blotting out the stars
above it, as it passed by him. He still could not discern any noise
emanating from the object. At this time, the object appeared to be
closest to Officer Barton. He estimated the object was no more than 100
feet distant and approximately 1000 feet above the ground. Then he
observed the object rotating in the sky from a southerly heading to
that of a southwesterly direction. As it rotated, the object did not
bank as is expected of conventional aircraft. Rather, the object
pivoted in mid-air without tilting to one side or the other and
remained completely level.
At this point, Officer Barton radioed Central Command to tell them what
he was observing as well as its current location. In between
transmissions, he stopped for a moment as he observed the craft make a
dramatic increase in speed. The object was moving at a relatively slow
pace at the beginning of his transmission. However, it then accelerated
so fast that he could barely track the movement with his eyes. Officer
Barton said the speed was remarkable. He was able to observe the rear
of the object before this display of velocity. His best analogy is in
comparing it to the Millenium Falcon spacecraft from the motion picture
Star Wars. It appeared to be rectangular and illuminated by white
light. Through the middle of the light, running lengthwise, was a band
of multi-colored illumination. He stated that there were not individual
colored lights that you could discern. Rather, it appeared as a band of
various colors, which blended into each other.He continued the
transmission by informing Central Command that the object should now be
around the town of Shiloh that is situated approximately 8 miles to the
Southwest.
Officer David Martin of the Shiloh Police Department radioed that he
could indeed see something in the sky. Officer Martin was driving on
the southern end of Shiloh heading east when he observed the mysterious
object. The object appeared to be heading in a westerly direction.
Officer Martin was able to observe three brilliant white lights, which
were shining light downward from the object. However, the light did not
illuminate the ground or objects on the ground. In addition, small red
and green lights were observed on the back end of the object. At this
time, Officer Martin thought the object's altitude was approximately
1000 feet. He estimated the distance from his car to the object was
about a quarter of a mile. He thought the object resembled the shape of
an extra wide triangle or arrowhead. He estimated the apparent size to
be 75-100 yards wide . Officer Martin was driving slowly during his
observations. He also rolled down his driver's side window to determine
if the object was emitting any sound. No sound could be heard. He
finally decided to pull over to the side of the road and exit the
vehicle for a better observation. At this point,the object increased in
speed and disappeared in a westerly direction. Officer Martin estimated
the object's initial speed to be the equivalent of 15 mph. When it
increased in speed, he figured it to be at least 80-100 mph. He states
that there was a marked difference in the flight speed.
In the nearby town of Millstadt, IL, Officer Craig Stevens was on
patrol and heard the radio traffic regarding this whole affair. His
curiosity was aroused and he drove to the east end of Millstadt in an
attempt to see this mysterious thing in the sky. After not seeing
anything at that location, he proceeded to Liederkranz Park on the
north end of town. While sitting in his car, he observed a very large
object that was roughly triangular in shape. Officer Stevens estimated
the object to be only 500-1000 feet in altitude. The flight speed was
described as extremely slow. He also stated there was no noise with the
exception of a "low decibel buzzing sound" that he could barely
discern. As he watched the object, it began moving to the north. He
could see the object had a white light on the left side, right side,
and center of the back end. In addition, there was a single red light
on the bottom. The back end also appeared to be slightly recessed . At
4:28 a.m., Officer Stevens contacted his dispatcher to advise him that
he could now see the object. Then he exited his vehicle and grabbed the
Polaroid camera from his squad car's trunk. He aimed the camera at the
object and took a picture. Unfortunately, the extreme cold temperatures
of that morning (15-20 degrees Fahrenheit) caused the camera to work
poorly. However, he was able to produce one photo, though poor in
quality before the object disappeared to the northwest . The last
police officer to report seeing the object that morning was from Dupo,
IL. I interviewed him personally, but I do not have permission to use
his name. This officer also heard the radio traffic that evening and
decided to take a look in the sky for himself. Approximately five
minutes after Officer Stevens' radio transmission from Millstadt, the
Dupo officer observed an array of lights. Contrary to the other
officers, this individual stated the object was at a relatively high
altitude and proceeding in a north-northeasterly heading. It was so
high in the sky that the officer said he wouldn't have noticed it, if
it wasn't for all the radio traffic. He stated it stayed to the east of
Dupo. The altitude was described as being higher than that of a small
plane but lower than that of a commercial aircraft. The officer viewed
the object through binoculars, but was only able to see a
conglomeration of lights. There were white and red lights visible. The
white lights were at the extreme ends. The red lights were in the
middle. Aside from the lights, he could not discern any size or shape
due to the distance and altitude.
These witnesses provide us with enough data to project the flight path
of the object as it traveled over the Southern Illinois area . It
apparently came from the northeast and traveled slowly to the southwest
over Highland then south to Summerfield. It then turned and moved
towards the northwest and quickly made a flat turn and accelerated to
the southwest. It traveled approximately 1 mile north of Scott Air
Force Base and slowed as it passed over Shiloh. It then continued to
the southwest over the town of Millstadt. From there, it turned to the
northwest. Shortly thereafter, it veered to the northeast and
apparently gained altitude before leaving the area.
Information was provided by the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office. They
released copies of the dispatch tapes for the morning of Jan. 5, 2000.
What follows are the relevant transmissions that pertain to this case:
Dispatcher: Lebanon, this a call from Highland P.D. in reference to a
truck driver who just stopped in. He said there was a flying object in
the area of Lebanon. It was like a two-story house. It had white lights
and red blinking lights, and it was last seen southwest over Lebanon.
Could you check the area?
Lebanon officer: Did they say the truck driver was DUI or anything?
10-4, I'm out. . . . Just a quick question. If I happened to find it,
what am I supposed to do with it? If I see it, I'm not saying a word. .
. .Also be advised the last thing that went over Lebanon -- this was
approximately five minutes ago -- was a military cargo plane. It looked
like a C-5.. . . Be advised there is a very bright white light east of
town. It looks like it's just east of Summerfield, and it keeps
changing colors. I'll go over there and see if it looks like an
aircraft. It doesn't look like an aircraft, though. . . . It's not the
moon, and it's not a star. If you would, will you contact Scott Air
Force Base and see if they have anything flying in this area please?
Whether it's a plane or not, it's heading westbound now. It should be
really close to Scott now. . . . As a matter of fact, if the Shiloh
officer looks up, they can probably see it by now.
Shiloh officer: I see something, but I don't know what the heck it is. . . . It's probably heading to Lambert (Field).
Millstadt officer: I've got that object in sight also.
Dispatcher: Are you serious?
Millstadt officer: It's huge.
Dispatcher: . . . Does it look like a -- What does it look like to you?
Millstadt officer: It's kind of V-shaped. It looks like it's possibly headed toward Lambert.
Dispatcher: 10-4. That's what Shiloh said when it was heading towards Fairview Heights.
(One of the officers hums theme song to "Twilight Zone" over his radio.)
Millstadt officer: Really.
Millstadt officer: Does Dupo have a Polaroid?
Dispatcher: That, I don't know.
Dupo officer: 6004, this is 3923 on County (radio channel) 2.
Millstadt officer: 6004, go ahead.
Dupo officer: I'm not sure what you're seeing. It appears to be pretty
high in the area. When I could first see it with binoculars, you could
see it was different colors. Now it appears to be white.
Millstadt officer: Is it very large?
Dupo officer: It's hard to tell. It's pretty far off in the distance.
Millstadt officer: This object was above me about 500 feet. And it was huge.
Dupo officer: This thing appears . . . it's probably 20 or
30,000. It's about where planes usually are. It's not low at all.
I would now like to discuss some particular aspects of this case. The
first concerns the obvious differences in the descriptions given by the
witnesses. In examining the figures, we can see there are major
disparities between them. The largest difference being the description
provided by Mr. Noll as compared to those of the police officers. Mr.
Noll.describes a large rectangular-shaped object. Less than fifteen
minutes later, Officer Barton reports seeing an elongated triangle. The
otherofficers at least report seeing objects that are roughly
triangular inappearance. Beyond differences in shape, we also have
radical differences in the lighting configurations that were reported.
I believe there are several possibilities for the inconsistencies. The
first involves the most prosaic explanation. Namely, witnesses can be
wrong in theirinterpretation of what they claim to have seen. This is a
fact all objective UFO researchers must never forget. Is it possible
the witnesses made errors in their observations? Of course, that is a
distinct possibility. One of the major problems relating to this is the
issue of perspective. From what perspective did the witnesses view the
object? Some witnesses were stationary while others were driving at the
time of their sighting. In particular, Officer Barton's descriptions
vary, as he views the object from different distances and angles. To
compound matters, the object was moving at various speeds and
directions in relation to the observers. Another explanation for the
varied descriptions could be attributed to the notion that there were
multiple objects of differing shapes in the sky that night. This would
explain why different descriptions were received. I tend to refute this
idea due to a couple facts. The terrain around Highland, Summerfield,
and Shiloh is extremely flat. On a clear night, like on Jan. 5, you can
see for miles in all directions. This is especially true between
Highland and Summerfield. If multiple objects were in the sky
illuminated by an array of lights, observers would have seen any of
them that were there. Also, the timing of the sightings would tend to
coincide with the flight of a single object moving from town to town.
There were only a few minutes between each sighting, which tends to
suggest it was the same object being witnessed from various
locations.Yet, a third possible explanation could involve the object
actually changing shape in flight. This is one of the more questionable
ideas proposed. But, a review of the UFO literature will reveal a
multitude of cases which involve objects that appear to change form. I
only consider it as a possibility.
Another issue that needs to be discussed is Scott Air Force Base. I
find it hard to imagine that a large unknown object with bright lights
could fly under 1000 feet within one mile of the base without causing
some concerns. I believe they may have more detailed information
concerning this event. It is a distinct possibility that the object
witnessed was a military craft of some type. Unfortunately, we do not
have any evidence to support or refute this idea.
Closing Notes:
I would like to extend my thanks to Peter Davenport of the National UFO
Reporting Center for his invaluable assistance in this case. Also, my
thanks to all the witnesses that were willing to come forward and share
their experiences with us.
In addition, special recognition should be given to Darryl Barker for
his outstanding efforts in investigating this case and educating the
public through his detailed documentary, "The Edge of Reality, Illinois
UFO Jan. 5th, 2000." This production is the only comprehensive
documentary that accurately portrays the events that occurred in the
early morning hours of Jan. 5th, 2000 END:
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