NUFORC Sighting 05737

Occurred: 1974-06-14 05:30 Local - Approximate
Reported: 1999-02-27 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 2 min
No of observers: 1

Location: La Mesa, CA, USA

Shape: Triangle
Characteristics: Lights on object

Triangular object with three steady red lights, one on each corner, hovering over Miramar NAS

This sighting occurred sometime around 1974, I am writing this in 1999. I was doing my paper route early one morning in the San Diego area. La Mesa is where I was, this is adjacent to San Diego on the east side. I wasn’t aware of it at the time of the sighting, but there were a rash of UFO sightings in the area for a week or two after this sighting. There are a couple of maps included that show the locations of these events. The intersection of Highland Ave. and Carter Pl. is on the top of a hill. From this vantage point you can see all the way to the coast and up past what was then known as Miramar Naval Air Station. It is a Marine Corp. Base now. I was familiar with the normal flight patterns of commercial aircraft on their approach to Lindbergh Field and military aircraft around Miramar. On this particular morning, and as long ago as this happened I can’t even begin to tell you what day (or year) it was, I had started my paper route a little earlier than usual. It was still dark that morning. As I looked to the NW I saw in the distance a triangular grouping of red lights. They were not blinking, but burning steady. They were banked at a slight angle because I could see all three lights. I thought that this was unusual, but it appeared to be over the MNAS area so I didn’t pay too much mind to it. The altitude may have been around 1000 ft. The intersection I mentioned above is at the top of a hill, there are two short roads that dead-end to the side of Lee Street. I had one or two deliveries on each road. After completing the delivery on the first road (elapsed time may have been 1 min.) I returned to the intersection and glanced out towards the NW again. This time I saw the same triangular pattern of red lights at the same angle but this time they were closer. Still not blinking, just steady. By now I was getting curious so I looked at them for a few seconds. They didn’t seem to be moving much. I went down the second road and delivered the other one or two papers and returned to the intersection to look at the object. Elapsed time was again around a minute. Now it was gone. I sat there for a while looking around to see where it could have gone. From this location I had a good view of the horizon and if this had been a plane on approach to Lindbergh Field I would have seen it for several minutes. It was at this time that I realized that if this object had been a plane I either should have seen it on approach, or I should have heard it as it traveled behind me to the east. My line of sight to the east was obstructed by the hill but I had a good view to the North, West and South. There were several reports of UFO sightings in the news after I had this sighting and it was at this time that I decided that this must have been a UFO as well. I don’t recall all of the details, but one of the most credible sightings during this period was by an older lady who reported seeing a UFO land somewhere in the vicinity her home. Investigators tested the depressions where the object supposedly landed and they calculated a significant weight had been placed there. They ruled out a hoax because of the location of the landing sight and the difficulty of placing that much weight in that location. The weight was somewhere in the several ton range if my memory serves me correctly. That’s the end of that. If anybody recalls anything like this happening I would like to hear from you. I’m Brian Wherry. Email address is; bigbritheacguy@mindspring.com

Posted 1999-04-02