NUFORC Sighting 13980

Occurred: 1993-12-18 13:00 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2000-08-29 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 5 min
No of observers: 1

Location: Valencia, CA, USA

Shape: Oval


Sighting: Valencia, Ca @ I-5 and 126 interchange. Object in cloud hovers/manuevers then lightening bolt strikes at same location.

The following was taken from a post I often send to alt.ufo.reports: I only have one story to share but it has kept me thinking for about seven years now. A sighting can be very informative if the observer notes not only what was seen but also the circumstances under which it was seen. I use to work for an amusement park in Valencia, California called Six Flags Magic Mountain. I was a senior in high school at the time and worked the summers and weekends (during school). This weekend the forecast called for thunderstorms and a high probability of showers. That Saturday I was on my lunch break when I sat in my usual quiet spot away from the crowds. It overlooked the intersection of the I-5 freeway (north/south) and the 126 (east/west). My view was to the east and toward a small range of mountains on the other side of the I-5. The mtn range is about 500 feet in height. At its base now sits an extension to the original industrial center (at the time a small plot of crops was growing at this particular location). At lunchtime there was a thunderstorm moving from north to south. It had already passed where I was but I could still see the lightning in the distance and the sky was entirely overcast. About 15 minutes after I sat down I had finished what I was eating and looked out at the freeway, at the range beyond, and then to the clouds. I was just passing the time I had away from my work when I saw something moving in the lower layer of the cloud formations. It was situated across the freeway and just above the mtn range (about 200 ft above the hill's peak). At first I thought it was a helicopter even though I didn't see a tail or rotor. It was in nearly zero visibility because of the clouds. It was moving from north to south as though it were following the storm but from a safe distance (or so it seemed). It was inching southward (left to right), but at a speed non-constant and different from that of the clouds around it (this is probably why it caught my eye). It was a grayish tone (maybe metallic), elliptical in shape, maybe 25-35 feet in length, and had no distinguishing extrusions. If it had any markings on its surface I couldn't see them from this distance (it still seemed close). Patches of cloud would make it appear and disappear over what was to be a 2-3 minute interval. I watched almost unblinking at what I couldn't identify. I don't know why but the thought of a balloon or a blimp never came to mind and it could have been either if not for one last awesome maneuver. I might also add that the only sounds I heard included the occasional yell from someone on a ride some distance away, a light thundering to the south, and the hum of the traffic on the I-5. After 2-3 minutes of this, the craft shot up into the clouds like it had been attached to some long extended rubber band that I couldn't see. The speed was so fast (and the fact that the craft was already nearly engulfed by the clouds surrounding it) that, had I blinked, I would have certainly missed this last maneuver. There was no deformation in the craft that I noticed in the 2-3 minutes that I watched it. What I did see however was the deformation of the cloud as the movement of air suddenly displaced it. This was the one key piece of information that convinced me what I saw was actually there. The maneuver convinced me that what I was dealing with was not a craft of any kind I had ever seen. I thought this maneuver was the last of this sighting and that I'd never see anything this unusual again. I was wrong. I immediately looked at my watch hoping to record the exact date and time of the sighting, but all I could manage to remember was the placement of the second hand and only for a minute at that. This is why. I continued to look in awe over the freeway for some hope of an answer. Sixty seconds after the craft had shot into the clouds a small bolt of lightning (I couldn't even hear it at that distance) struck EXACTLY where the craft (above the hill's peak) had been situated. I was sure this was no coincidence and I've thought about this sighting (the only sighting I've ever had) for years. I'm 25 and a student of architecture. My interests include design, models, computers, and tennis. I don't normally follow UFO sightings but I do post this story once in a while. I've lived in New Jersey for two years and in California the rest. I don't have a religion and I'm not superstitious. I like to keep an open mind, but I'm often skeptical. This was just a story for others to read and I hope you found it interesting. I don't expect I'll ever see anything like this again. UPDATE (8/28/00): I decided to hike up to the top of the hill to see for myself what interest anyone would have with this particular location. From the top of the hill I could see both the I-5 and 126 extending into the distance. I could see one of Southern Calif. Edison's power stations (a whole bank of power line towers), the Rye Canyon Industrial Center, Six Flags Magic Mountain and basically a lot of new development. I also found the well (a Wayside Equivalent Zone Unit) that was recently installed and which I had mentioned above. It turns out Southern Calif. Gas Co. has a plant (and a few dozen wells) on the other side of the mtn range. I think Southern Calif. Gas Co. probably owns the land this craft was hovering over. I spent about 30 minutes on that hill and saw a lot of aircraft flying right over head (mostly civilian but also some military). Both Burbank and Santa Paula airports aren't terribly far. There has also been some controlled burning of brush on the site (typical of dry brush areas).

Posted 2000-09-17

© 2023 National UFO Reporting Center. All rights reserved. Use or reproduction within any application without written consent is prohibited.