Sphere over Riverdale, NJ
A witness account on file, unevaluated. Most of the archive rests here, and honestly so.
The report, as filed
Yesterday at approximately 4:40 pm I was traveling northwards on Interstate 287 in Morris County, New Jersey. Low-hanging storm clouds covered the entire expanse of the sky, but no rain or lightning was evident. I must have been approaching mile marker 50, when a bright light appeared in the storm clouds directly ahead of me, brightening––for a moment––the clouds immediately surrounding its source. The source of the light soon emerged from the cloud covering: it was a glowing orb which I saw descending to earth in a straight path. Within seconds, it had disappeared from view behind a hill. By my estimate, it must have made impact no more than a mile from my vehicle. Numerous others must have witnessed the event as well, as the highway was heavily trafficked. I am inclined to believe that I witnessed a rare instance of ball lightning. Nevertheless, I am still reporting the event in the hope that others may also share their stories and that a more detailed picture may emerge.
Held as-reported from National UFO Reporting Center (record NUFORC #163508). Witness text is preserved verbatim, including its spelling; nothing is edited beyond formatting.
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Routed to: Federal Aviation Administration · records window 2021-05-25 → 2021-06-11
From the same sky