Cigar over Tampa, FL

The report, as filed

On a crystal clear blue day after Christmas, I was driving with windows and sunroof down or open. While driving south on S Dale Mabry Highway, I approached the major east west intersection of Gandy Boulevard, slowing to a stop just passed the overpass of the Crosstown Expressway. While stopped with radio off, I noticed an object in my periphery. I looked up to see an extremely bright cigar shaped object. My initial thought was that it was a Soviet MiG from the Korean Conflict era. It had a red marking near the front. Although it made no sound, I didn’t think much of it for the half second I saw this object flying roughly 3,000 to 5,000 feet above head. Not the most unusual thing to see a jet flying considering we have a major military base, an international airport, a neighboring St Petersburg Airport, and several small airports, like Peter Knight, in the area. It moved over the my sunroof view and I refocused on the stop light. I picked it up again as it flew forward towards the South, towards the Military base, Macdill Air Force Base. I watched as this once very very bright object was now a darker circular shape, almost as if I was looking at the tail end of a tube or cigar. Saw zero vapor trail. No engine illumination of any kind. It flew an arced flight pattern from left to right, “checking out”. As it faded from my field of view, a series of intense bright flashes, akin to sparklers, appeared behind the object as it was some 20 miles away. After sparkling for a 1/4 second to 1/2 second, a massive portal opened up. It was the most incredible sight I’ve ever seen. A rectangular(ish) shaped window or portal. It must have been 100-200 times the size of the craft. The “portal” displayed a greenish, pinkish nebulae of sorts, like slow waves, like ripples. The portal closed a 1/4 to 1/2 second later. The sky seemed completely unaffected. Like nothing ever happened. Here and gone in roughly seconds. I was completely jaw dropped. I could sense that cars around me were moving forward and I noticed that a black pickup truck with tinted windows, directly in front of me, was also parked on his brakes, seemingly as shocked. We both eventually drove away with traffic. I had never witnessed a UFO until 12/26/2021. The entire observation lasted roughly seven seconds. I can’t explain what I’ve seen but I’m not embarrassed or ashamed to report this. I will swear on a Bible, under oath, that these were the facts as I observed them on 12/26/2021 at 10:24 a.m. Regards, Marcello Bessone

Held as-reported from National UFO Reporting Center (record NUFORC #166624). Witness text is preserved verbatim, including its spelling; nothing is edited beyond formatting.