Unknown over Portland, OR
A witness account on file, unevaluated. Most of the archive rests here, and honestly so.
The report, as filed
I just got off work and was driving northbound on I-205 going to Vancouver, WA to visit my girlfriend. I was driving a white Cadillac going 65 mph in the middle lane when I looked up noticing a large dark black shape hovering in the sky right in front of me. It was dusk to but this object stood out as blacker than black so I could see it perfectly. As I stared at it I began to analyze it. This is exactly what I thought. I thought of a black plastic garbage bag that that if it got caught on a screw on the sign of an overpass and was kinda being sucked under it. Yet I knew what I was seeing was way bigger than a bag. But I didn't see an overpass or light pole or any wires. So I knew not only was it way bigger than a garbage bag but there was nothing this black object could be hanging off. This black object at my best guess was hovering in midstop about 100 feet from the road directly in front of me. It was maybe sixty feet wide and eighty feet tall and an inky blackness. And I soon realized I'd be driving under this thing. I didn't take my eyes off it and all this happened over maybe 10 seconds at most because as I was about to drive underneath it something like a thin banner or sheet of the same blackness unraveled down from the bottom center of this thing dropping down from it. I watched just stunned as it came lower and I'm almost speeding right beneath this banner like thing coming down from it. It kept dropping lower in a word way almost timing me. It hit the ground in front of me blocking my center lane. It was as wide as my vehicle and the width of my lane a like a thin sheet of blackness. I quickly swerved wildly and in absolute panic barely making it around this thing that fell. As I righted my car I looked in my rearview just tripping on what happened. I saw three other sets of headlights behind me all swerve wildly like I did. I even counted. One. Two. Three. And knew I wasn't the only one who saw this. I started to slow down to wave these cars over but realization came over me of what happened. I got scared and took off speeding as fast as I could out of there. Now it's been a year but I can't stop thinking about what happened. Things are different. I can't stop thinking about what would of happened if I ran into that black banner like thing that dropped down from this object. And now I'm trying to find those other three drivers and want to see if there were any cameras anywhere near that stretch of highway. I've looked all over the internet and never seen any encounters of anything like what I experienced. So I'm just idk wanting to tell my story. This has changed my life and I can't stop looking at the night sky wondering if I'll see it again. But the blackness of this object was what was spooky. And shape. There was no lights anywhere. Just dark blackness and that's scary. So yeah that's what I saw and I have become obsessed with finding out what that was.
Held as-reported from National UFO Reporting Center (record NUFORC #174225). Witness text is preserved verbatim, including its spelling; nothing is edited beyond formatting.
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Routed to: Federal Aviation Administration · records window 2022-01-12 → 2022-01-29
From the same sky
Related entries
October 19, 2023 · 8:20 PM · TRIANGLE
Portland, OR
My girlfriend picked me up to go to the store. As soon as we started heading south we noticed 3 very bright lights in the sky, flashing colors not typical of aircraft, satellites, planets or stars. I immediately had a gut feeling I knew what it was. Upon driving to the store to get a better view, I noticed they changed positions slightly. Once at the door I was able to locate them again and finally snap a picture with my phone that has 100x zoom. As you can see, the light pattern is not typical of anything usual. I proceeded to try and take video, but my camera can't take video at that zoom level. We went into the store and came out. They were all gone.
October 18, 2023 · 10:35 PM · CHANGING
Portland, OR
In sky above me in SE portland oregon. I first noticed bright light in sky hovering at 10:35pm and when I zoomed in saw it changing shape and size. A streak went across sky from one end of horizon to another. From north to south. A friend an hour away in newburg about same time saw bright light across sky too. I have video and pictures of everything but the streak
October 4, 2023 · 6:09 PM · SPHERE
Portland, OR
Exited swan mart with 4 year old son. While placing son in car seat, he reports “look at those lights, mama.” I look around parking lot and said, “what lights?” He stated, “No mama, in the sky.” I viewed glimmer lights, about 15 orbs in a V formation, at the same altitude as birds(was low) at onset. Secured son in car seat with tablet to distract, closed door of car. I then took pictures and video for 3-4 min or strange lights. . They were nothing I had seen. No sound or wings observed. The orbs reflected light and were glimmering. Initially, moved north but dissolving into the sky at times, very hard to see. Orbs, reappeared far in the distance (toward the NE) on one occasion briefly, then again dissolved into the clear sky that evening. Reappeared one final time, near the SW and disappeared into the sky. [NUFORC annotation: Birds - Possible]
September 6, 2023 · 11:19 AM · CIRCLE
Portland, OR
See above
September 6, 2023 · 11:00 AM · SPHERE
Portland, OR
Slowly moving and hovering over the City for the last hour.
August 23, 2023 · 4:53 AM · SPHERE
Portland, OR
Saw stationary lights in the sky northeast of me. At first I thought they were the lights of a cell phone tower. But I know the area well and there was no tower in that direction. Observed lights for about 23 minutes. Lights remained stationary for a long time. Then they shifted very quickly to the right. And again remained stationary. I was able to take pictures with my cell phone, but It’s an old flip phone and doesn’t have a great camera. At the end of the sighting the lights moved away to the north out of view. This movement was extremely fast. Almost in an instant. That the thing that astounded me about this sighting. Is how it remained stationary for so long. Then in an instant it moved. First to another position in the sky. And then out of sight. Is speed was incredible. For the entire encounter the lights were silent. I worked in the airlines for over 20 years. I’ve worked security for 3 years. I’ve never seen anything like it. From experience, I know this was not plane, helicopter, and it moved too fast to be a drone. I’m stumped.