HISTORICAL
Socorro, United StatesApr 24, 1964, 05:45 PM

Reconstruction model · JMK · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Shape · Unknown
Duration · Minutes
Lonnie Zamora incident — Police officer Lonnie Zamora pursued an egg-shaped craft and witnessed it land on stilt-like legs with two humanoid figures beside it. Physical landing traces were documented by the FBI and Air Force.
On April 24, 1964, Socorro, New Mexico police officer Lonnie Zamora interrupted a high-speed chase to investigate what he thought was a dynamite explosion. Instead, he encountered an egg-shaped craft on the ground with two small humanoid figures beside it. Physical landing traces were later documented by the FBI and US Air Force.
[The Encounter]
At approximately 5:45 PM, Zamora was pursuing a speeding car south of town when he heard a loud roar and saw a flame in the desert. Driving over a ridge, he saw a shiny aluminum-colored object resting on four legs in an arroyo, and two figures in white coveralls standing nearby. The figures noticed him and quickly entered the craft.
[Departure and Markings]
Zamora retreated behind his police car as the craft emitted a powerful roar and rose vertically. After hovering briefly, it accelerated away to the west, climbing rapidly. Before departing, he had observed a strange red insignia on the craft's side — a vertical arrow within a horseshoe and other markings he sketched immediately afterward.
[Physical Evidence]
When Zamora and Sergeant Sam Chavez investigated the landing site, they found four V-shaped impressions where the craft had rested, plus burned brush. The FBI, Project Blue Book, and Dr. J. Allen Hynek conducted independent investigations. Hynek, the project's scientific consultant, called Zamora's testimony among the most credible he had ever encountered.
[Lasting Significance]
Project Blue Book closed the case as "Unknown" — one of only a handful so classified. The Socorro incident is often cited as the gold standard for UFO reports involving a credible single witness, physical traces, and no rational explanation. Zamora was respected throughout his career and refused all offers of profit from the incident.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonnie_Zamora_incident
34.0584°, -106.8914°
Source: Wikipedia
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