On January 8, 2008, Stephenville gained national media attention when dozens of residents reported observations of unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Several residents described the crafts as the size of a football field, while others said they were nearly a mile long, similar to the historic Arizona mass sighting of March 13, 1997.[5] Some observers reported military aircraft pursuing the objects.[6]
CNN's Larry King covered the news story in the days following the incident, and according to Steve Allen, a private pilot who witnessed the UFO, the object was travelling at a high rate of speed which supposedly reached 3,000 feet in the air. Allen said it was "About a half a mile wide and about a mile long. It was humongous, whatever it was."[7] The History Channel show, UFO Hunters did an investigation on the UFO sightings.
On January 23, after initially denying that any aircraft were operating in the area for operations security purposes, the US Air Force said that it was conducting training flights in the Stephenville area that involved 10 fighter jets.[8] The Air Force said they were merely F-16 Fighting Falcon jets conducting night flights from NAS JRB Fort Worth. Former Stephenville Empire-Trubune staff writer Angelia Joiner, who during this period was the reporter covering the story, resigned from the paper when they ceased covering the topic.[9] Washington Post blogger Emil Steiner reported that her termination may have been related to pressure from the Stephenville town fathers.[10] MUFON has released reports about the UFO incident here. The report was based on radar data obtained from the FAA. Using the FAA radar information the detailed report tracked the F16 flight paths as well as an unknown object in the same area and time as seen by multiple witnesses.[11] Stephenville lights radar data was obtained by the authors via FOIA requests and with the help of a British programmer Rob Jeffs has been recreacted.[12] Inquiries made about the UFO incident have been stonewalled by the USAF.[13]
Source: Wikipedia.org
Alien Mysteries - S01E02 - Stephenville Lights
Published on May 4, 2013 by JR Reporting
On the evening of January 8, 2008, while sitting around a campfire on the outskirts of Stephenville, Texas with two friends, local pilot Steve Allen witnesses what he believes is the most beautiful sunset he's ever seen - until that sunset speeds wildly across the night sky, defying all laws of science and nature. When the bright lights break into a series of hovering balls and two F-16s attempt to chase down the mysterious object, Allen and his friends are certain they have seen an actual UFO. Allen reports the incident to the local newspaper and learns that more than 60 people witnessed a similar sighting in the area, including local Constable Leroy Gaiten and two of his patrolling officers. Did resident witness a secret military craft? Or did they see an alien craft from the deep reaches of space? Only the US Air Force can shed light on the strange sighting -- but their explanation only deepens the mystery.
