{"type":"documents","slug":"2026-pursue-release-03-033-dow-uap-d082-narrative-statement-4-western-united-states-event-2023","title":"DOW-UAP-D082, Narrative Statement 4, Western United States Event, 2023","url":"https://disclosdex.com/documents/2026-pursue-release-03-033-dow-uap-d082-narrative-statement-4-western-united-states-event-2023","description":"First-hand narrative from Witness 4, a U.S. federal law enforcement special agent, describing UAP observed in October 2023 in the western United States.","date":"2023-10-01T00:00:00.000Z","tags":["Testimony"],"updated":"2026-06-12T00:00:00.000Z","disclosureRating":6,"connectionCount":0,"content":{"markdown":"DOW-UAP-D082 is a Department of War memorandum presenting the first-hand narrative of Witness 4, one of several U.S. federal law enforcement special agents who reported observing unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) over multiple days in October 2023 in the western United States. The document was released in PURSUE Release 03 on June 12, 2026.[^1][^2]\n\n<PDF src=\"https://www.war.gov/medialink/ufo/061226/release_03/documents/DoW-UAP-D082_Narrative-4_Western-US-Event.pdf\" />\n\n## Provenance and Chain of Custody\n\nThe memorandum originates from the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Intelligence and Security division, and is dated 2 June 2026. It carries the reference identifier VIRIN 260508-D-D0360-1052, with a document date of 08 May 2026. The classification is UNCLASSIFIED throughout. The record was authenticated by Jon T. Kosloski, Director of AARO, and was prepared in response to AARO's request for free-form narrative accounts capturing the sequence of events exactly as remembered by the witness.\n\nDOW-UAP-D082 is one in a numbered series of witness statements gathered by AARO in connection with a concentrated series of UAP reports made by U.S. federal law enforcement special agents during observations in the western United States in October 2023. Witness 4's narrative spans multiple observation sessions across several days, with a follow-up observation occurring months after the initial events. The document includes a hand-drawn sketch attributed to Witness 4 depicting geometric formation patterns observed during the events.[^3]\n\n## Initial Observations: First Evening\n\nWitness 4's first documented observation occurred sometime in October 2023 just after sunset at approximately 7:00 PM. From a position less than a quarter mile from the phenomenon, the witness observed \"a bright ball of light like a shooting star beam across and over a hillside\" at an estimated altitude of 1,000 to 2,000 feet above ground level. The light progressed through a color sequence from amber to orange, slightly yellow, and then white, and was visible for approximately one to two seconds. The witness described the light as appearing to approach rather than recede, and noted that no mechanical buzzing, aircraft noise, or other conventional sounds accompanied the observation.\n\nApproximately ten minutes after this first sighting, the witness deployed night vision goggles (NVGs) and observed multiple singular bright orange lights and orbs visible to the naked eye at varying brightness, size, and distance. NVGs revealed additional lights not visible without optical enhancement. Among those detected through NVGs were formations \"organized in a line of three, evenly spaced and at various altitudes, horizontally just above the skyline.\" Most of these lights were visible for only approximately one to two seconds before disappearing.[^3]\n\n## Hatching Phenomena and Extended Formations\n\nFollowing the initial light observations, Witness 4 described a recurring phenomenon in which \"very bright orange lights appeared to shoot out smaller orange lights as if being hatched from the larger very bright orange light.\" This hatching behavior was observed at least five times before the witness lost count. The smaller lights produced in this manner \"seemed to travel downwards like a falling flare.\"\n\nA markedly different formation then appeared: nine lights formed a static horizontal line just above a ridgeline, evenly spaced, and remained visible for more than 30 seconds without moving. This sustained visibility stood in contrast to the typical one-to-two-second durations of other sightings and represented the most prolonged formation observed during the first evening. After this formation dissolved, smaller lights appeared below and to the left and right of the previous line, clustering \"almost touching in a combination of three,\" then disappeared and reappeared directly behind the witness. All observations from the first evening occurred within a 2 to 3 hour window.[^3]\n\n## Second Day: Chemtrails and Object at Close Range\n\nThe following evening, between 7:00 and 9:00 PM, Witness 4 again observed the same light phenomena. In addition, from an elevation of approximately 3,000 feet above ground level, the witness reported seeing \"what appeared to be chemtrails approximately 10 finger lengths from the highest ridge point.\" These white trails moved upward toward the atmosphere, and no aircraft or lights were detected in association with them during an initial observation period of more than ten minutes.\n\nAfter this extended watch, the witness observed one of the chemtrails disappear while the trail below it \"made a U turn and headed toward/falling towards the ground very quickly.\" A plane was simultaneously observed in the same southeast direction as the chemtrails. The witness also noted \"a string of lights that resembled a Starlink deployment,\" indicating an active effort to compare and distinguish known phenomena from the unknown observations.[^3]\n\nShortly after the chemtrail observations, a single light source above the southeast ridgeline \"seemed to produce four smaller lights which traveled downward as the main light source disappeared.\" Three of the smaller lights formed a horizontal line while the fourth traveled westward away from the line, and the entire four-light phenomenon was observed for approximately ten minutes.\n\nLater that night, while stationary in a vehicle at ground level, the witness watched a light source moving along a mountainside approximately four miles away. The movement initially suggested a vehicle traveling downhill along rough desert terrain. However, the \"light darted between the top and bottom of the mountain within seconds, which would not be feasible for a standard vehicle to do.\" The terrain was described as desert with very rough dirt roads; critically, the light \"produced no dust cloud and moved steadily.\" The witness observed this mountain-traversing behavior for approximately 30 minutes.[^3]\n\n## Stationary White Light and Vehicle Correlation\n\nAt another point that night, Witness 4 observed a very bright, steady white light appearing just below a ridgeline. The light did not pulse or produce smaller lights, and was initially compared to a star but described as substantially brighter and larger, positioned \"in front of and just below a ridgeline from my eyelevel\" at an estimated distance of approximately ten minutes away traveling at 60 mph.\n\nAs the witness drove toward the light's location, it disappeared from the right field of view and an equally bright light appeared to the left at eye level. The witness continued toward the original ridgeline location. By the time the vehicle reached a paved road, both lights had disappeared and did not reappear.[^3]\n\n## Extended Night Observations: Geometric Patterns\n\nBetween 1:00 and 3:00 AM, the witness continued observing distant lights appearing and disappearing within the night sky. These lights were \"fixed at a specific spot in the sky\" with movements described as distinct from the background stars. The witness observed groupings of three or more lights moving in horizontal lines or converging with other clusters to form shapes. Geometric patterns specifically noted include diamonds and hexagons, and the witness stated that the repetitive patterned behavior continued for long enough that \"I got bored looking at them,\" implying sustained observation over a significant period.\n\n## Subsequent Days: Object Using Terrain for Concealment\n\nDuring observation sessions over the following days, additional lights were observed moving horizontally above ridgelines, predominantly northbound, and appearing \"directly overhead\" at small apparent size or great altitude. These lights clustered and formed diamonds, triangles, and moved in unison.\n\nThe most significant observation during this period occurred when the witness reported seeing at approximately 400 meters distance \"an object that was slightly darker than the sky at dusk and lighter than the color of the terrain.\" This object exhibited a faint static red light and was hovering between two mountain ridges. No sounds, emissions, or movements were detected despite heavy winds at that altitude. The witness described this as \"an actual object\" and characterized its positioning as consistent with \"using the terrain to stay hidden,\" noting that based on its orientation it appeared to have come from the south. Prior to this close-range observation, lights had been seen skirting the ridgeline from south to north twice within a 15-minute span.[^3]\n\n## Follow-Up Observation: Months Later\n\nSeveral months after the October 2023 events, around midnight, Witness 4 observed a yellow light appearing at eye level from a position approximately 2,000 feet above ground. The light was positioned below the ridgeline of a hillside and initially suggested a manmade source given the presence of buildings on that hill. The witness then observed the light \"get brighter and quickly move North to South.\" Observation continued for approximately ten minutes until the light moved behind another hillside and was obscured from view. Distance was estimated at approximately 16 miles based on driving time.[^3]\n\n## What The Record Supports\n\nDOW-UAP-D082 is a first-hand narrative account gathered by AARO from a named category of witness - a U.S. federal law enforcement special agent - as part of a structured inquiry into the western United States UAP event of October 2023. It does not stand alone; AARO solicited multiple such accounts from a group of agents present during the same event, of which this is the fourth published narrative.\n\nThe document establishes that the witness conducted sustained, multi-night observations of aerial phenomena using both naked eye and night vision equipment; that the observed lights exhibited behaviors the witness characterized as inconsistent with known aircraft, ground vehicles, or natural phenomena, including rapid acceleration without sonic signature, precise geometric formations, hatching behavior, and terrain-hugging hovering with no exhaust in high-wind conditions; and that AARO collected the account as part of an ongoing investigation.\n\nThe record does not identify the source or nature of the phenomena described. It provides no sensor recordings, radar data, imagery, or independent corroboration of the witness's observations. The observed phenomena remain unresolved and unidentified within this document. The inclusion of a hand-drawn sketch indicates the witness made an effort to record formation geometry, but the sketch's details are not fully legible in the released document.\n\n## References\n\n[^1]: [Department of War PURSUE page](https://www.war.gov/UFO/#release)\n\n[^2]: [Department of War PURSUE data file (uap-data.csv)](https://www.war.gov/Portals/1/Interactive/2026/UFO/uap-data.csv)\n\n[^3]: [DOW-UAP-D082, Narrative Statement 4, Western United States Event, 2023 remote release asset](https://www.war.gov/medialink/ufo/061226/release_03/documents/DoW-UAP-D082_Narrative-4_Western-US-Event.pdf)","readingTime":"9 min read"},"relatedRecords":[],"citation":{"canonicalUrl":"https://disclosdex.com/documents/2026-pursue-release-03-033-dow-uap-d082-narrative-statement-4-western-united-states-event-2023","title":"DOW-UAP-D082, Narrative Statement 4, Western United States Event, 2023","publisher":"Disclosdex","retrievedFrom":"https://disclosdex.com/api/v1/documents/2026-pursue-release-03-033-dow-uap-d082-narrative-statement-4-western-united-states-event-2023","license":"CC-BY-4.0"}}