{"type":"events","slug":"2009-michael-herrera-indonesia-ufo-incident","title":"Michael Herrera Indonesia UFO Incident","url":"https://disclosdex.com/events/2009-michael-herrera-indonesia-ufo-incident","description":"Marine Michael Herrera claimed his unit saw a floating craft off Sumatra guarded by unmarked troops","date":"2009-10-08T00:00:00.000Z","tags":["Sighting"],"updated":"2025-06-13T13:26:43.000Z","disclosureRating":2,"status":"resolved","lat":-0.7893,"lng":113.9213,"connectionCount":0,"content":{"markdown":"In October 2009, rifleman Michael Herrera and five fellow Marines on disaster-relief duty near Padang, West Sumatra reported encountering a hovering octagonal craft guarded by armed men in unmarked black uniforms. The soldiers allegedly disarmed the squad, loaded large containers onto a platform beneath the vehicle, then watched as the craft accelerated seaward at extraordinary speed.\n\nHerrera's account is supported primarily by his sworn testimony, contemporaneous text messages with another witness, and a briefing he later provided to the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office. Photographs he claims to have taken were confiscated, and no independent records have surfaced, leaving investigators reliant on personal recollection and secondary reporting.\n\n## Personnel\n\n| Name                                   | Role                      | Affiliation                   | Notes                                                                         |\n| -------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | ----------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Michael Herrera                        | Rifleman, primary witness | USMC 2/5, Echo Co.            | Claims direct observation of craft and security team                          |\n| Five unnamed Marines                   | Squad members             | USMC 2/5                      | Presence corroborated by deployment orders; have declined public comment [^1] |\n| Eight unidentified soldiers            | Ground security           | Alleged US special operations | Black camouflage, no insignia, armed with M4 rifles                           |\n| Air Force lieutenant colonel (unnamed) | Interrogator              | USAF                          | Delivered NDA threat at Camp Hansen                                           |\n| Rear admiral (unnamed)                 | Post-mission debrief      | US Navy                       | Conducted group debrief aboard USS Denver                                     |\n\n## Timeline\n\n| Date                     | Event                                                                                 |\n| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| 30 Sep 2009              | Magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes Padang; 31st MEU retasked to relief operations       |\n| ~08 Oct 2009 (afternoon) | CH-53 inserts Herrera's squad onto ridge overlooking drop zone                        |\n| Same day                 | Squad advances toward unusual metallic object; confrontation with armed security team |\n| Minutes later            | Craft departs silently toward Indian Ocean at estimated >4,000 mph                    |\n| Early Oct 2009           | Camera memory card and batteries removed aboard USS Denver                            |\n| Early Dec 2009           | Herrera signs Top-Secret/SCI nondisclosure agreement at Camp Hansen                   |\n| 09 Jun 2023              | Herrera publicizes story in media interview and briefs AARO [^2]                      |\n\n## Evidence\n\n| Source                                                   | Type                   | Content                                                              | Confidence |\n| -------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- |\n| Herrera testimony                                        | First-person narrative | Detailed description of craft, security detail, and threats          | Subjective |\n| Text thread with fellow Marine                           | Digital message        | Confirms fear of retaliation and presence in Padang                  | Moderate   |\n| USMC service record                                      | Official document      | Verifies Herrera's unit, deployment window, and humanitarian tasking | High       |\n| Media interviews (Daily Mail, Liberation Times) [^1][^3] | Secondary reporting    | Provide contemporaneous quotes and background                        | Variable   |\n| Weaponized podcast episode [^2]                          | Recorded interview     | Expands on geometry and propulsion description                       | Subjective |\n\nNo photographs, video, radar data, or flight logs have been released. All physical evidence remains alleged or classified, limiting external verification.\n\n## Assessment\n\nThe narrative hinges on a single eyewitness and lacks physical corroboration, a pattern familiar in military UFO claims.\n\nSkeptics highlight the logistical difficulty of staging a football-field-sized platform covertly near a city of nearly one million residents, the absence of flight-tracking anomalies, and the trope-like features of black-triangle lore.\n\nUntil imagery, sensor captures, or additional eyewitnesses emerge, the incident remains an unverified testimony rather than an established historical event. [^4][^5][^6]\n\n[^1]: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12177943/Marine-vet-breaks-14-year-silence-make-astonishing-claim-six-man-unit-saw-UFO.html\n\n[^2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTz0yw5C2hA\n\n[^3]: https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/former-us-marine-describes-ufo-sighting-in-indonesia\n\n[^4]: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/13xez8m/former_marine_michael_herrera_ama/\n\n[^5]: https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/4064497/former-marine-claims-mysterious-craft-in-indonesia/\n\n[^6]: https://www.aaro.mil/Portals/136/PDFs/Dr_Jon_Kosloski_Statement_for_the_Record_SASC_Open_Hearing_Nov2024.pdf","readingTime":"3 min read"},"relatedRecords":[],"citation":{"canonicalUrl":"https://disclosdex.com/events/2009-michael-herrera-indonesia-ufo-incident","title":"Michael Herrera Indonesia UFO Incident","publisher":"Disclosdex","retrievedFrom":"https://disclosdex.com/api/v1/events/2009-michael-herrera-indonesia-ufo-incident","license":"CC-BY-4.0"},"witnesses":["Marine Michael Herrera"]}