On September 3, 1965, a series of highly publicized UFO sightings occurred near Exeter, New Hampshire, primarily involving teenager Norman Muscarello and two police officers, Eugene Bertrand and David Hunt. Witnesses reported a large, silent object with pulsating red lights that performed unusual maneuvers and evaded conventional explanation.1 The incident garnered significant national attention and remains one of the most well-documented and debated UFO cases in history, officially listed as unexplained by the U.S. Air Force.2
The Initial Encounter
The events began when a woman reported to Officer Eugene Bertrand that a flying object with red flashing lights had chased her car. Hours later, at 2:24 AM, Norman Muscarello, hitchhiking home, burst into the Exeter police station, visibly shaken. He described seeing a group of five bright, pulsating red lights, as large as a house, hovering silently over a field. The lights moved at a 60-degree angle, illuminating the area, and at one point, seemed to come so close that he jumped into a ditch.3
Police Confirmation and Investigation
Officer Bertrand, accompanied by Muscarello, returned to the site and also witnessed a "huge, dark object as big as a barn... with red flashing lights on it" that moved silently. He radioed for assistance, and Officer David Hunt arrived, also witnessing the lights before they disappeared.4 The sightings were investigated by the U.S. Air Force's Project Blue Book. While the Air Force suggested explanations such as planes from a training exercise or a mirage caused by a temperature inversion, these were largely disputed by the witnesses, particularly Officer Bertrand, who noted the timing did not align with the exercise.5
Legacy and Debate
The Exeter incident is notable for involving multiple credible witnesses, including law enforcement officers, and for the consistent description of the object's unusual behavior. Despite skeptical explanations, such as the flashing lights matching the pattern of a KC-97 refueling tanker's underbelly lights, the case remains officially unexplained.6 The event continues to be a subject of intense interest and is commemorated annually by the Exeter UFO Festival, solidifying its place in UFO lore.7