New Mexico, 1964, Police Officer Lonnie Zamora was tending to his typical daily routine of ticketing speeders outside the city of Socorro. Zamora found himself in pursuit of a speeding vehicle when he saw something that would change his life forever. The UFO he witnessed that day would later officially be listed in the secretive Project Blue Book as “unknown.” The designation was only afforded to 700 of the 12,000 reports included in the mysterious report. To this day proponents of UAP research point to the Lonnie Zamora Incident as strong evidence of the existence of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Lonnie is, after all, considered a trained observer with an ability to discern the difference between natural aerial phenomena and Unidentified Flying Objects. This is the unbelievable story of the Lonnie Zamora Incident.
The Lonnie Zamora Incident
So, what actually happened that fateful day in 1964? Theories abound, but this is the Lonnie Zamora’s story.
Zamora broke away from a chase after hearing an explosion in the distance followed by seeing smoke on the horizon. He radioed dispatch and described what he heard and saw. After noting that he was going to go investigate the disturbance he began traveling in the direction of the blast.
Upon arrival to the area from which the smoke came, Lonnie abandoned his police cruiser and continued into the desert on foot. Shortly thereafter, he approached a small valley where he saw something he has not been able to explain to this day.
He described a large white craft, similar in size and shape to a propane storage tank. The craft rested on three legs that extended down into the desert floor. On the side of the craft was a red insignia of a horizontal line with an upwards-facing arrow contained under an arch. The most startling feature of the sighting was the beings that he saw enter the craft.
Image provided by Wikipedia.
Lonnie details the beings as two larger than a child, but smaller than adult human-like beings both wearing white suits similar to laboratory equipment. After arriving on the scene the two beings spotted Zamora and quickly rushed back towards their craft. Lonnie Zamora rushed for cover because he expected to be attacked. He heard what sounded like the slamming of a car door and then turned to see some sort of propulsion system lifting the craft vertically from the ground. The craft singed the sand below it as it ascended and then it quickly blasted off towards the horizon line without making a sound.
The Investigation
Immediately following the event a group of other officers arrived on the scene and began surveying the site. Investigators took photographs of the prints left by the lander and of footprints. Also samples of the charred sand from underneath the craft. Quickly after the local investigators arrived on the scene federal officers also arrived on the scene. As expected, the federal agents forced the local officers out of the scene and seized all the evidence.
The investigation was taken over by the Air Force who housed it under the infamous Project Blue Book. Ufologists conclude that this incident is one of the most credible UFO sightings and subsequent extraterrestrial sightings on record. The U.S. air force released a public report on the Lonnie Zamora Incident that made purely natural explanations as to the cause of the sighting. The Project Blue Book team circulated a second report internally. The second report stated that there was no known natural explanation for the event. Furthermore, the report stated that there was no known technology possessed by any country on earth capable of being a responsible explanation for the sighting.
Explanations for the Lonnie Zamora Incident
The Lonnie Zamora incident is host to a slew of explanations. Alien enthusiasts conclude that this was an authentic sighting of alien technology and that Lonnie did, in fact, witness extraterrestrial life forms. Much of mainstream science and media refutes those claims. There are two leading explanations for the event.
First, the sighting was part of a test flight for the lunar lander. At the time of the sighting, NASA was conducting tests for the lunar lander at the White Sands Missile Range. Proponents of this theory claim that Zamora witnessed this test and NASA scientists around the craft on that fateful day in the desert.
Unfortunately, this theory does not hold up to scrutiny. The White Sands Missile Range was 100 miles from the sighting and NASA had never tested the lander outside of the range. Tests of the Lunar Lander were conducted by a helicopter flying the lander to the test location and dropping it to tests its landing capabilities. Zamora would have clearly recognized the presence of a helicopter. The lander looked far different than the craft described by Zamora. The craft also was marked with the recognizable NASA logo.
Other Explanations for the Lonnie Zamora Incident
The second conclusion is slightly more believable. New Mexico Tech’s President was certain that the sighting was a targeted prank conducted by some students at the nearby college. Lonnie Zamora had served as a campus police officer at New Mexico Tech. During his time at the college, he earned a rather negative reputation among the students. The nature of the tech school allowed students access to impressive technologies. Proponents of this theory state that the entire sighting was an elaborate prank on Zamora. This theory does give a strong motive. It, however, fails to explain how the students were able to construct devices capable of such impressive technological feats.
Skeptics have proposed dozens of other theories. The most noteworthy explanations include; a mirage due to heat exhaustion, star formations, secret military technology, and of course a weather balloon.
Conclusion
Due to the credibility of Lonnie Zamora as an observer and the fact that dozens of other people had seen the object across the desert that day, the Lonnie Zamora Incident has long been revered as one of the most credible UFO/UAP sightings in history. Although, opponents of ufology have provided their theories most of them fall short of offering a full explanation of the event. The Project Blue Book Program itself could not offer a sufficient conclusion either. To learn even more about the Lonnie Zamora Incident watch or listen to this episode of Things I Learned Last Night.
Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where best friends Jaron Myers and Tim Stone talk about random topics and have fun all along the way. If you like learning, and laughing a whole lot while you do, then you’ll love TILLN. Watch or listen to this episode right now!
Sources
The Lonnie Zamora Incident – Wikipedia
White Sands Missile Range – Wikipedia
Investigating New Mexico’s Less Famous UFO Landing – CNET
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