Exeter Incident
High-profile UFO sighting in Exeter, New Hampshire, on September 3, 1965, involving multiple witnesses including police officers and documented in John G. Fuller's influential book 'Incident at Exeter.'
The Exeter incident began when 18-year-old Norman Muscarello reported seeing a large, silent object with bright red lights hovering over a farmhouse near Route 150 in Exeter, New Hampshire. The object allegedly moved erratically and caused animals to panic before disappearing. Police officer Eugene Bertrand initially dismissed the report but later observed similar phenomena.
Officer Bertrand and colleague David Hunt accompanied Muscarello back to the location, where all three witnesses reported seeing a large object with pulsating red lights rise from behind trees and hover silently over an open field. The object allegedly moved in a falling-leaf pattern before departing at high speed.
The case gained national attention when journalist John G. Fuller investigated and published "Incident at Exeter" in 1966, which became a bestselling book and helped establish the incident as a classic UFO case. Fuller interviewed numerous local residents who reported similar sightings in the area during the same time period.
The Air Force initially classified the sightings as "unidentified" but later attributed them to a military refueling exercise called "Big Blast," conducted from Pease Air Force Base. Critics note timing discrepancies between the exercise and reported sightings, while skeptics suggest astronomical objects or conventional aircraft as explanations.
A related topic is Project Blue Book.
Bibliography:
- Fuller, John G. *Incident at Exeter*. 1966.
- Project Blue Book File on Exeter Incident. 1965.
- Klass, Philip J. *UFOs Explained*. 1974.
- Randles, Jenny, and Peter Warrington. *UFOs: A British Viewpoint*. 1979.
— EC