SIGHTING: AUSTINBURG, OHIO (UNITED STATES)
Witness Testimony
"Wow! This is the first time I've seen something I can't rationalize away. Having worked in banking in the past, I followed my training when it comes to robbery and applied it in this case. To remember as much detail as possible and keep it to yourself until you can report it to the proper individuals. On this night I had to work overtime on second shift. I take the same route to and from home each time. I was traveling south on Route 45 and just past the intersection of Clay Street heading for Route 307 East, which is my turnoff. The minivan in front of me suddenly braked so I slowed down. Deer crossings are prevelant in my area and so are drunk drivers. I happened to look up and to my left and saw strange lights in the night sky. They were at a diagonal to my left in an NNE-SSW configuration. Seven, if I remember correctly. Three in a "top" row in a fairly uniform line, three in a bottom row not as straight to each other and offset back slightly from the first row, and one more not quite in the middle at the end of the two lines. If you used a line to connect the top and bottom rows it would form a sloppy lightning bolt pattern. At first glance I knew they weren't stars even though they appeared to be stationary. Same general shape, but they were too close and had a reddish-orange tint to them. My mind raced and I thought perhaps someone in town was pointing something like those little hand held laser lights (the type that drives cats crazy when focused on a wall) only of bigger proportion up into the night sky. Which of course is a rediculous conclusion. Then I tried to rationalize it away as someone having strung Christmas lights at the very top of a big tree very early in the season. But the trees still have leaves, the lights were far too big, and their position was much higher than any treetop could reach. When I was almost perpendicular to them I'd estimate that a baby aspirin held at arm's length would cover each individual light. These lights did not flicker or pulse though occasionally one would dim or pass from view for a second due to spotty rain cloud cover. They also did not look to be lights on one larger individual craft. For the first 45 seconds or so that I saw them, however, no clouds obscured my view. Since I was still driving I had to continually keep looking in front of me for oncoming traffic, etc. I'm pretty darn sure I wasn't the only one to witness this event as both the minivan in front of me and oncoming traffic had slowed considerably from 45mph to about 15-20mph. This is very unusual on this State Route. Local and state law enforcement agencies frequently have squad cars with radar positioned near this intersection to try and reduce the number of speed demons flying through the area. (Also, once we'd both turned left onto Route 307 East, the minivan pulled over into a parking lot and the driver appeared to be dialing a call while looking up at the lights.) Before that turn, I then noticed another light of the exact same type in the same diagonal path further south and to my right, and to the right of Route 45. But this one was moving! Then further behind it, yet another. They were on an intersect path with the stationary lights. I did not hear any sound, but that's because I had the radio on and, unfortunately, the automatic window motors on my car died long ago so I couldn't roll the windows down. Even so, if those had been military helicopters (which do fly over quite frequently) I'd have heard them. Nothing stealthy about the ones that fly over these parts and seven of them hovering in place would have woke the entire area. Windows would have rattled. What the heck I just saw - I don't know, but a rational explanation I could believe in wouldn't hurt my feelings any. How did I feel throughout and later? Once I dismissed the notion of lasers and tree lights, a little bit of fear set in (thanks to the movie Independence Day and worry over world affairs at this moment) along with wondering if I was being a little overboard. Then when I saw the two fast moving, identical in nature objects heading for the formation, I was stunned. It confirmed to me that the original lights were not something easily explained away. Today, I'm still a bit stunned and curious as heck. I chose not to report this sighting to local authorities. I have an inlaw running for re-election in this county and the last thing he needs is for his opponent to find out and twist this thing to his advantage."
