New York City, New York UFO Sighting (November 9, 1950) — FBI Files
An FBI report from November 9, 1950, details a massive, maneuvering circular object observed over New York City by a chemical engineer.
Historical Context of the Post-War Era
The period following the Second World War was characterized by a heightened state of global tension and a rapid advancement in aeronautical technology. As the Cold War began to solidify, the United States government maintained a heightened state of vigilance regarding any unidentified aerial phenomena that could represent a breach of national airspace. This era saw a significant increase in reports of unidentified flying objects, often referred to as “flying saucers,” following high-profile incidents such as the Kenneth Arnold sighting in June 1947 and the Roswell incident in July 1947. During this time, the public and the military were increasingly preoccupied with the possibility of advanced, unidentifiable craft operating within domestic borders.
The administrative handling of such reports was standardized through various federal agencies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) played a critical role in documenting these occurrences. Under established protocols designed to protect vital installations and national security interests, various field offices—including those in Knoxville, Albuquerque, and Los Angeles—were tasked with routing UFO reports to the Bureau’s headquarters. This centralized system ensured that any aerial anomaly that could potentially threaten sensitive infrastructure was cataloged and scrutinized by federal investigators.
The November 9, 1950, Incident
On November 9, 1950, an unidentified-object incident occurred in New York City, New York. The details of this event remained largely shielded from the public eye for decades, only becoming accessible through the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE), which released the documents on May 8, 2026. The primary observer recorded in the file was Mr. Hitchens, a chemical engineer. His professional background in science provided a framework for his observations, as he attempted to apply physical parameters to the phenomenon he witnessed.
Mr. Hitchens observed a circular object traversing the sky, estimating its velocity to be between 400 and 700 miles per hour. According to the documentation, the object exhibited highly irregular flight patterns, appearing to change direction multiple times throughout the sighting. The file specifically notes that the object “had seemed to back up and go forward, possibly two or three times in order to execute a change of direction.” Furthermore, the observer noted that the object left no visible trail or exhaust, distinguishing it from the conventional aircraft of the era.
A significant portion of the report focuses on the perceived scale of the object. Mr. Hitchens explicitly ruled out the planet Venus as a potential explanation for the sighting, asserting that the object’s dimensions were far greater than any known celestial body. He estimated the size of the object as being ten times the diameter of Venus. While the released document does not specify the total number of witnesses present during the event, the presence of figures or beings associated with the object is included in the case details.
Investigative Status and Scientific Ambiguity
The official status of this case remains unresolved. Under the guidelines of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), all records released through the PURSME program are designated as unresolved by default. The federal government has maintained a position of neutrality regarding the November 9 incident, neither concluding that the event was anomalous nor confirming that it was the result of conventional means.
In the broader context of mid-century aerial sightings, investigators frequently weighed unidentified objects against several known phenomena. Conventional candidates for such sightings during the 1950s included experimental high-altitude aircraft, weather balloons, and atmospheric optical phenomena like sundogs or lenticular clouds. Specifically, the Project Mogul series of high-altitude balloons, designed to detect Soviet nuclear tests, was a known presence in the atmosphere during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Additionally, astronomical objects such as the Moon, meteors near the horizon, or the planet Venus were frequently scrutinized. However, the specific maneuvers and the immense scale described by Mr. Hitchens in the New York City report continue to place this case outside the scope of easily categorized conventional explanations.