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This 217-page Project Blue Book desk file on the 24 April 1964 Socorro, New Mexico sighting by policeman Lonnie Zamora comes from the Rob Mercer collection. It contains the Blue Book record card, which carries the case as unidentified pending more data, along with Foreign Technology Division messages and resumes and a narrative of the sighting. It also holds inquiries about lunar modules, helicopters and VTOL craft, soil and radiation findings, and a letter by J. Allen Hynek rejecting Donald Menzel's hoax hypothesis.
NARRATIVE OF SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO SIGHTll~G 1 24 APRIL 1964 .. Shortly after 5:30 pm on Friday 1 24 .April 1964 Sgt Lonnie Zamora ot the ~orro Police Department was chasing a speeding auto North on U S 85 in the line of duty. ~lhile in pursuit he heard a roar and saw flames in an area were a dynamite shack ~ known to be located. He aVandoned chase of the auto and proceeded to vhere he thought an explosion had occurred. In order to reach this spot he had to travel a little-used road over several hills and gullies. Af"ter two or three ef:forts to drive his car up a gravel-covered incline be reached a crest Vhere the object ~~ visible. At this point, Boo :ft :f'ro:n the object, he observed what he thought to be a car overturned snd standing on its end. '!here were one or t\10 objects described as coveralls 'Which he assumed to be occupants of the vehicle. He radioed in to police head<!-!arters that he vas proceeding to investigate a 10-74 (auto accident). Proceeding up the road to a point about 150 ft 1'rom the gully where the object was, he stopped the car, got out, and headed toward the object. The object vas on girderlike legs, white (not chrome) and egg shaped or oval. ft1l he approached the object there were some noises and flame and smoke began to come from the bottom of the vehicle. '!be noise increased :from low pitch to high pitch, was different i'rorn that of a jet or helo nnd not like any- thing Sgt Zamora h.nd. ever heard. The flame ws blue like a welders torch, turning to orange or yellow at the ends. 'Ibinking that the object was going to explode he became frightened. The time was . approx:l.mately 1745 (1 1/2 hours before sunset), the sun w..s to his back, slightly to the right. He turned, ran back to get behind the police car, bumping his leg and losing his glasees on the way. He eroucbed down, shielding his eyes with his arm "nile the noise con- tinued for another 10 seconds. At this time the noise stopped and he looked up. '!he object had risen to e. point about 15-20 :ft above the ground and the flame and smoke had censed to come from the object. 'Ihe object had a red marking about 1 tt or maybe 1.8 inches in height, shaped like a crescent 'With a vertical arrov and horizontal line underneath. '!he object hovered in this spot tor several seconds end then flev off in a SW direction following the contour of the gully. It cleared the dynamite shack by not more than 3 ft. He watched the object disappear in the distance over a point. on Highway 85 about 6 miles fran where he vas standing. The object took about 3 minutes to travel that far. Disappearance was by fading in the distance and at no time did h~ observe the obJec~ to rise more than 20 ft ott the ground. \bile proceeding to the location when the object vas assumed to be an auto Sgt Zamora vas in radio contact with police headquarters. 'lhe State Police use the same network and his call va.s monitored by Sgt Chavez ot the Nev J.tex1co State Police. Sgt Zamora attemptedRob Mercer
Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 217 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.