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The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) issued this case resolution on 20 March 2025 for "The Puerto Rico Object," infrared video recorded on April 26, 2013 by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft over Rafael Hernandez Airport near Aguadilla. AARO assesses with high confidence that the video shows two objects drifting at wind speed over land, with no anomalous or transmedium behavior. It attributes their apparent vanishing into the ocean to thermal crossover and concludes with moderate confidence that they were sky lanterns.
“Puerto Rico Object”1 page
UNCLASSIFIED 1 UNCLASSIFIED All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) U.S. Department of Defense Case: “The Puerto Rico Object” Case Resolution | 20 March 2025 Case Synopsis Location: Puerto Rico Date: April 26, 2013 Object Altitude (Reported): N/A Object Altitude (Assessed): 656 ft Object Speed (Reported): N/A Object Speed (Assessed): 8 mph Object Shape (Reported): N/A Object Shape (Assessed): Indistinct Reporter: Publicly available media, originally recorded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Data Type: Infrared Reported Behavior: Split or replicated; transmedium behavior. Assessed Behavior: The objects did not demonstrate anomalous performance characteristics. Confidence: High confidence that the objects did not demonstrate anomalous performance characteristics. Moderate confidence that the objects were a pair of sky lanterns. 25-P-0553 AARO Assessment and Case Status: AARO assesses with high confidence1 that the objects did not exhibit anomalous behavior or transmedium capabilities. AARO assesses with moderate confidence that the objects were a pair of sky lanterns. Case Overview On April 26, 2013, an infrared (IR) sensor onboard a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) De Havilland Canada 8 aircraft flying above Rafael Hernandez Airport near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico captured thermal video footage of two objects drifting at wind speed and direction. The objects appeared to move at a high rate of speed over the airport and surrounding area before separating from one another. The objects seemed to enter, exit, and disappear into the Atlantic Ocean off Puerto Rico's northwestern coast. During the encounter, the CBP aircraft flew in an arc around the Rafael Hernandez Airport, gaining approximately 1,725 feet in altitude before losing sensor contact with the objects at 3,600 feet. The aircraft entered a layer of scattered clouds as it passed 3,000 feet in altitude. These clouds partially obscured the sensor's view, potentially affecting the objects’ sensor return. The range between the aircraft and the objects nearly tripled during the encounter. These factors contribute to the
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