THINK ABOUTIT UFO SIGHTING REPORT
Date: August 13 1985
Sighting Time:
Day/Night: dusk
Location: Eau Claire Wisconsin
Urban or Rural: – Rural
No. of Entity(‘s): 0
Entity Type: n/a
Entity Description: n/a
Hynek Classification: CE-I (Close Encounter I) Observation of an object in close proximity to the witness (i.e. within 500’)
Duration: Not explicitly stated, but the encounter occurred during a drive at dusk.
No. of Object(s): 1
Height & Speed: Low altitude / 20-25 mph (The witness described the object as “so low” they thought it would crash and noted their own vehicle speed as 20-25 mph while coming broadside to the craft).
Size of Object(s): 100 yards or better in length
Distance to Object(s): Extremely close (“I know that I could have hit it with a slingshot”).
Shape of Object(s): cylindrical
Color/Description of Object(s): cylindrical and the front, the rear and left and right portions appeared like airliner fuselages. This was evident because the bottom was dark and became lighter and lighter as we viewed toward the top of the craft where it was very bright. We did not see any windows or otherwise distinguishing characteristics. The object looked like two cigars intersecting each other at 90-degree angles.”
Number of Witnesses: 3
Source: MUFON Case 72184
Summary/Description: The event occurred on August 13, 1985, while the witness was traveling along, County Trunk E (Cameron Street) with a friend. “I commented to my friend that oncoming traffic was extremely fast- around 75 to 80 mph,” the witness stated. “Normal speed limit is 55 mph. As we passed westbound Kane Road I noticed an Eau Claire County squad car parked on the wrong side of the road with its red lights flashing.” The time was about dusk so the witness got a good look at the officer with his hands up to his face using what appeared to be binoculars looking to the western sky.
“I thought that was strange right off the bat.”
But then the witness encountered the object that the officer was apparently looking at. “As we traveled over a hill we noticed two lights coming at us from a distance. The lights were quite bright and on the right and left outboard portions of the object. I commented at how low it was. I further commented that I thought it was going to crash.” As the witness closed on the distance between vehicles, they were concerned that the unknown object was going to crash on top of them. “We were at about 20-25 mph at this time. We came broadside to the UFO. It stopped in the sky at an angle to us. I opened the car door and looked from the extreme front to the extreme rear – approximately 100 yards or better in length. It was suspended without the nose at about a 60-degree angle from our position. I know that I could have hit it with a slingshot.”
The witness described the object.
“We could also see that the craft was cylindrical and the front, the rear, and left and right portions appeared like airliner fuselages. This was evident because the bottom was dark and became lighter and lighter as we viewed toward the top of the craft where it was very bright. We did not see any windows or otherwise distinguishing characteristics. The object looked like two cigars intersecting each other at 90-degree angles.”
As darkness set in, two lights along the outboard portions of the craft came on. “There wasn’t any noise, but you could feel the energy in the atmosphere. Nighttime became bright daylight over a pond just off the road. I commented that it was a UFO and she – my friend – floored our Trans Am a few miles to get home. She had tears streaming from her eyes as I was telling her to stop the car. When we got home I grabbed my camera and returned to the scene, but it was gone.
” The witness has never forgotten what happened that evening in 1985.“I got to thinking about it after the years and after seeing your shows. I called our local airport (Eau Claire Municipal Airport) and they stated that there wasn’t any traffic at that time. Not to mention that our airliner jet traffic had ceased several years before this incident. Okay. Maybe so as far as nothing on their screen. I called our local sheriff’s department and they said that nothing had been reported. A few weeks back I am thinking that not only us two had seen this craft. Someone radioed the deputy to pull over on the overpass and look to the west. That was not by coincidence. Thought this may be of interest to you.”
Researcher’s Notes: The Intersecting Cigar Morphology
The Eau Claire sighting is a standout case due to the specific “intersecting cigar” or cross-shaped description of the craft:
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Atypical Geometry: While cylindrical “cigar” UFOs were common in the mid-1980s, the “90-degree intersection” reported by the three witnesses is rare. This suggests a modular or multi-fuselage design that defies standard aeronautical engineering of the era.
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The Police Connection: The witness observed an Eau Claire County squad car parked with flashing lights, with an officer observing the sky through binoculars. Although the Sheriff’s Department later claimed no reports were filed, the witness’s observation strongly implies official awareness of the object in real-time.
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Atmospheric Energy: The report mentions a “feeling of energy in the atmosphere” and the craft’s ability to turn night into daylight over a local pond. These details are consistent with high-energy plasma or electromagnetic propulsion systems often associated with Close Encounters of the First Kind.
The August 1985 encounter near Eau Claire remains a compelling mystery due to the sheer size of the object—estimated at over 100 yards long—and its total silence. The witness’s conviction was so strong that they attempted to return to the scene with a camera, a common reaction for those who have experienced a profound UFO encounter.
Despite the lack of radar confirmation from the Eau Claire Municipal Airport, the consistency of the three witnesses’ testimonies and the corroborating behavior of the local police deputy suggest that a physical, massive, and highly advanced craft was indeed operating at low altitude over Wisconsin that evening. This case, archived as MUFON Case 72184, continues to serve as a significant data point in the study of cylindrical aerial phenomena.
