Updated: 07/19/2010

Sightings Archive — 2000

The following incidents were among the sightings of alleged UFOs and the Unusual reported to researcher Stan Gordon throughout Pennsylvania and neighboring states (when available). These cases have come to Stan Gordon’s attention from various sources. Many sightings that have already been identified as natural or manmade in origin are not listed. Some of these reports are still being investigated.

January 1, 2000
Pittsburgh, PA suburb

At 2:30 A.M. several law enforcement officers observed 3 round, very dull reddish brown objects that moved from west to east. The objects were not illuminated, and were about the size of a fingertip at arms length. The objects were moving slowly, and were seen for well over a minute as they drifted out of sight towards the east.

January 14, 2000
Derry, PA

A family traveling near Derry around 6 P.M., observed five lights in the sky towards the northeast. The observers pulled off the road to observe these lights which were moving slowly, and appeared to be about 200 feet above the ground and moving southwest.

January 26, 2000
Irwin, PA

Some young children ran out from their bedroom after seeing flashing lights through their window. They reportedly saw streaks of light moving around in the sky towards the White Oak area.

Later a yellow saucer shaped object which glowed bright in the sky was reported.

March 13, 2000
Rostraver, PA

Witness reported seeing a wide beam of light in the sky.

March 24, 2000
Jeannette, PA

A witness traveling on the Hutchinson Bypass reported seeing what appeared to be a meteor that appeared to be moving straight across the sky, but then appeared to slow down, then make an arc, and moved downward. The slower the object got, the brighter it appeared. The tail of the object appeared to go back and forth. The object itself was bright yellow with some white coloring.

March 26, 2000
Pittsburgh, PA suburb

At 10:45 P.M., two people observed a triangular shaped object moving across the sky at a steady pace and at a high altitude. According to one witness “the object had to be huge” since it was very high up, but could clearly be seen as it blocked out a portion of the clear sky as it moved. The triangular shape was defined by a number of grayish-white, non-blinking lights which all moved together. There were no lights on the two back corners of the triangular shape. The object was observed for about 10 seconds as it moved northeast. No sound was heard while it was under observation.

March 30, 2000
Pittsburgh, PA suburb

A man reported seeing a bright white light in the sky at about 8:23 P.M. The object which appeared to be possibly circular or semi-circular in shape also appeared stationary. Suddenly the light moved straight up into the sky and “winked out.” The observation lasted about 5-10 seconds, and no sound was apparent.

March 30, 2000
Gans, PA (Fayette County)

The following report has been received from UFO researcher Jim Brown.

“Two separate reports were received of a bright light very low over the Chestnut Ridge visible from the Gans area. Witnesses were interviewed, both put the time at around 10:30 P.M. They described

a bright white light, stationary, very close to or possibly on the ground near the top of the ridge. One witness has an interest in astronomy and described it as much brighter than the planet Venus. Maps show no road in that area. Due to the distance from their vantage point (approx. 2 mi.) No details were observed. The light was present for about 10 minutes then simply vanished. No movement was reported. No sounds heard.”

Investigator comments: “Given the limited information from witnesses, it is impossible to rule out conventional sources such as someone in the woods with a light, off road vehicle,etc. Due to distances involved however, such a light source would have to be very strong. A flashlight would not be sufficient to account for the intensity.”

April 25, 2000
Unusual Light Seen in Northern PA, Eastern OH

by Scott Corrales

At 9:55 PM on April 25th I received a call from a woman identifying herself only as "Flo from Smethport" (county seat of McKean county, PA) reporting a strange object that could be seen to the West/South West of her position in Smethport. She described it as "balls of green, blue and red light" visible through binoculars and which, at the time of the call had already been in the air for 2 hours (her estimate). According to Flo, her son in Kane, PA (some 28 miles from Bradford) was also seeing the same multicolored object (unclear if through binoculars or unaided) also in the same direction. A neighbor had pointed a telescope at the object and said it looked like "a fireball".

At 10:00 p.m., while still on the phone with Flo, I retrieved my own set of binoculars (Bushnell 10 x 50, 288 Ft. @ 1000 yds.) and was able to see the object in question in a West/South West direction from my own vantage point in Bradford. Seen through lenses, the object resembled an elliptical "ring of lights" flashing blue,,green, red and white. The center of the ring appeared to be hollow.

At 10:05 p.m. a call was placed to UFO researcher Stan Gordon in Greensburg, PA and the object was described to him over the phone. At that moment, the elliptical "ring of lights" could now be seen edgewise-on as a strip of flashing lights (blue, green, red and white). It never returned to its "sideways" position which made it appear as a ring.

Five minutes later, the object looked more like an artist's concept of a star – a bright point of lights with rays shooting off above and below and to the sides, thus:

Leaving my second-story vantage point, I went outside to make sure that light diffraction on the window was not the cause of the objects characteristics. At 10:15 p.m., when trying to get a fix on it from my porch, I noticed the object was gone. Returning to the second floor, this was confirmed. Flo called later (10:18 p.m.?) to say that her brother in Geneva, Ohio (roughly 156 miles away) was seeing the same object but to the north. This could not be corroborated given Bradford's position within a mountain valley. A call was placed to Stan Gordon at 10:25 p.m. to report these last developments.

At no time did the object look like a solid craft or spaceship. It seemed distant and extra-atmospheric, looking for all purposes like the patterns created in rock and roll laser shows (such as the famous "LaserFloyd" Pink Floyd show at NYC's Laserium).

Flo from Smethport" refused to give me her surname and/or particulars, only saying that she had called the state police before calling me as well as the newspaper, which promised to run the story if corroboration for the sighting could be found.

April 28, 2000
Smithdale, PA

At 4:45 A.M. witness saw a dull orange star like object, moving steadily across the sky. The silent object appeared to glow from the back area.

April 29, 2000
Racoon Park, PA-Beaver County

Several witnesses around 10 P.M. observed 3 white non-blinking lights in triangular configuration, moving slowly through the sky. When this formation passed the stars, the stars could not be seen until the object moved off. This suggested to the observers, that there was a solid form in between the lights. (Via NUFORC).

May 18, 2000
Brookville, PA

Witness reported to NUFORC that he was traveling on I-80 when he and other travelers observed a diamond shaped object with many small white lights, low in the sky.

May 23, 2000
Delmont, PA

A family living in a rural area outside of this community, reported an odd depression which appeared in a nearby field, between 12 and 3 P.M. on this date. The field appeared normal that morning. The rye-grass which had stood between 6 and 7 feet tall, was generally knocked flat to the ground. The affected area, was that of an irregular oval shape, and was approximately 32 feet across at the widest point. This location in the field can't be seen from the roadway, and there were no tracks going in or out of that area. This is not a crop circle, but it appears that this grass area was pressed down by some higher force. A check with the National Weather Service indicated that there were no weather conditions in the area to account for this odd occurrence.

June 09, 2000
Bigfoot Sighting Reported in Westmoreland County, PA

On June 10, 2000, Eric Altman, Director of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society, received an e-mail from a woman who claimed to have seen a Bigfoot the day before. At approximately 7 A.M. on June 9, the witness was traveling east on Route 30 between Jeannette and Greensburg, Pennsylvania in Westmoreland county when the observation reportedly occurred. The lady had left her home early that morning and was enroute to her job. She had slowed down to look at a car that was for sale and was looking towards the right side. Seconds later her attention was drawn to a large dark manlike creature, which was standing on a back road which was surrounded by woods.

While the observation only lasted about 15-20 seconds, the witness saw the creature cross the road, and enter into a nearby wooded area. The woman estimated that the creature stood about 6-7 feet tall, and weighed approximately 300-400pounds. The witness states that she slammed on her brakes as soon as she saw the creature, but it could no longer be seen. The lady was so upset after the observation that she pulled off the road. She-later continued onto work but didn't tell anyone about what she had seen. She said that she was disturbed all day as a result of her experience, but waited until she got home to tell her daughter about what she had observed. The witness and her daughter discussed the possibility of reporting the encounter, but they didn't want to call the police. The witness located Eric through his web site.

Eric contacted me soon after he received the sighting report. On June 13, Eric and I met the witness and conducted an interview with her. We also accompanied the woman to the scene of the sighting so that we could get a better understanding of what had occurred. Eric had also invited another Bigfoot witness whom he is familiar with to accompany us. During the interview more information about the incident came forward.

The woman indicated that she was driving slowly along Route 30 at approximately 20-25miles per hour. When the witness noticed the creature, it was approximately 300 feet away. It was standing sideways in a "hunched position on the back road, looking west towards the woods ahead. As the witness watched, the creature turned its head and looked towards the highway, then took two or three long strides and stepped into the thick woods where it was lost from sight. The woman stated that the creature was manlike and covered with long black hair. While no facial features could be determined, the head seemed somewhat oval in shape, and there was very little neck apparent. There was hair hanging down from the chin, and the hair appeared thinner on the arms. The arms hung down at the sides of the creature, and they appeared long, and extended down to almost the knees.

The chest area appeared larger than the area around the abdomen. The physical detail which stood out to the witness, was that the legs appeared extremely long in comparison to the rest of the body. The legs were thin and covered with hair. After the interview, we went to the location of the sighting. Eric's friend made a good subject for the witness to compare with, in regard to the size of the creature. This gentleman is about 6'2" tall, and weighs about 325 pounds. Eric and the witness and I stayed near the top of the hill towards the highway, while this man went down the road to stand at the approximate spot where the creature reportedly stood. The witness was amazed when she realized that this man looked small in comparison to the creature. She now estimates that the creature would have been around 8 feet tall. The witness says that she is reluctant to tell others about her sighting. This lady never believed in such accounts until she had her own encounter.

Additional Notes:
Eric and some of his associates looked over the area in the vicinity of where the creature was seen for any signs of tracks or other physical evidence. It is my understanding that nothing conclusive was found. During the 1970's and 1980's, I investigated numerous Bigfoot sightings within a few miles of where this observation reportedly took place.

Stan Gordon

June 20, 2000
Pittsburgh, PA

This family has a lot of woods behind their home. The husband was up late watching TV, when at about 2:30 A.M., his backyard suddenly lit up like daylight. He went outside to see what had happened. Approximately 2500 feet above the ground, and moving over the house was an unusual object. The object which was described as silver-white, had 8 large lights. These lights were grouped in threes which formed triangular configurations. While the triangles appeared to be together, the witness states that they were not all on the same geometric plane. The man ran inside to wake up his wife. Upon returning outside, they both saw the object still moving easterly. "It was about at this time that two of the triangles began to rotate to form a different geometric plane with the third. Then two smoke or exhaust trails were emitted in a circular motion above the craft. About this time, the craft disappeared from our line of sight. Within a minute or two, the smoke/exhaust also disappeared."

August 3, 2000
Gliding Entity Reported. In Pennsylvania

This past August I was contacted by the friend of a primary witness who was involved in this reported encounter. The witness agreed to speak with me confidentially about the incident. I had the opportunity to interview him twice by phone, and plans were underway so that a first hand interview could be set up with those involved. An investigation at the sighting location was also to take place. Unfortunately due to a family emergency, I was unable to continue my involvement, and the investigation was taken over by researcher Jim Brown, who has investigated many UFO cases in Fayette County.

The following is a summarized report on the event that has been forwarded by Jim Brown.:

Five witnesses observed what they described as an alien "glide" across a field near Uniontown, Pa. The sighting occurred on August 3, 2000 about 10:00 P.M. The witnesses describe the being as about 5 feet tall with long slender extremities. It carried a brown "staff" about 5 feet long. It was observed for about a minute from a distance of about 250 feet. No apparent disturbances to the area around the being were reported. The creature appeared to glide about 6 inches above the ground, according to the witnesses. Weather conditions were cool and clear with no wind. No sounds were reported, and witnesses commented on it seeming abnormally quiet at the time. Crickets and other normal background noises were absent.

The witnesses lost sight of the being when they drove a short distance up the road to an area which they thought would offer a better view, only about 75 to 100 feet from where the being was seen. A small knoll obstructed their view as they drove. When they got to the closer location, the being was gone. The witnesses returned home after there encounter. They reported no serious effects from their sighting, although three of them did claim to be very tired the next day.

I visited the site along with four of the witnesses almost three weeks after the event as this was the earliest we could get together. No physical evidence was found, although the terrain does match the witness reports regarding roads and points of observation. The case is still open and investigation continues.

J. Brown-Investigator

September 19, 2000
Strange Lights Frighten Driver in Pennsylvania

I recently interviewed a witness who reported a UFO sighting which occurred on September 19, 2000, between 4:30 and 4:45 A.M. in a rural area outside of Marysville, Pennsylvania. While I am awaiting further details, what I have learned initially is that the witness commonly travels through this area on the way to work. The location of the sighting was described as a valley with fields surrounded by mountains. From approximately a mile away, the driver observed "what looked like stadium lights over an open field." This observer knew that no such lights were located in that area.

As the witness continued to watch, at one point the car window was lowered, but no sound could be heard. What the observer described seeing were two very large round lights. These lights were white in color, non-blinking, and were very brilliant. According to the witness, this luminous source was extremely large and was estimated as being as long as a football field. At first it seemed as though this was one object, but it became apparent that there were two separate lights positioned side by side.

The lights were quite low in altitude, motionless over the field, and according to the driver, the illumination from the lights "lit up the whole sky." The witness proceeded down the road for a distance, then returned several minutes later, but the lights could no longer be seen. This observer indicated that this was a very frightening experience. During the time of the observation, another vehicle came up the road. The witness is hopeful that driver of the other car will also report this event.

There have been numerous UFO sightings reported during August and September, 2000, from across Pennsylvania. Both the National UFO Reporting Center, and myself have been receiving these reports. Besides UFO encounters, other strange incidents have also come to my attention from across the state. I will be releasing further information as investigative reports become available.

Stan Gordon

October 15, 2000
New Castle, PA-(Via NUFORC)

Witness reported an object with blinking lights on the top and bottom. It stayed in one place, and then moved quickly back and forth. It then moved slowly south, where it dropped a white ball of light to the ground.

October 30, 2000
Latrobe, PA

At approximately 6:27 P.M., the witness involved was driving on Rt. 982 in the direction of Bradenville. As this driver looked upwards through the windshield, she observed a huge round solid blue light which appeared solid, but was engulfed in a haze or fog. The silent object appeared motionless for a couple of seconds, then suddenly "took off at the speed of an f-16" and in seconds had gone into the clear sky and was no longer seen. The witness said the best way she could estimate the size is that it looked to her “to be the size of a 5 ft. round kiddie pool." The object reported very low in altitude, estimated to be about 60 feet high, and much to low for an aircraft landing at Arnold Palmer Airport. The witness is certain that other motorists saw the object since the traffic was slowing down as it passed over.

November 5, 2000
Latrobe, PA

Observer reported at 12:40 A.M. observing a huge luminous object which was described as looking like a lamp shade and appeared to be higher than wide. The object moved from the SW to NE.

November 10, 2000
Latrobe, PA

Traveling near the city, the witness observed a bluish-yellow object descending from the sky and giving the impression it was going to fall nearby.

November 17,2000
Irwin, PA

Red and white lights spinning fast as they moved west to east across the sky. The lights would spin and stop independently in a pattern of 1-2-3-stop- 1-2-3-stop until they moved out of sight in about 15 seconds.

December 9, 2000
Beaver, PA

The witness was driving north in Brighton Twp., and reports seeing a large triangular object. (NUFORC and direct report)