Lonnie Zamora incident facts for kids
The Lonnie Zamora incident is a famous story about a possible UFO sighting. It happened on April 24, 1964, near Socorro, New Mexico. A police officer named Lonnie Zamora said he saw a shiny object with two people nearby. He claimed the object then flew into the sky with a loud roar and a bright flame.
This event got a lot of attention from news reporters and people who study UFOs. Even the U.S. Air Force's Project Blue Book looked into it. They listed the case as "unknown," meaning they couldn't explain it. Some people thought it might have been a test of a lunar lander from White Sands Missile Range. Others believed it was a prank by students from New Mexico Tech.
Quick facts for kids
Lonnie Zamora
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|---|---|
| Born |
Lonnie Zamora
7 September 1933 |
| Died | 2 November 2009 (aged 76) |
| Occupation | Police officer |
Contents
What Lonnie Zamora Saw
Lonnie Zamora was a police officer in Socorro, New Mexico. On April 24, 1964, he was chasing a speeding car. Suddenly, he heard a loud roar. He also saw a bright flame in the sky, about half a mile away.
The Shiny Object
Officer Zamora thought a nearby dynamite storage building might have exploded. So, he stopped chasing the car to investigate. He then saw a shiny object about 150 to 200 yards away. At first, he thought it was an overturned white car.
He described the object as "like aluminum" and "whitish." It was shaped like the letter "O." He also saw two people standing next to the object. They were wearing white coveralls. Zamora said they looked "normal in shape," maybe like small adults or large kids.
The Object Flies Away
Suddenly, Zamora heard another roar. He saw a blue and orange flame under the object. Then, the object quickly rose into the air and flew away. This strange event became known as the Lonnie Zamora incident.
What Happened After the Sighting?
Many people became interested in Lonnie Zamora's story. Both government groups and UFO researchers looked into what he claimed to have seen.
Investigations and Ideas
The U.S. Air Force's Project Blue Book investigated the incident. They couldn't find a normal explanation for what Zamora saw. Because of this, many UFO groups believe it's one of the most believable UFO sightings ever.
However, others had different ideas. Some thought it might have been a test of a lunar landing device. This test would have been done by people from the White Sands Missile Range. Another idea was that students from New Mexico Tech played a trick. The president of New Mexico Tech at the time, Stirling Colgate, even thought students might have been responsible. He suggested the object was "A candle in a balloon."
Some people, like UFO skeptic Steuart Campbell, thought Zamora might have seen a mirage. A mirage is like an optical illusion. Campbell suggested it could have been a mirage of the bright star Canopus.
The Site and Zamora's Life
In 1966, the local Chamber of Commerce wanted to make the sighting spot a tourist attraction. They built stone walkways and benches there. But they built them about a quarter mile from the actual spot. This was because of rumors that the original site was unsafe.
Years later, in 2012, Socorro city officials honored the event. They asked an artist named Erika Burleigh to paint a mural about Zamora's sighting.
Lonnie Zamora eventually grew tired of talking about the incident. He avoided both UFO researchers and the Air Force. He took a job managing a gasoline station. Lonnie Zamora passed away on November 2, 2009, in Socorro, at the age of 76.
