UFO seen in New Bedford in 1956

Summary

In January 1956, a witness in New Bedford, Massachusetts, observed an airborne object of an elliptical shape, twice the size of a 100-foot water tower. The object, initially red in color, changed to a very bright white. The witness, a 34-year-old painter, saw the object for 2½ minutes, describing it as moving from west to northeast and leaving contrails at 15,000 feet. The sighting was recorded as a ground visual observation, and the responsible officer, Sergeant Lovejoy, considered it likely to be an aircraft due to the contrails.

The clear weather and dusk conditions aided visibility, although no photographs or radar data were involved. Despite the lack of additional data, the reports suggest the object behaved consistently with an aircraft, although its size and color drew attention. The case was classified as "Was Aircraft" and not considered an astronomical phenomenon or a balloon.