1978: Campers in Patapsco State Park view large triangular object

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THINK ABOUTIT UFO SIGHTING REPORT

Date: March 22, 1978

Sighting Time: approximately 11:00 p.m. EST

Day/Night: Night

Location: Patapsco State Park, Maryland

Urban or Rural: -State Park

Hynek Classification: CE-I (Close Encounter I) Observation of an object in close proximity to the witness (i.e. within 500’)

Duration: 30 – 45 seconds

No. of Object(s): 

Height & Speed: very low, approximately 200-250 feet

Size of Object(s): “a quarter the size of a football field” to “150-200 feet on each side”. 

Distance to Object(s):

Shape of Object(s): Triangle

Color of Object(s): “metallic” or “bluish-gray” color, but all four agreed that it had three white lights at the corners and a blinking red light on the top.

Number of Witnesses: Multiple

Source: APRO, April 1978

Summary/Description: Gary Oickle, 24, his brother David, 22, and two friends were camping in Patapsco State Park, when they encountered a huge triangular shaped object with large windows and three white lights at the corners. The object moved very slowly, hovering at times. When it appeared above them it was very low, approximately 200-250 feet, and made a sound like a “quiet wind” or “quietly rushing waterfall”. 

Full Report

By Joe and Doris Graztao

On Wednesday, March 22, 1978 at approximately 11:00 p.m. EST, Gary Oickle, 24, his brother David, 22, and two friends, Barry Smith, 22 and Ken Cabot, 25 were around a campfire talking in Patapsco State Park at the Baltimore & Ohio railroad tunnel. Barry and David were about 50 feet away from the others when they noticed a strange object in the southeastern sky which disappeared over a ridge in the distance. They watched the object for about 10 seconds and could see no particular details except a rough shape. Barry described it as a flat looking object.

They then walked back to the fire to tell the other two about what they had seen when another similar object appeared directly over the four of them from behind a ridge to their north. The object was described as a huge triangular shaped object with large windows and three white lights at the corners. The size was estimated from “a quarter the size of a football field” to “150-200 feet on each side”. The object moved very slowly, hovering at times, in a southeastern direction following the contour of the ridges just above the trees.

When it appeared above them it was very low, approximately 200-250 feet, and made a sound like a “quiet wind” or “quietly rushing waterfall”. The witnesses watched the object for approximately 15 to 20 seconds until it disappeared behind the trees. Three of the witnesses thought they could see the shadow or silhouette of a figure at the windows. Three of the witnesses also reported seeing a bright star-like object in the southern sky immediately after the sighting. Two of them said the star-like object changed colors; blue, green, yellow, red, repeatedly, while the other thought the object may have been a helicopter or something in the distance.

Two of the witnesses thought that the large triangular object had a “metallic” or “bluish-gray” color, but all four agreed that it had three white lights at the corners and a blinking red light on the top.

None of the witnesses were frightened by the experience but, quite the contrary, were very curious and even yelled at the object hoping it would land. All had also read something of UFOs previously but none had seen anything like this before.