The Lonnie Zamora Incident

On April 24, 1964, Socorro, New Mexico, police officer Lonnie Zamora witnessed a landed UFO and two small beings near the craft. The encounter left physical evidence including burned vegetation and landing marks. The case was investigated by the Air Force’s Project Blue Book, which found it credible and unexplained.

The Encounter

Officer Zamora was pursuing a speeding car when he heard a roar and saw a flame in the sky. Abandoning the chase, he drove toward the sound, believing a dynamite shack might have exploded.

He found an egg-shaped, white object standing on legs in a gully. Near it stood two small figures in white coveralls. They appeared to notice Zamora, and moments later the object’s roar resumed. The craft rose, hovered briefly, and flew away at high speed.

Physical Evidence

When investigators arrived, they found burned brush and grass, landing marks in the dirt matching the legs Zamora described, and evidence of significant heat. The physical evidence corroborated Zamora’s account.

Investigation

Project Blue Book, the Air Force’s UFO investigation program, examined the case thoroughly. Investigator J. Allen Hynek, initially a skeptic, found Zamora’s testimony credible and the physical evidence convincing. He later called it one of the most puzzling cases he had examined.

Despite exhaustive investigation, no conventional explanation was found. The case remains officially unexplained.

The Witness

Lonnie Zamora was a respected police officer with no history of fabrication or mental illness. The encounter left him shaken. He had nothing to gain from the report and faced ridicule for the rest of his career.

He maintained his account until his death in 2009, never changing the details or seeking publicity.

Assessment

The Socorro incident is considered one of the most credible UFO cases due to the reliability of the witness, the physical evidence, and the thorough investigation. Something landed in that New Mexico gully, something that left traces and convinced those who examined the evidence that Officer Zamora had witnessed something extraordinary.