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Lights in the Night Sky & the Unexplained in PR

A Short Reference to the Bizarre Phenomenon in Puerto Rico

There are several points I want to cover with this somewhat off topic post. I do not ‘ask’ that you believe in ‘little green men’, the paranormal, or any clandestine conspiracy theory. Some of us have witnessed an ‘unexplainable event’, most have not. I’m in that 1st category.

Captured at a Local Pub

The summer between my 7th and 8th grade, my brothers and I and the neighborhood kids were playing ‘hide and seek’ close to sunset. Sunsets in Alaska come very late in June and July. Anyway, I spotted something streak across the sky, then literally do acrobatic maneuvers for a good 10 minutes… Crossing the horizon from one extreme to the other, square corner turns without slowing down and then literally standing still mid-air. It was witnessed by all the kids present… we just stopped and watched it until it disappeared.

Yes, it had multiple flashing lights, changed colors and made no noise.

Before you write it off as just a bunch of dumb kids, I had already built and launched my first model rocket and ‘lived for all things space science’. I’m not calling it ‘alien’, but I could not explain it nor have I ever seen anything like it since. Maybe it was the Air Force testing something new out on Elmendorf AF base (in the mid-’60’s), I have no clue.

Enough about all that. It simply means I try to keep an open mind, but always strive to find a logical explanation when ever possible. That said, a few things DO defy explanation. Hence, the X-files.

LAJAS: the UFO Capitol of Puerto Rico

Highway Sign Near Lajas - Ruta Extraterrestre PR 303 in Puerto Rico

There have been sooo many sightings on the southwest corner of the island, its pretty much taken for granted. Of particular note is the infamous spaceship crash of May 7, 1997 outside Lajas at 9PM local time. A very bright object was witnessed by many folks, followed by a large crashing noise. The impact site was a ‘burn’ about a kilometer wide. The locals say there was a strong smell of sulfur in the air as well. More lights were witnessed at the crash site. Eventually the FBI intervened and ran off everyone including the local police. The National Guard was called in as well. Helicopters were seen everywhere that night.

One gentleman in particular has been on a personal crusade to legitimize alien contact. Reinaldo Rios is a household name on this part of the island.

Sign Near Lajas- 'No Pase' Aerostat Radar Station in Puerto RicoHis ambition is to build a UFO Airport to welcome inter-planetary travelers.

This idea has the support of the mayor of Lajas. They envision Lajas becoming a tourist mecca similar to Roswell, New Mexico. Highway 303 was formally declared “Ruta Extraterrestre PR 303”. Groups often gather on a regular basis to hang out and watch for any lights in the night’s sky. Well… hang out, drink beer and hope they see something. Much of this area is covered in cattle ranches… Low, flat rolling hills perfect for star gazing. Mr. Rios has been featured in national media as well as the local papers too. His own contact with aliens dates back to when he was 17 living in Guanica. Something he remembers with vivid detail.

Panoramic Image of Road Block to Aerostat Radar Station Near Lajas, Puerto Rico

A lot of strange lights were observed in and around Laguna Cartagena in the late’80’s and early ’90’s. It’s located near Lajas in the same southwest corner of the island, off the intersection of Hwy 101 and Hwy 303. This is also connected to sightings from the same time period in Adjuntas, located above Ponce.

Secrets in Plain Sight

Old Highway 303 Sign Near Lajas, Puerto Rico

The southwest corner of the island is also home to a US Government facility, off limits to the general public. There’s nothing to identify the site other than a sign in Spanish warning: “NO PASE”. The ‘Lajas Aerostat Radar Installation’ claims to be the launch site for a tethered dirigible with radar unit used to track low flying drug smugglers. The locals think its something else… something related to the OVNI (Objeto Volador No Indentificado) UFO activity. Something to monitor the Bermuda Triangle maybe?

This is not the only ‘secret’ facility on the island. First hand stories abound about an underground Fed facility near El Yunque and to an early Fed Echelon communications interception facility in Cayey. I was never able to confirm the Echelon story, but the locals say otherwise. It appears to be all but abandoned now. There is also a small rocket launching facility run by NASA in Vega Baja off the north coast. UFO/OVNI sightings often coincide with rockets launched from here.

Other towns reporting “lights in the night sky” include Fajardo, Cabo Rojo, Lares, Naguabo, San Sebastian, Carolina, Rio Piedras, Ponce, Arecibo and the El Yunque Rain Forest.

Suspected Echelon Satellite Dish Facility Now Abandoned, Near Cayey, Puerto Rico

That Puerto Rico has been listening for aliens is a given since the Arecibo Radio Telescope Dish is located here. It was featured in the movie “Contact” with Jodi Foster.

Strange that Fox Mulder never mentioned Puerto Rico. I guess a trip to PR was never in the budget. Too bad.

One last note- The UFO/OVNI video was done for illustrative purposes only. Just for fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it. ARRG!!!!

UPDATE: Evidently, Mulder and Sculley DID make it to Arecibo

Copyright © 2009~2020 Robert Westmoreland - RobertosPuertoRico.com, Comm Rights Reserved, CC3, ShareAlike

Reader Interactions

Discussion

  1. pedro garcia says

    July 6, 2014 at 12:10 pm

    Does anyone know about “El Viejo de las Montanas?” My mechanic friend Bobby from NYC, whom I do not know to be a liar, said last year – 2013 – his cousin in Cagey spoke to him about an alien who lives in the mountains around Cayey-Caguas called “El Viejo de las Montanas,” asking Bobby if he would like to see him. Bobby agreed, and they promptly drove up the mountain until the car could no longer go higher. They walked the rest of the way up to a plateau, where his cousin asked him to look way beyond, and there, as the fog cleared, appeared a house where under an awning was a man wearing a hat. As Bobby rubbed his eyes to clear them, he looked up and suddenly the man was four feet from him, lifting his head to reveal eyes completely black from corner to corner, Bobby frozen in shock, time an eternity. Bobby looked away, lifting his head back up quickly, only to find the man under the awning of his house, a hundred yards away. Bobby ran out of there, fleeing the mountain. Bobby said he has not slept in two weeks, ceaselessly haunted by the image. His cousin told him the man has been there since the time of the Arecibo telescope; that the man had never left the mountain for any reason in over 50 years. Can anyone confirm this and get back to me? Thank you. (S. Dog, awesome stuff.)

  2. Damaris Mendez says

    January 14, 2014 at 3:05 pm

    OMG!! I can’t believe this! I told very few people because I was afraid they would not believe me. I was in my late teens, trying to sleep in a room behind la”marquesina” in my aunt’s house in Vega Baja, early 70s, it was past midnight. Suddenly, There was an odd, loud sound, like wind forcefully swishing and cutting the air, followed by a very bright, blinding light. I thought that whatever it was, was going to crash right into la marquesina, which was open space, enclosed by a gate. But it disappeared just as suddenly as it had appeared. I must confess I was so frightened and confused, I could not sleep all night. I was sweating bullets but I did not uncover my face and rushed out of bed the minute I saw a light in the house. I asked my aunt if she had heard a loud sound during the night and she shrugged her shoulders and asked why. I told her I thought I had heard something. That was the end of that conversation as I changed the subject. (S.Dog- That rates a big ARRG! Thanks for the comment.)

  3. PuertoRicoUFOs says

    July 23, 2013 at 1:10 pm

    Great article! Thanks for posting..took me a while to find it but, hey..better late than never. I would like to welcome all your readers that may have had any type of close encounters in Puerto Rico to share their experiences with us. We would love to hear from you and take a look at your fotos/videos. You can also find us on Facebook/PuertoRicoUFOs. Thank You and All The Best!!

  4. PABKO RODRIGUEZ says

    September 6, 2012 at 1:51 am

    I think it was the first or the second season of the X-Files that they did this one episode in PR. And it was set at the Arecibo Observatory. It was a very cool one with “Grays” alien and UFO/Omni touching down at the observatory site and all. I been collecting the X-files season by season. It was a classic modern days sci-fi TV show. For all you fans of the X-Files, you can buy they’re show season by season @ Amazon.com. I am a big fan of Ufology and the Paranormal stuff. And believe me, being in PR you are on a really HOT spot of the world for both of that kind of activity. With a culture as old as over 300 years old, and located right next to the Bermuda Triangle, you have the stage set for it. Just be very attentive of your surroundings, always keep an open mind, and you might become one of us eye account witness of the unknown. Great job and congrats on your website Roberto …”The truth is out there”. (S.Dog- I always preferred the SciFi episodes to all the paranormal stuff. Thanx!)

  5. Rafa says

    November 29, 2010 at 9:31 pm

    I have seen these things more then once. Near my house they are seen in the air at night like in the vidio but a lot bigger. I would send you a picture of it one time.

  6. n miranda says

    October 21, 2010 at 4:23 pm

    I was a teenager living in Puerto Rico in 1996, and one night I was sitting on my porch rocking my baby brother to sleep when I saw what I thought was a star in the sky. That is, until it started moving. It was only one at first, and was moving slowly up and down, side to side, and hovering in the distance. It was bright like a star, but then would dim until it was very light and disappear, then get bright again. A few more lights popped up as well, doin the same thing. I ran inside to get my family to come look but nobody took it seriously. My step-mother did eventually come outside with me to see what the fuss was about, and of course, the lights were gone. I thought for sure that they would think I was crazy but then all of a sudden the lights appeared again! She looked up, stared for a few seconds, then said in spanish “how strange, what is that??”…. When I went to school the next day and told other kids, some of them said they had seen the same lights the night before at a baseball game. I’ve never forgotten that night and always wonder if I actually saw UFO’s!!! (Thanx for sharing, I keep an eye peeled at night ’cause I think they’ll be back, the Dog)

  7. Ashley says

    September 9, 2010 at 12:44 pm

    hey, nice blog…really like it and added to bookmarks. keep up with good work

  8. Roberto says

    June 13, 2010 at 8:13 am

    That’s way cool. I was a big X-files fan way back when. I missed that one. Now I need to go track it down. Thanx, Roberto ARRG!!!!

  9. Fran and Steve says

    June 13, 2010 at 1:00 am

    Actually, there WAS an X-Files episode set in Arecibo, and it was scary! BTW, I too saw strange lights that moved fast, slow, made unusual maneuvers, and hovered. this was in Guaynabo in the mid-’60s. Fran

  10. Joe Shaw says

    June 9, 2010 at 7:31 am

    Holy Moly!!! I just saw this same thing outside my window looking South just over Lake Spenard. The sun set about 11:30 this evening and the sky is dark blue and the lights on this craft were bright blue/white/gold in color. It lasted only about 2 minutes and went to the south-east and was gone so I couldn’t get a photo of it.

    ARRG!!!! from Spenard, Alaska
    Joe Shaw

  11. LaLa says

    June 6, 2010 at 9:27 pm

    Hit submit too soon, but meant to add that the special effects in the video were pretty cool, too. :)

  12. LaLa says

    June 6, 2010 at 9:25 pm

    Thanks for such an informative post!

    I’d heard a little about sightings there, but didn’t know much about the details. Thanks for sharing your story, too. I had a sighting when I was about the same age as you were. Can’t explain it, but it is what it is. There are definitely some interesting things going on in our skies.

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