Morristown UFO Hoax (2009)

Background and sightings

On the evening of January 5, 2009, residents of the Morristown area of northern New Jersey began calling police about a cluster of bright, red-tinged lights moving across the sky. According to the Wikipedia summary of the case, the first sighting was between about 8:15 and 9:00 pm, and further sightings followed on January 26, January 29, February 7, and February 17. Reports centered on Hanover Township, Morristown, Morris Plains, Madison, and Florham Park, and the February 17 sightings extended to Denville, Parsippany, and Montville.

The most striking accounts came from people who were not casual observers. Paul Hurley, a pilot, said the lights were not aircraft, and a Hanover Township family filmed them. A Hanover health officer who saw the lights while walking his dog said they "did not leave trails" and moved in formation before splitting in three directions. On February 17, nine lights were reported in formation. Ray Vargas, one witness quoted in coverage, said: "If it's a hoax, it's a real good hoax."

Investigation

Morristown police, led by Lt. James Cullen, concluded the lights were most likely flares attached to balloons. Morristown Airport radar detected nothing, and airport tower workers saw the lights but could not identify them. The Morris County Prosecutor's office checked with the military, which reported no military flights in the area, and contacted the FAA, Homeland Security, and the New Jersey State Police.

Not everyone accepted the flare explanation. The Hanover health officer disputed it on the grounds that flares would leave trails. National UFO Reporting Center director Peter Davenport argued the lights could not be an aircraft, because FAA rules require a single red wingtip light on an aircraft and the reported lights were in formation. Bill Birnes, lead investigator on UFO Hunters and publisher of UFO Magazine, told Newsweek the object "could not have been flares or Chinese lanterns."

The hoax and its exposure

The perpetrators were Chris Russo and Joe Rudy, two twenty-something college students. Per the Center for Inquiry's account, they went into the woods with one helium tank, five balloons, five flares, fishing line, duct tape, and a video camera. Each balloon carried a flare on fishing line, and they released them at intervals of about 15 seconds while filming. Newsweek reports the stated purpose was "to show everyone how unreliable eyewitness accounts are, along with investigators of UFOs." Newsweek counts five staged events in total; the Morristown footage was posted to YouTube and picked up by conspiracy websites and radio shows.

The hoax was revealed on April 1, 2009, in an article in Skeptic magazine. On April 7, the two men pleaded guilty to disorderly-person charges and were each fined $250 and sentenced to 50 hours of community service.

Assessment

The case is well documented as a hoax, because its perpetrators confirmed it. Its significance lies less in the lights themselves than in what it showed about eyewitness reporting. Witnesses, including a pilot, offered confident descriptions of the lights, and the official investigation (police, prosecutor, radar check, military query) did not establish what they were until the hoax was admitted.

The skeptical community was divided on the method. The Center for Inquiry commentary praised the hoaxers for showing how easily investigators were fooled, but questioned whether skeptics should stage hoaxes at all, arguing that the goal and purpose must be clear. The case also shows how a single filmed launch, once posted online, could sustain a multi-week run of reports across neighboring towns.