Witness 5 Narrative: The Western U.S. Event, October 2023

Source file: DoW-UAP-D083_Narrative-5_Western-US-Event.pdf Originating agency: Office of the Under Secretary of War for Intelligence and Security — All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) Document type: Memorandum for Record — first-hand witness narrative (redacted; with three hand-drawn images) Signatory: Jon T. Kosloski, Director, AARO Date: 02 June 2026 (incident October 2023) Classification: UNCLASSIFIED (with redactions) Page count: 5 (all read) VIRIN: 260508-D-D0360-1065 Redaction: Yes — names, dates, locations, vehicle plates, and coordinates blacked out PURSUE Release: 3

Summary

Witness 5 — a federal law enforcement special agent — provides the only redacted narrative in the Western U.S. Event set, written as a numbered, timestamped chronology with names, specific dates, locations, license plates, and coordinates blacked out. It is also the most procedurally detailed account, reading like field notes: arrival times, radio coordination, camera emplacement, and follow-up daylight searches.

Witness 5 describes a large orange light at 1858 that "appeared to be placed on something, although nothing could be identified to be holding it up... hovering with zero resistance or movement," a larger red orb at 1918 from which "two red, smaller orbs release[d]," and — the next pre-dawn — a close-range red-and-white "light pair" hovering "with zero resistance" over the brush at "15-20 mph," which turned off to leave "a very thin line... maybe 4 ft wide, horizontal to the earth." A faint, kite-shaped "formation of faint lights that moved together" then appeared to "evade being noticed, or blend into the stars." The agents found "odd scrapes in the ground" that were "very sharp and very fresh." Three hand-drawn images accompany the account, which is signed by AARO Director Jon T. Kosloski.

Research Article

The orange light and the releasing orb

Driving an unpaved road past a wildlife area at dusk, Witness 5 and a partner noticed at 1858 "a large orange light" that "appeared to be placed on something, although nothing could be identified to be holding it up. It seemed to be hovering with zero resistance or movement, or to be suspended just over a distinctive peak in the ridge line." At 1918, "we saw a large red orb at a further distance," and "I am certain I saw two red, smaller orbs release from the larger one going west" — released simultaneously, one moving horizontally and one slightly angled up, with the large orb stationary and all lights gone "in about 10 seconds," accompanied by "a white flash of light in the sky to the West." The orb reappeared at 1937 with another white flash.

The red-and-white light pair

The next pre-dawn, around 0430, Witness 5 noticed "two lights in the distance about 2-3ft above the ground... One was white and square, the second was round and red." As the agents slowed to within about 100 feet, "the red and white light pair hovered, with zero resistance, or change in height, over the bushes... at about 15-20 mph." Through night vision goggles, "I saw the light pair for a split second... before the lights turned off and I saw a very thin line remain, maybe 4 ft wide, horizontal to the earth (See Image 1)." It moved off and "seemed to move up in height with this movement, but remained a flat line." This is the close-range "Dark Kite"/"Translucent Kite" object named on the notional map (DOW-UAP-D078) and echoed in Witness 1's account.

The evasive formation and ground scrapes

Around 0530, a fellow agent using night vision said "I see it!" Witness 5 then saw, alongside a floating cobweb, "faint lights in a perfect formation that moved together (See Image 2)... It seemed to be moving up and slightly side to side. This gave the perception of trying to evade being noticed, or blend into the stars as it was now more than 20 ft in the air." After losing and reacquiring it, the witness "saw the exact formation of faint lights again but at the opposite angle and at the same height and location (See Image 3)." In daylight the agents documented "odd scrapes in the ground around a certain plant... the dirt movement looked very sharp and very fresh. The sharp cut in the dirt was symmetrical and round, but did not always make a full circle."

Significance

Witness 5's narrative is the most methodical of the five and, uniquely, attempts physical follow-up: night-vision and thermal scanning, camera emplacement, daylight ground searches, and documentation of fresh, symmetrical ground scrapes. The hand-drawn images give shape to the otherwise abstract "kite" object — a red circle and white square on a thin horizontal line (Image 1), resolving into an elongated, multi-light formation (Images 2–3). Its close-range red-and-white "light pair" independently corroborates Witness 1's hovering, vehicle-like object, while the orange-orb-releasing-red-orbs sequence matches Witnesses 2, 3, and 4. That this is the single redacted statement — with locations and coordinates withheld — reinforces AARO's framing of the event as occurring near a genuinely sensitive site.

Key People

Locations

Incidents

Notable Quotes

"It seemed to be hovering with zero resistance or movement, or to be suspended just over a distinctive peak in the ridge line." — page 1

"I am certain I saw two red, smaller orbs release from the larger one going west... The larger orb did not move during this time, and all lights were gone from every orb in about 10 seconds." — page 2

"I saw the light pair for a split second in the NVGs before the lights turned off and I saw a very thin line remain, maybe 4 ft wide, horizontal to the earth." — page 3

"This gave the perception of trying to evade being noticed, or blend into the stars as it was now more than 20 ft in the air." — page 3