FBI 302 Interview — UAP Incident, September 2023 (Serial 3)

Source file: serial 5 redacted_redacted.pdf (Serial 3 per war.gov catalog) Originating agency: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Date range: September 2023 (incident) — October 2023 (interview) Page count: 2 High-significance pages: page 1 (interview body); page 2 (addendum on meteor hypothesis)

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Official Blurb (from war.gov)

This is an FBI 302 interview conducted with a US citizen regarding their first-hand account of a UAP encounter at a US test site. USPER described an object "metallic bronze in color."

Summary

This document is an FD-302 form, the FBI's standard interview record, documenting a first-hand account from a U.S. citizen (USPER) of an encounter with an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The incident occurred in September 2023 at approximately 9:00 a.m. as the witness was driving east toward a test site to collect data for LiDAR testing. A three-vehicle convoy of an F150, GMC AT4, and Sprinter Van passed through several gates, and as the vehicles cleared one of the gates the witness was struck by a bright white light above the horizon. The light was stationary in the air, then began moving to the right, then disappeared — all within approximately ten seconds. The witness estimated the light was ten to twenty miles away. The interview was conducted in October 2023 via FaceTime video by an FBI Special Agent. The bulk of the identifying information in the document is withheld under FOIA exemptions.

Important note: the war.gov official summary attributes the description "metallic bronze in color" to this witness, but that characterization does not appear in the accessible pages of this specific document. The bronze color description is documented in other 302 interviews in the series and in the FBI Lab Composite Sketch. The detail may have appeared in a fully redacted passage, or the summary was written as a composite of parallel interviews from the same incident.

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Research Article

Introduction: Background on the September 2023 Incident

The September 2023 UAP incident is among the most significant in the history of U.S. federal investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena. The event occurred on the grounds of a federal test site in the western United States under circumstances that remain partially classified. Several witnesses — all federal employees or contractors working at the site that morning — reported an extraordinary visual phenomenon. Their accounts were documented in a series of formal FBI interviews, each recorded on a separate FD-302 form designated as a Serial.

The FBI Laboratory processed the cross-referenced information from all interviews and on April 30, 2024 produced an official front-view sketch of the object — one of the most unusual visual products released by the Department of War under PURSUE Initiative Release 1. The sketch depicted a metallic ellipsoid, bronze in color, approximately 130 to 195 feet (40 to 60 meters) in length, which "materialized from a bright light" and disappeared instantaneously. Serial 3, the present document, is one of the building blocks of that sketch.

Structure of an FBI 302 Interview

An FD-302 form (in this document: Rev. 5-8-10) is the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's standard format for recording interviews with witnesses, subjects, and informants. The 302 is more than an internal document: it is an official record admissible as evidence in federal court. The structure is consistent — a header with the Date of Entry, introductory lines identifying the interviewing agents and the person being interviewed, preliminary instructions, and the body of the interview in paragraphs recording the witness's statements.

The interviewing agent is required to record the interview as close to real time as possible and produce the 302 within five business days. The form is signed by the agent (Drafted by) and passes internal review. Any continuation is recorded on a separate 302a page. In this document, the interview body spans two pages: page 1 is the main 302, and page 2 is the 302a, containing a single paragraph with a later addendum.

The interview date is September 2023 (specific day redacted); the interview was conducted "United States (Other (Facetime Video))"; the Date Drafted is October 2023. A gap of roughly one month between the incident and the formal interview is standard in federal investigations, reflecting the time required for coordination, locating the witness, and scheduling the session.

The "USPER" Designation and Witness Privacy

The term "USPER" (U.S. Person) is a technical term with substantial legal significance in the American intelligence community. It designates that the person interviewed is a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or domestically incorporated entity. USPER status grants constitutional protections under the Fourth Amendment and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Intelligence and law enforcement services may not collect, store, or disseminate information about a USPER without proper legal process.

Under this status, the witness's full identity is protected by several FOIA exemptions:

• (b)(6) — Personal Privacy
• (b)(7)(C) — Privacy in law enforcement records
• (b)(7)(E) — Law enforcement techniques and procedures

The redactions conceal the witness's name, colleagues' names in other vehicles, the name of the Special Agent, the precise name of the test site, the names of companies or agencies involved, and the exact geographic location. What remains: partial dates, the approximate time of the incident (9:00 a.m.), the duration of the phenomenon (ten seconds), the estimated distance (ten to twenty miles), vehicle types (F150, GMC AT4, Sprinter Van), and the technical purpose of the trip (LiDAR data collection).

The Serial 3 Account

Factual details extractable from the document:

Time and place: September 2023 morning, approximately 9:00 a.m. The witness was a passenger in one of the vehicles in a convoy traveling east to a test site. The convoy comprised three vehicles: an F150 pickup truck, a GMC AT4 pickup truck, and a Sprinter Van — a configuration consistent with an engineering or survey team.

Purpose of the trip: "to acquire data for LiDAR testing." LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is an optical measurement technology using laser light to map terrain with precision. LiDAR deployment at a test site suggests the crew was engaged in topographic mapping, unmanned aerial vehicle trials, sensor research, or geophysical operations. The departure time and pre-dawn scheduling are consistent with optimal lighting conditions for optical data collection.

Nature of the access route: "drove through a couple of gates" — indicating a multi-gate secured facility, typical of national security installations, missile test sites, or DOE/DoD sites.

The phenomenon: The witness described a bright white light above the horizon. Initially the light was stationary in the air. Then it began moving to the right. Then it disappeared. Duration: ten seconds. The apparent size of the light remained the same throughout. Estimated distance: ten to twenty miles. Viewed through the upper-right portion of the vehicle's windshield.

Additional witnesses: The witness pointed toward the object but one colleague looked in the wrong direction. Another was tall and had their seat reclined, making observation impractical. When the convoy reached the first test site, additional colleagues confirmed they had also seen the light. Serial 3 is therefore not an isolated account but part of a multi-witness observation.

Absence of interference: The witness "did not notice any interference with his vehicle." This is significant: many UAP reports include accounts of electromagnetic disturbances, engine shutdowns, or electronic noise. No such effects were observed here.

Meteor hypothesis (page 2): The witness speculated that the light might have been a meteor traveling directly toward them and burning up in the atmosphere. This is a legitimate open hypothesis, but it encounters physical obstacles: an atmospheric entry fireball typically shows a visible trail, moves at high speed, and does not remain stationary for approximately ten seconds. A meteor is also incapable of moving to the right before disappearing.

"Metallic Bronze in Color" and Its Meaning

The war.gov official summary states the USPER described an object "metallic bronze in color." This description does not appear in the accessible pages of this document, indicating one of the following:

1. The detail appeared in a page that is fully redacted.
2. The detail was recorded in a parallel interview in the same series, and the war.gov summary aggregated all interviews.
3. The detail appeared in an undocumented addendum or late addition.

The color "metallic bronze" is significant because it distinguishes this object from the white "Tic Tac" sightings filmed in 2004 (USS Nimitz incident). A muted bronze tone suggests a non-reflective metallic surface — perhaps oxidized (like aged bronze) or coated. It is also relevant historically: bronze-colored disc reports appear in 1950s UFO literature, giving the description a cross-decade resonance.

Comparison with the Composite Sketch and Other Interviews

The April 30, 2024 FBI Lab sketch describes:

• Shape: Ellipsoid
• Color: Metallic bronze
• Size: 130–195 feet
• Entry characteristic: "Materializes from a bright light"
• Exit characteristic: "Disappears instantaneously"

Serial 3 contributes primarily to the "appearance from bright light" component of the narrative: the witness observed a bright white stationary light that then began to move and disappeared. The testimony does not describe a solid object with clear geometric features. Serial 3 therefore most likely documented the optical-luminous phase of the phenomenon rather than the phase during which the ellipsoid body became visible. Other witnesses in the series presumably documented the solid object itself; together the two groups produced the composite.

The phrase "the light stayed the same size throughout the incident" is an important clue. If the light was ten to twenty miles distant and its apparent size did not change, it either maintained a constant distance — neither approaching nor receding — or its true size changed in direct proportion to its lateral movement, preserving a constant angular size. Both possibilities describe a phenomenon that neither disperses, fades with inverse-square falloff, nor dims at the rate expected of chemical combustion or a re-entry fireball.

Analysis: "Physical Object" vs. "Optical Phenomenon"

A central question arising from Serial 3 is whether this testimony supports the existence of a physical object with volume, mass, and geometry, or whether it describes an optical phenomenon with no solid body.

Arguments supporting an "optical" interpretation:

• The witness described "a light" not "an object." No shape, outline, or distinct features were mentioned.
• The light disappeared abruptly rather than "flying out of view."
• The witness himself speculated it might have been a meteor — an optical phenomenon of a body burning in the atmosphere.
• No electromagnetic effects were observed.

Arguments supporting a "physical object" interpretation:

• Other witnesses in the series reported a solid metallic ellipsoid in bronze.
• The FBI Lab's official sketch depicted a body with clear geometry.
• The phrase "materializes from light" in the sketch suggests a two-stage sequence — light first, then object — rather than a purely optical event.
• Maintaining constant apparent size for ten seconds is inconsistent with an active meteor fireball (which changes intensity rapidly).

The integrated interpretation is that a physical object appeared at the origin of, or within, an intense light source that masked its form. Different witnesses, at different vantage points and observing different moments of the same event, perceived different components of the same phenomenon. Serial 3 documented the light phase; other interviews documented the object phase.

Significance

Serial 3 is significant on several grounds. First, it is an official FBI 302 record, making it a legal document of evidentiary weight. The FBI does not conduct 302 interviews on phenomena that do not warrant formal investigation. The very existence of the 302 is a declaration: the Bureau treated this report as an operational matter. Second, the interview is part of a series of at least five interviews in the September 2023 cluster, suggesting a focused investigative operation. Third, the site was a secured federal test facility — an environment whose controlled nature strengthens the credibility of witness accounts. Fourth, the observation was multi-witness: at least three individuals confirmed the phenomenon. Fifth, the description — bright light above the horizon, instantaneous disappearance — matches other accounts in the series, reinforcing the event's structural coherence.

Weaknesses of this account: the witness's identity is unknown, the exact location is unknown, no photograph or objective physical evidence accompanies this specific interview, and the witness himself proposed an alternative explanation (meteor) that partially challenges the uniqueness of the phenomenon.

Key People

• USPER (U.S. citizen): The witness. Name, age, and occupation redacted. Known to have been a passenger in the convoy, to have been engaged in LiDAR work, and to have been traveling to a federal test site.
• FBI Special Agent: The interviewing agent. Name redacted. Conducted the interview via FaceTime video in October 2023.
• Additional convoy members: At least three colleagues, some of whom confirmed the sighting. Names redacted.

Locations

• United States (test site, western U.S.): Precise location redacted. The site is known to have had multiple entry gates, and the convoy was traveling east into it.
• United States (Other (Facetime Video)): Location of the interview, cited in the document as remote communication.

Incidents

Incident	Date	Location	Pages
Observation of a bright white stationary light that moved to the right and disappeared within 10 seconds, estimated at 10–20 miles distance	September 2023, approximately 9:00 a.m.	Test site, western U.S.	Page 1
Witness's speculation that the light was a meteor entering the atmosphere	September 2023	(Same site)	Page 2
FBI 302 interview via FaceTime video	October 2023	Remote	Page 1

Notable Quotes

"On September [redacted] 2023 at around 9:00 am, [redacted] was at [redacted] driving east to a test site to acquire data for LiDAR testing" — page 1

"The vehicles drove through a couple of gates and [redacted] saw a bright light over the horizon. The light was stationary in the air, then started moving to the right and then disappeared." — page 1

"The light was bright white and was visible for ten seconds before it disappeared. The light stayed the same size throughout the incident." — page 1

"[Redacted] was indifferent to the light until they got to the first test site and [redacted] and [redacted] said they saw it too." — page 1

"[Redacted] thought the light might have been a meteor coming straight toward them and burning up in the atmosphere." — page 2