Southwest / South River, NJ being encounter — October 23, 1963

On October 23, 1963, a motorist driving south of South River, New Jersey, on State Route 18 reportedly noticed a flashlight-like light off the road. Three small figures then crossed ahead of his car. The Center for UFO Studies gives about 11 p.m.; the Hatch catalogue uses 11:30 p.m. A later retelling identifies the driver as Robert W. Smith. The figures were estimated at three to four feet tall and wore close-fitting, silver-grey one-piece suits. Their clothing appeared brighter in the headlights. Their heads looked round, but no further facial features were distinguished. The striking element was their movement: the driver described an extremely rapid, fluttering progression, faster than an ordinary sprinter. The later account says he was too frightened to stop. CUFOS links Ted Bloecher’s case file as its supporting material. The accessible summary does not establish a landed or airborne craft, a conversation, physical contact or recovered trace evidence. Accordingly, the plate shows the three suited figures crossing the headlight beam and the driver inside his car. It does not add a spacecraft or the large eyes and head proportions commonly associated with unrelated reports. The difference in recorded time remains explicit.