Santa Ana disc-shaped object report — January 4, 1974

Marine sergeant Martin W. Barry reportedly encountered a large figure during his customary early-morning five-mile run through a Santa Ana park in January 1974. Heavy rain was falling. The NICAP ledger dates the encounter January 4, while the expanded catalogue version gives January 6; the available material does not resolve that discrepancy. Barry described a bulky figure about seven feet tall, standing hunched forward with arms hanging almost to the ground. Behind it, an orange, pulsating saucer hovered only a few feet above the surface. The fuller account gives the figure a remarkably large head, occupying more than half its height, large eyes and short, compressed-looking legs. It reportedly waddled toward Barry, struck him in the chest and knocked him into pooled water, then moved back toward the object. The saucer subsequently rose away. The source attributed for this detailed version is Andrew Gallagher’s contribution to the first issue of Ideal’s UFO Magazine. Other sightings over Santa Ana are mentioned in the retelling, but they do not establish independent observation of Barry’s alleged physical encounter. The accessible record provides no contemporary medical findings, corroborating witness interview or recovered object. Its unusual body proportions should be retained as reported, while the date and documentation limits remain explicit.