Heislerville unidentified light report — January 19, 1976

At about 19:30 on 19 January 1976, residents of Heislerville, New Jersey, watched bright lights above nearby trees. The early newspaper-based chronology describes two lights approximately three hundred yards away. Tom Benson’s later account of Ward Campbell’s investigation identifies Mrs. Wayne Tomlin as the first observer, who alerted neighbour Vi Camp, and describes seven witnesses altogether, including Kay Peterson and family members. The white lights reportedly dimmed to golden amber as the object approached and stopped overhead. Different witness sketches suggested a rounded triangular, heartlike or artist’s-palette outline, rather than a simple ring. The underside showed red lights and a softly illuminated circular grid. Camp moved toward the street and obtained an oblique view of a forward dome. There she briefly saw a man-sized silhouette’s head, arms and upper torso moving inside. Other observers, positioned below the object, did not share that particular view. Benson’s 1991 article reproduces the differing sketches and gives an estimated diameter of thirty-five to forty feet. The short NICAP account emphasizes a low whirring sound and a departure after about two minutes; the more detailed retelling describes the changing lighting and viewing positions. These estimates and sketches are witness interpretations, not verified engineering specifications. No dependable alien facial features were reported. The plate follows the rounded shape, amber-lit dome and single indistinct silhouette, with the seven observers kept safely at ground level.