It was just past 11:58 PM on the 8th of October, 2011, when I stood outside by the pool, cigar in hand, enjoying a quiet moment in my apartment complex in Redondo Beach, California. Suddenly, the security guard dashed past me, urging me to follow him quickly. What we found together was nothing short of extraordinary.
In a clearing of the night sky, seven bright, round orange lights hovered silently, moving slowly in a precise formation. These weren’t ordinary aircraft—each orb glowed with an intensity that seemed almost otherworldly. An aura, rectangular in shape, surrounded the central glow of what appeared to be the craft itself. As I fumbled to grab my phone and begin recording, the orbs flickered intermittently, then slowly dimmed until they vanished. The entire spectacle lasted just about two minutes, but it felt like a glimpse into a different reality.
Then, at midnight, a single glowing object approached us. Unlike the group before, this craft appeared closer, its shape resembling a vertically elongated orange lantern, yet clearly not a lantern. At its center was a brighter, spherical light—the core of the craft—encased in a soft, rectangular haze of light that seemed like a cloak or aura. As if playing with illumination, the aura dimmed, leaving only the glowing core drifting across the night sky before disappearing entirely.
Minutes later, at 12:05 AM, another solitary light floated overhead, repeating the mysterious dance of fading and reappearing. There was no sound, no hint of propulsion, just a silent glide across a calm, partly clouded sky. One haunting detail stood out—a faint white reflection cast onto the clouds beneath the craft, like headlights piercing the darkness from above.
The night was an enigma, witnessed by myself, a man who works in sales and promotions at the Los Angeles Times, and a security guard who served as an MP in Iraq. Between us, the reality of what we saw was undeniable. Though my cellphone camera could hardly capture the full eerie beauty and mystique of these orbs, videos recorded that night offer a glimpse into the inexplicable—a night that lingers in memory as one touched by the unknown.