HOMEINCIDENTSFBI-004
CONFIDENTIAL
FBI-004 · 1964-04-24

Socorro, New Mexico — Lonnie Zamora Landing

FBISocorro, New Mexico, USANorth America#1964Disc / SaucerGround level to < 200 ft~5 minutes
EVIDENCE GALLERY

Visual reconstruction and recovered media extracted from the incident dossier. This case includes still evidence and analytical reconstruction.

Local reconstruction generated from dossier details

MEDIA STATUS
Analytical reconstruction generated from witness and sensor records.
SOURCE TYPE
Witness testimony, radar language, and dossier reconstruction.
VIEW MODE
Still view highlights silhouette, environment, and encounter geometry.
AT A GLANCE

Socorro police officer Lonnie Zamora observed a white oval craft with red insignia resting on legs in an arroyo, attended by two figures in white. He observed the craft take off with a roaring flame, become silent after 20 feet, and depart at high speed. Physical evidence — burned vegetation, soil compression, metal scrapings — was immediately confirmed by State Police and Army investigators. Project Blue Book listed this as 'unknown.'

PRIMARY WITNESSES
Socorro Police Officer Lonnie Zamora (sole primary witness), New Mexico State Police Sergeant Chavez, USAF Captain Richard Holder
EVIDENCE PROFILE
VISUAL RECONSTRUCTIONDISC / SAUCER
DECLASSIFIED DETAILS

On April 24, 1964, Socorro Police Department Officer Lonnie Zamora was in pursuit of a speeding vehicle when he heard a roar and saw a flame to the southwest. Diverting his cruiser, he drove up a dirt embankment and observed a white, egg-shaped metallic craft resting on landing legs in an arroyo. Near the craft were two figures in white coveralls. As Zamora approached, the craft emitted a loud roar, a blue and orange flame appeared below, and the craft lifted off vertically. After ascending approximately 20 feet, the roaring and flame ceased; the craft moved silently southward and accelerated to high speed before disappearing from view. The physical evidence was immediately confirmed: burned vegetation, impressed ground marks from landing legs, and small metal scrapings were documented by New Mexico State Police Sergeant Chavez, who arrived within minutes, and USAF Captain Richard Holder and FBI Special Agent J. Arthur Byrnes the following day. Project Blue Book investigated and listed the Socorro case as 'unknown' — one of only a handful to receive this designation. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Blue Book's scientific consultant, called Zamora 'one of the most credible witnesses I have ever encountered' and the case 'one of the most baffling cases in the Blue Book files.' The 2026 archive release includes the FBI Special Agent field report and the Army ordnance analysis of the physical samples.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS
  • Oval white craft with red insignia observed at ground level
  • Two white-suited figures observed near craft
  • Roaring flame during takeoff — became silent at ~20 ft altitude
  • Burned vegetation and impressed landing gear marks confirmed by multiple agencies
  • Metal scrapings collected and sent to Army for analysis
  • Blue Book: 'unknown' — Hynek: 'most baffling in Blue Book files'
ORIGINAL SOURCE

This incident is indexed as file FBI-004inside Now Declassified's research layer. The nearest official source trail for this agency points to FBI Vault, where archive records, imagery, or supporting context are published for public review.

OPEN OFFICIAL SOURCE CONTEXT →
INCIDENT DATA
FILE IDFBI-004
DATE1964-04-24
YEAR1964
AGENCYFBI
LOCATIONSocorro, New Mexico, USA
REGIONNorth America
SHAPEDisc / Saucer
ALTITUDEGround level to < 200 ft
DURATION~5 minutes
WITNESSESSocorro Police Officer Lonnie Zamora (sole primary witness), New Mexico State Police Sergeant Chavez, USAF Captain Richard Holder
OBSERVED BEHAVIORS
Stationary Hover
Anti-Gravity Hover
Instant Disappearance
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RESEARCHER DISCUSSION

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