Two videos were posted by the witness on YouTube April 23.

The object at times appears to be a bright round light, and then as the witness zooms in with his camera, the points of light on the object make it appear to have a triangular shape.

Following is the unedited witness statement from the MUFON database below the video. Following that is the story that was posted with the video on YouTube.

Please keep in mind that many UFO reports can be explained as something natural or manmade. If Maine MUFON investigates and provides a report, we will update this page. I have also asked the witness to get in touch with me for more information on this case.

One aspect of the phenomena that may be important involves the possible dangers of “close encounters” with these objects, craft or energy anomalies.

According to a 1992 firefighter training book, A Fire Officer’s Guide to Disaster Control, the two main hazards are powerful anomalous energy fields and psychological impacts.

The authors of the guide, Charles “Chuck” Bahme and William Kramer, primarily focus on conventional concerns and duties of firefighters and fire agencies throughout most of the book.

In addition, the authors included a chapter titled “Disaster Control and UFOs.” In a section of the chapter “Adverse Potential of UFOs,” the authors go into greater detail about some of these hazards.

Other sections of this chapter provide useful background information for public safety professionals and the public.

PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL

Physical dangers noted in the guide include exposure to radiation, unusual energy fields, beams or rays, according to Bahme and Kramer.

These energy fields have been also been associated with disruption of communications, vehicles and aircraft malfunction, power grid operations as well as physical injury, they point out.

Exploring the potential psychological impacts of UFO contact, the guide notes that based on past incidents, public panic should be a concern of firefighers and other public health and safety personnel.

The panic itself can contribute to accidents, injuries, distress and problematic behavior.

In this sense at least, the manual explains that fire services should consider plans to deal with outcomes from apparent UFO incidents, particularly in metropolitan regions.

We might wonder if fire departments and public safety agencies in the Phoenix, Arizona, region had such contingency plans during the March 13, 1997, “Phoenix lights” incident, even though there apparently was no public panic.

Bahme and Kramer note that there are diverse and myriad opinions about what UFOs actually are. We can also speculate that different UFOs could be different kinds of phenomena and from different origins.

The vague situation and apparent or possible secrecy by official U.S. Government activities on this subject should not prevent public safety agencies from preparing for possible encounter scenarios, the manual indicates.

CONVENTIONAL AND UNCONVENTIONAL

The authors propose examples of situations that could occur when fire officials face anomalous events such as UFO encounters.

Electrical field phenomena could cause firefighters’ communication equipment to be disrupted, fire engine vehicles to malfunction or portable generators and lights to fail.

In the case of significant public panic or disruption of social stability, as we saw in the exodus of New Orleans police officers during Hurricane Katrina, public safety officers might be concerned about their families and their own safety, possibly leaving fire and police agencies short-handed.

The unusual psychological effects mentioned in the guide could also impact public safety personnel. A hypnotic, paralyzing, disorienting or confusing mental and emotional state could be faced by firefighters, peace officers and others.

Bahme and Kramer point out that it may be up to public safety officers themselves to share information and coordinate an unconventional situation in a UFO encounter scenario.

Although unconventional UFO incidents are the focus of this interesting chapter from A Fire Officer’s Guide to Disaster Control, the points made by the authors can also be applied to other common and unusual situations.

And, we might remember that anomalous phenomena that could impact public safety are not limited to real or perceived UFO activity.

In the closing words of the chapter on Disaster Control and UFOs, Bahme and Kramer remind fire service professionals that planning, adequate resources and good leadership are all key in dealing with public safety situations, conventional and unconventional.

“Here we have five flares and five weather balloons, about to do our little hoax and see if we can get some attention here,” Russo, a salesman, said on the video.

The sightings of these red lights in January prompted dozens of 911 calls and conspiracy theories about UFOs.  But in their videos, Russo and Rudy, who is a science teacher, showed how they attached flares to balloons and floated them into the sky.  In the video, you even hear them calling a local news channel, pretending to report a sighting of the mysterious lights.

“If there’s a single word here to describe the actions of these two individuals,” said Bianchi, “setting these balloons and then subsequently posting the video on the Internet, is really in essence, stupidity.”

After Rudy was released from the prosecutor’s office, he ran out of the building and away from News 4 New York cameras, refusing to talk about his role in the hoax. His attorney said the two thought up the plan to poke fun at those who believe in extraterrestrials.

Both Russo and Rudy are facing disorderly conduct charges.

The one at 3:37mn is very disturbing as we can clearly see a change of trajectory of an unidentified object.