UFO Spotted Saturday: The Truth is in Here!

Mysterious fireball spotted over Lake Arlington on Fourth of July

By FRANK HEINZ

Updated 6:29 AM CST, Tue, Jul 7, 2009

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A UFO resembling a huge fireball was reported over Lake Arlington on the evening of the Fourth of July.

I know what you're thinking. We were all thinking it also. But with multiple reports received in the newsroom it would be irresponsible to not at least acknowledge the reports and to do a little digging.

Shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday, Brian Haddock was left more than curious at what he and his children saw traveling from the west over the lake.

"I know it's 4th of July, but this was big enough that the kids thought it was an airplane crashing," said Haddock. "It traveled from east to west and just about began on one horizon and ended on the western horizon."

Haddock wasn't alone. Brent Widener also saw the object and described it as a "glowing circle, flying close to the ground."

Widener added that the object was not an airplane.

But was it fireworks?

In recent years the city of Arlington has hosted a lighted boat regatta and fireworks display -- with the rockets launching just before 10 p.m. However, this year, the fireworks display was moved to downtown Arlington and took place on July 3, not July 4.

There was another large display in south Arlington at about 10 p.m., at the Arlington Highland shopping center. But, that display also took place on the third, not the fourth.

(Aside: Why are so many shows taking place on the third when the fourth is on a Saturday night?)

So, having ruled out the two largest fireworks shows in Arlington, that leaves only a couple of possibilities if we are to unravel the mystery of the fiery orb. It was either fireworks launched illegally by a resident ... or an alien spacecraft.

I have been around many a Roman Candle in my 34 Independence Day celebrations and have yet to come across one that fired glowing orbs with such a velocity as to allow it to traverse the width of Arlington's lake. In fact, most have returned to Earth after traveling a short arc through the air.

So, if witness depictions are accurate, and since no fireworking-launching riff-raff have come forward to claim responsibility for the orb, it's not likely it was simply Fourth of July revelry. Additionally, without further evidence, we cannot say for sure that it was an alien spacecraft playing dodge'em with bottle rockets.

With no definitive proof one way or the other, we at NBCDFW stamp this case unsolved and report that, based on witness testimony, a Unidentified Flying Object did fly over Lake Arlington Saturday night.

Debate below...