In October 2003, an extraordinary incident occurred at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where military contractors and Air Force police witnessed an unidentified flying object (UFO), described as a “giant floating red square” measuring over 100 meters in length.
The event, which has remained largely secret for two decades, was recently exposed by former US Air Force security officer Jeff Nuccetelli.
Nuccetelli, then a senior police officer, has now publicly shared his account of the rapid response investigation he led after the sighting.
Speaking on the Merged podcast, he emphasized the credibility of the witnesses, noting that they were contractors with top-secret clearances and trained observers familiar with aircraft and other common sights.
The incident unfolded in chaos, with staff radioing in fear and excitement as the UFO approached. Nuccetelli described the scene as chaos, with people screaming and scared.
“I’m getting ready to jump in the car, and then all hell breaks loose,” he recalls. “And they start shouting over the radio, ‘It’s coming straight for us.’ It will work out well for us. Now it’s here. ”
“It was hard to hear because they were screaming and scared.”
“When I showed up, it was just chaos… Everyone’s excited. They are afraid. Everyone is panicking,” Nuccetelli told the merged host.
He interviewed about six people monitoring Space Launch Complex 4 (SLC-4), who reported that the object moved erratically, growing larger and brighter before speeding toward them and then abruptly disappearing.
“These guys are trained observers,” Nuccetelli said. “They’re posted there 24/7, you know. They know what airplanes look like. They know what fishing boats look like.”
“I didn’t feel like they just jumped the gun because there had been a UFO.”
Nuccetelli believes that at least 80 people are aware of the incident, not to mention the contractors and fellow officers who directly witnessed it. He is currently engaged in efforts to locate these individuals for further interviews.
This second UFO sighting, which Nuccetelli documented in a police newspaper, took place above the same complex currently leased by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The first encounter that day involved Boeing contractors who reported that the UFO was hovering silently over a launch pad and glowing red at a low altitude.
Nuccetelli has since provided his findings to the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and is actively attempting to recontact witnesses for further interviews.
His revelations contribute to the ongoing discussion and research into unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) and their implications for national and space safety.
