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 “gigantic floating red square” over 100 yards in length.
The event, which has remained largely under wraps for two decades, was recently brought to light by former US Air Force security officer Jeff Nuccetelli.
Nuccetelli, who was a senior patrolman at the time, has now publicly shared his account of the rapid-response investigation he led following 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 into chaos, with personnel expressing fear and excitement over the radio as the UFO approached. Nuccetelli described the scene as mayhem, with people screaming and scared.
“I’m getting ready to jump in the car, and then all hell breaks loose,” he recalled. “And they start screaming over the radio, ‘It’s coming right at us. It’s coming right for us. Now it’s right here.'”
“It was hard to hear, because they were screaming and they were scared.”
‘When I showed up, it’s just mayhem… Everybody’s excited. They’re scared. Everyone’s freaked out,” Nuccetelli told Merged host.
He interviewed about six individuals guarding the Space Launch Complex 4 (SLC-4), who reported that the object moved erratically, growing bigger and brighter before speeding towards them and then abruptly vanishing.
“These guys are trained observers,” said Nuccetelli. “They’re posted out there, you know, 24/7. They know what aircraft look like. They know what fishing boats look like.”
“I didn’t feel like they were just jumping the gun, because there had been a UFO.”
Nuccetelli is of the opinion that a minimum of 80 individuals 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 new interviews.
This second sighting of the UFO, which Nuccetelli documented in a police blotter, occurred above the same complex currently leased by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The first encounter that day involved Boeing contractors who reported the UFO silently floating over a launchpad, 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 seeking to reconnect with witnesses for further interviews.
His revelations add to the ongoing discussion and investigation into unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) and their implications for national security and aerospace safety.
