| Country | USA |
| State or Province | California |
| City | City of Irvine |
| Date | 7/3/24 |
| Time | 11:12 AM |
| Weather | mostly blue skies but some high cloudiness and haze |
| Duration | a few seconds, probably less than 5-10 |
| Witnesses (Number) | 1 |
| Distance | pure guess: .5 to 1 mile |
| Solid Object | Yes |
| Size | probably somewhat larger than a full moon |
| Shape | Other |
| Shape Details | cube shaped, kind of like the top of an office building |
| Metallic/Shiny | No |
| Color | dark, maybe dark grey to black |
| Glow/Halo | No |
| Lights | No |
| How Many Lights | Not Specified |
| How Bright | Not Specified |
| Light Coloration | Not Specified |
| Sound | No |
| Motion/Speed | no motion observed |
| Number of Objects | One |
| Coordination/Communication | Not Specified |
| Windows | No |
| Occupants | No |
| Description | Let me start by saying that I’m not at all sure that I observed a true UAP, although it was unidentified to me. It was such a weird thing that I thought I should go ahead and report it anyway. Here’s my story: On the morning of 7/3/24 my wife and I were driving north on the 241 tollway in Orange County starting the transition to the 133 which is a sweeping 90 turn. As I approached the bend I noticed a dark cube shaped object that resembled the top of a small office building in a mostly undeveloped area. I believe it would have been in the general area identified as Loma Ridge on Google Maps (note that the OC Emergency Operations Center is located further north on Loma Ridge). It wasn’t very far away, probably a half mile to a mile. It was mostly sunny with some clouds and haze. The object appeared to be above the ground (unattached) but there was some haze in the areas so I couldn’t be sure. I only saw the object for seconds (probably less than 5) because the transition to the other freeway quickly blocked my view. I don’t have a dash cam in that car unfortunately. My wife had her head down reading email on her phone so she didn’t see anything. We returned home via a different route so I didn’t get a second look on this trip. There was nothing there in subsequent trips (a few days later). I’ve lived in the area for decades and have driven this route hundreds of times and never seen anything like this. I looked at Google Maps Street View and saw nothing like this and didn’t see anything like it on subsequent trips. It was not a cell tower or construction crane. As far as I can tell there isn’t construction in the immediate area. My sighting was so brief that I didn’t notice any movement or sound. From my brief glimpse it appeared stationary. I looked for UAP sightings in my area on a few websites and searched for news articles but didn’t see any evidence of others seeing this so perhaps it has a very mundane explanation. UAPSRS ASSESMENT: Based on fleeting observation and description of haze in the area, compared with weather conditions on a July morning at 11 AM in Irvine California (obtained via Weather Underground), this description does sound like a possible observation of fata morgana, where a mirage may have created the momentary illusion of a hovering object resulting from mirage conditions emanating from the ground, which could concievably give the appearance of a “floating” object resembling a buliding top. No conclusive determination can be made based on information provided by witness. |
| Nearby Landmarks | there is a cell tower that looks like an obelisk to the left as you make the turn |
| Latitude | 33.7236229 |
| Longitude | -117.72571 |
| Altitude | probably < 100 ft. |
| Propulsion | No |
| Advanced Capabilities | No |
| Visible Payload | No |
| Radar | Not Specified |
| Signatures | No |
| Awareness | No |
| Aggression | no |
| Health Effects | none |
| Physical/Environmental Effects | no animals in the area that I observed |
| Animal Disturbance | physically fine, just curious about what I saw |
| Witness Feelings | It didn’t move in the few seconds I observed it |
| Witness Assessment | Not Specified |
| Additional Info | Not Specified |
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