ROXBURY TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A December UFO sighting that stirred brief local curiosity in Morris County has been confirmed as a misidentified commercial aircraft, according to a review by the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC).
The report, logged under case number 194836, described a “bright yellow perfect circle” seen hovering over Roxbury Township around 5:09 p.m. on December 19. The lone witness claimed the glowing object appeared too large and luminous to be a star or an ordinary airplane, estimating its apparent size at 700 feet and its distance about seven miles away. The sighting lasted roughly 22 seconds before disappearing from view.
National FUO Reporting Center (NUFORC) investigators later determined the light’s speed and trajectory matched that of a high-altitude airliner catching sunset glare as it passed over northern New Jersey airspace. The center classified the case as “Aircraft – Probable” in its official database.
Similar mistaken reports often occur during early dusk hours in winter, when low-angle sunlight can illuminate aircraft at cruising altitude, creating unusually bright or colored reflections. No additional witnesses or radar anomalies were reported in connection with the Roxbury sighting, and NUFORC closed the file on December 29.
The December Roxbury UFO sighting was determined to be a reflected light from a commercial airplane.
