Newsnation Benfield - Police Officer Robert Klein - Fairfield County, CT - 2022 Orb UFO

[triplekahuna]

Not much meat here yet, but interesting IMO.

• In April 2022, Lower Fairfield County, CT, near a reservoir (not clear which)
• A bright orb the size of a "Mini-Cooper"
• Officer Robert Klein - doesn't specify where he's an officer, presumably of the Fairfield Police Dept(?)

Covered by Newsnation with a segment on Banfield:

Updated: Nov 27, 2024 / 10:26 PM CST (NewsNation) — A veteran Connecticut police officer has come forward with a detailed account of what he describes as a close encounter with an unidentified aerial phenomenon during what was otherwise a routine midnight shift in April 2022.

In an exclusive interview, Robert Klein, a 25-year law enforcement veteran, told NewsNation's "Banfield" on Wednesday about an incident near a local reservoir in Fairfield County, where he encountered a spherical object approximately the size of a "Mini Cooper," hovering just 30 feet from his patrol car.

"I've seen my fair share of drones and meteors," Klein told NewsNation. "This was something I've never come across before."

Klein said the object emitted an intense, color-changing light that momentarily blinded him and filled his patrol vehicle. The object cycled through colors including red, green, white and orange, appearing to have a "plasma-like" quality.

"There was a really strong light. It lit up the entire cab of my cruiser to the point where I was having a hard time driving because I really couldn't see. I was blinded by it," Klein said.

The officer described the object's movement as "instantaneous," claiming that when he illuminated it with his spotlight, it immediately traveled across the body of water.

"That's when I sort of snapped out of it and took out my camera and started recording and taking pictures," Klein said. "I couldn't see it go from A to B, that's how fast it moved."

"It gave off a low hum, which was very distinct," Klein said.

Ben Hansen, host of the Discovery+ show "UFO Witness" who investigated the case, has reportedly uncovered additional potential sightings in the same area, including a separate incident involving multiple orbs observed at a local community center.

"Our team is going to be going out to Connecticut on the ground," Hansen told NewsNation.

Hansen said there was another prior incident at a community center where a witness reported two or three large orbs darting around in the sky and flying directly over her head.

"We're looking for more witnesses," Hansen said.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/police-suspected-ufo-video-connecticut/

This is how Klein describes his encounter on Banfield:

"I had just started my midnight shift, which is 11pm to 7am, I was approximately 40 minutes into the shift, and I was checking up north near the bywater(?) which is a reservoir. As I was about 250 feet in, all the sudden, from my left-rear, there was a really strong light: it lit up the entire cab of my cruiser, to the point I was having a hard time driving because I really couldn't see, I was blinded by it. So I immediately put [the car] into park, rolled down the window, and blocked the light with my hand, because it was very intense, to see where it was coming from and what exactly it was.

"At that point the light started to move along the left side of the cruiser, until it stopped, right in front off to the left. As I looked up, that's when I saw this object: it was approximately 30 feet away from me, it was fairly close, and it was probably like the size of a Mini-Cooper. It was a perfect sphere, and it almost looked like plasma, moving constantly, it was changing colors from red, to green, to white, and then it repeated the colors again. At this point I was perplexed and confused at what I was looking at, 'cause I'd never, in 25 years working as a police officer, encountered anything like this. And when I came to, I took my spotlight and shined the light at it, and as soon as I hit it with my spotlight, it instantaneously moved across the body of water. And that's when I sort-of snapped out of it, and took out my camera and started recording and taking pictures."

Video: https://www.newsnationnow.com/video...otted-over-fairfield-county-banfield/10255798

The video captured by Klein seems to start from the beginning at 04:53 in the video.

 

[triplekahuna]

There are 4 reservoirs I could see on Google Maps in Fairfield County (shaded red). Can't tell which one the Officer is referring to.

 

[jackfrostvc]

Is he this Robert Klein from the Weston Police Department?

x.com/WestonPD/status/677888907887775744

 

[NorCal Dave]

Is he this Robert Klein from the Weston Police Department?

Weston Police Tweet about Robert Klein

Just post what it says. No need to be coy about it. Your link leads to this:

Which is meaningless. It just leads to a Facebook post about a newspaper. Now we're getting somewhere:

So, this Klein works for the Weston PD. The Klein in the UFO story claims:

"I had just started my midnight shift, which is 11pm to 7am, I was approximately 40 minutes into the shift, and I was checking up north near the bywater(?) which is a reservoir.

Let's Google map Weston CT:

And yes, Weston abuts the Saugatuck Reservoir so that checks out. It's likely him.

However, as is often the case the location is a bit vague:

I was checking up north near the bywater(?) which is a reservoir. As I was about 250 feet in,

The town of Weston appears to abut ~2.2 miles of shore front on the reservoir:

And yet Officer Klein doesn't give a location. He's either on the Newtown Turnpike (53) or on Valley Forge Road which follows the reservoir or Davis Hill or Godfrey Rd.

And this only comes up 2 years after the fact on NewsNation.

 

[JMartJr]

There are 4 reservoirs I could see on Google Maps in Fairfield County (shaded red). Can't tell which one the Officer is referring to.

A few more, Mianus Reservoir circled in red, and South Norwalk Reservoir in green.

 

[Jack Mallory]

Not much meat here yet, but interesting IMO.

• In April 2022, Lower Fairfield County, CT, near a reservoir (not clear which)

That's what frustrated me the most about the reporting of this story. I can't understand why they're being deliberately vague about the exact reservoir and the exact location of the supposed encounter. They may have their reasons, but it gives me pause and makes it less likely that I'll invest much interest in the story. If I wanted sketchy narratives I'd just tune into Corbell and Knapp.

Any story out of Connecticut will pique my interest, due to having grown up there. But once again we're presented with the perspective of, "he's a police officer, so therefore more credible as a UFO witness." NewsNation also places an emphasis on the fact that he coached some youth sports (as if that has f&@% all to do with being a credible witness of any event). Oh, and he's also a "father of four," which by NewsNation standards, makes him a "highly reliable source." I really can't stand their handling of this topic in general.

Anyway, Mick has already pointed out some of the obvious flaws in the narrative:

Source: https://x.com/MickWest/status/1862204392663056433

 

[Jack Mallory]

A few more, Mianus Reservoir circled in red, and South Norwalk Reservoir in green.

I think you can rule those out, though. A small-town cop out of Wilton wouldn't be traveling to those areas, nor would he likely have any jurisdiction there. He claims to have been on-duty at the time, and was "checking up north near the body of water." Curious terminology there that he uses a couple of times in the interview. "The body of water." Who TF even speaks like that? Any normal person would refer to "the such-and-such reservoir" not some anonymous "body of water."

Also, if even half these comments under the video are real, then we are doomed. There's no hope for the future of this topic if we just keep reseting every couple of years, with people claiming to be astounded by absolutely nothing while hailing the "bravery" of this police officer, and acting like NewsNation just earned themselves a Pulitzer.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ks_xYdel28

 

[jackfrostvc]

@Jack Mallory @JMartJr

As per my last post, Robert Klein seems to be an officer with the Weston Police Department

And as @NorCal Dave found, the town of Weston abuts the Saugatuck Reservoir

 

[triplekahuna]

I can't understand why they're being deliberately vague about the exact reservoir and the exact location of the supposed encounter.

He claims to have been on-duty at the time, and was "checking up north near the body of water." Curious terminology there that he uses a couple of times in the interview. "The body of water." Who TF even speaks like that? Any normal person would refer to "the such-and-such reservoir" not some anonymous "body of water."

I can't understand why the obfuscation either, particularly when you're trying to sell the story. Unless he was coached by Hansen to build suspense/don't give out facts that can be disproven/sell the sizzle, but just speculation.

Seems less interesting than I initially thought, having tried to Columbo out any verifiable facts. Really boils down to just another light over a lake as it stands.

Re-reading his account:

And when I came to, I took my spotlight [snip] And that's when I sort-of snapped out of it, and took out my camera...

"When I came to" in the context of his description seems odd. Freudian slip? Was he passed out? I might be grasping at straws.

 

[Jack Mallory]

And when I came to, I took my spotlight [snip] And that's when I sort-of snapped out of it, and took out my camera...

"When I came to" in the context of his description seems odd. Freudian slip? Was he passed out? I might be grasping at straws.

I noticed that as well. It is an odd choice of words.

Unless he was coached by Hansen to build suspense/don't give out facts that can be disproven/sell the sizzle, but just speculation.

If I were being charitable, I'd be willing to concede that maybe that has to do with them seeking other witnesses to corroborate the night's event (as they claimed is their next goal). Perhaps they don't want to influence the narrative too much before finding out what others may have to offer in terms of exact location and other specifics surrounding the story. Maybe.

 

[NoParty]

Let's look at the cruiser's dashcam!
The bright light he's describing would be automatically caught on that for sure!!
Some bodycams are on for the whole shift, as well.
Something tells me we're gonna be out of luck on both...

Totally agree with Mick:
For the 10,000th time: Super dramatic headline...super lame (incongruent) evidence.

 

[jackfrostvc]

Let's look at the cruiser's dashcam!
The bright light he's describing would be automatically caught on that for sure!!
Some bodycams are on for the whole shift, as well.
Something tells me we're gonna be out of luck on both...

Totally agree with Mick:
For the 10,000th time: Super dramatic headline...super lame (incongruent) evidence.

Would they keep dashcam footage from 2 years ago ?

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

The mystery light in the iPhone footage looks a lot like a single large illuminating flare.

It's not necessarily part of a military exercise, as we've seen in the Southwest where we have big military reservations in the deserts.

It could have a been a part of a search and rescue operation over a large body of water, as in this case:

https://www.metabunk.org/threads/strange-lights-over-las-vegas-april-25-2023.12946/#post-289838

This case is well documented and will give us a good idea of what large illuminating parachute flares look like at approximately 20 miles.



The camera is looking toward the Toronto Pearson International Airport

View attachment 58945

Red arrow - Sheraton Gateway Hotel - Mississauga, Ontario

Green arrow - Orlando Corporation - 6205 Airport Road, Mississauga, Ontario


I have the ends of the line fixed on the Orlando Corporation building and on the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek near the corner of Lakeshore Rd and Water St in Oakville.

View attachment 58946

The camera has a telephoto lens, so the camera is another few miles north of the Orlando Corp building. I think it's fair to say that the illuminating parachute flares in this video are about 20 miles away. You can see just a hint of a smoke trail above the flares at times.

 

[jackfrostvc]

The thing that gets me, is that the footage through the car window looks weird to me. It kind of seems to me that the silhouette of the tree/landscape seems to be jittering around relative to the light/object

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

I'm not sure what to make of that. Could it be a parallax effect in combination with image stabilization? Was the car moving at all while the camera was recording? Maybe just creeping over an uneven road surface?

Does an iPhone have image stabilization?

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

It also looks like it could be a spotlight on a helicopter.

As the spotlight points away from the camera, it gets dimmer. The helicopter moves to camera right and gets lost behind the tree.

Just throwing some things out there to consider.

 

[jackfrostvc]

Seems there is a history of UFOs/Orbs over the Saugatuck Reservoir/general area as noted in this writeup made in 2013 by Christopher Burns who documents some cases.

https://chrisburnswriting.wordpress...fo-phenomenon-near-reddingweston-connecticut/

This reddit post below has a comment by u/Ethanol_Based_Life. He says he has lived in the area and that Plenty of stuff goes by all day from he assumes Sikorsky. I think he is referring to the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation which is ~ 8.4 miles from Saugatuck Reservoir. They are a leading helicopter maker and are owned by Lockheed Martin. See the wiki link below about them

www.reddit.com/r/Connecticut/comments/2x4iv0/in_smalltown_connecticut_50_years_of_ufo/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_Aircraft

 

[FatPhil]

Anyway, Mick has already pointed out some of the obvious flaws in the narrative:

Source: https://x.com/MickWest/status/1862204392663056433

I diverge from Mick's "If all this is happening, eventually, someone is going to get it on camera.".
I'm much more: If any of this is happening, eventually somone is going to get it on camera.
But I accept that xits are probably written in haste.

 

[john.phil]

I have separated the footage in question from the news report:

I have also made an enhanced version:

It just looks like an aircraft approaching a turning point.

 

[Mendel]

Would they keep dashcam footage from 2 years ago ?

Why wouldn't the officer have saved it before it was deleted?

 

[Ravi]

The officer claims it was "only 30 ft away"..
I just can't understand that some witnesses claim something was very close (arm length, directly above them, ect), while in reality it was a huge distance. Seriously don't get it.
I remember a guy on ATS claiming he has witnessed "huge spheres" going across his street, and he could "touch them". Reliable eh?

 

[Jack Mallory]

Does an iPhone have image stabilization?

Depending on the model, yes. I have an iPhone 14Pro that's a couple of years old now, and there's an "Enhanced Stabilization" feature for video that is on by default (with the option to turn it off). I've got plenty of video footage where I'm walking or biking that looks as if I was using a gimbal because the movement is so smooth. It's pretty impressive (a feature I believe was first released in 2021 with the iPhone 13 model).

 

[flarkey]

A few more, Mianus Reservoir circled in red, and South Norwalk Reservoir in green.
View attachment 73747

Mianus? I knew there was a Teepee in Mianus, but maybe there's a UFO in Mianus.

 

[Jack Mallory]

If you'll indulge me in a barely tangentially-related story, and use this as a cautionary tale for all...

In other Weston, CT news this week:
Weston mansion destroyed by fire after residents try to fry turkey in garage
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news...e-residents-try-to-fry-turkey-garage/3443801/

It seems to be a recurring theme every year, but people never learn.
Frying turkeys can explode. Here's how to avoid that
https://www.npr.org/2023/11/22/1214667773/frying-turkey-safely-thanksgiving

 

[JMartJr]

The mystery light in the iPhone footage looks a lot like a single large illuminating flare.

I'd have said "Chinese wedding lantern," but you are also correct -- given the quality of the footage, it seems to me that it could be either.

 

[flarkey]

I'd have said "Chinese wedding lantern," but you are also correct -- given the quality of the footage, it seems to me that it could be either.

To me it looks more like the lights from an aircraft that just taken off. Note how the light reduces on brightness it moves to our right, just as the lights on an aircraft

There's a lot of airports in the area. I'd bet that if we work out the location that the Police Officer was, he would be facing the departure route of a major airport.

 

[NorCal Dave]

IF this guy is a Weston Police officer, which seems plausible, and he was on duty, then he's on the west shore of the Saugatuck Reservoir looking somewhere between due north and at certain points southeast:

As noted above, the reservoir is about 13 miles from the Bridgeport/Sikorsky airport:

And 13 miles from the Sikorsky helicopter factory:

 

[JMartJr]

I just can't understand that some witnesses claim something was very close (arm length, directly above them, ect), while in reality it was a huge distance. Seriously don't get it.

I don't know why, but it is super common when people are confronted by something they don't recognize and can't identify (which you already know, I'm sure, just putting in "the record" here.)

It happens that I am reading Philip Klass's "UFOs Explained" at the moment, and just finished reading about some "near misses" between UFOs and aircraft (an Eastern Airlines crew saw a large UFO with rows of windows that missed them by 700 feet near Montgomery AL on July 24 1948, or the formation of 4 UFOs that zipped within 300 feet of an American Airlines flight near St. Louis on June 5, 1969 according to an FAA controller who was riding in the cockpit) and other "close encounters" such as a tree-top level UFO reported from Shoals, IN on March 3 1968. In spite of these UFOs being reported as extremely local by witnesses (though not quite in the "30 foot" range claimed here) all were correlated to bright fireball meteors seen over wide areas at the same time -- the meteors did not narrowly miss the planes, and did not fly at treetop level, they would have been 50-100 miles up, and some distance laterally.

But in an exciting, unexpected, high-adrenaline moment, trying the impossible task of judging size and distance to an unknown object with no points of reference, our brains often fail spectacularly -- no matter how smart, educated or experienced we are.

Incidents recounted here are in Chapters 1 and 5 of the book, which was published in 1974 so there are no recent cases there-in! If there is a preferred method for citing a book here, feel free to drop me a message anybody!

 

[deirdre]

this guy documented in 2013 what sounds very very similar. pics and maps etc
https://chrisburnswriting.wordpress...fo-phenomenon-near-reddingweston-connecticut/

he says he was in redding but google maps says the maps he shows is weston. ufo was over redding which was across water, he (a newspaper reporter) was in weston.

Article:

DECEMBER 19, 2013 BY CHRISTOPHER BURNS
A repeated UFO phenomenon near Redding/Weston, Connecticut
On the dates of Oct. 8, Nov. 11, and Dec. 10, 2013, I documented the appearance of an unidentified flying object which hovers over the Saugatuck Reservoir, in Redding, Connecticut. On each of those dates, the same orange orb appeared above the reservoir and hovered for anywhere between 5, and 30 minutes.

Source: https://chrisburnswriting.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/a-repeated-ufo-phenomenon-near-reddingweston-connecticut/

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

In the video, there's a glitter trail on the surface of the water, below the light, which means it's relatively closeby. This isn't a distant plane.

The Sikorsky factory is only a few miles away. And they test fly recently assembled military helicopters. Here's a video taken by a local.



The witness describes a light powerful enough to light up the interior of the car. I'm favoring helicopter with spotlight.



Test flights of Sikorsky helicopters would explain repeated sightings over the years.

 

[NoParty]

Would they keep dashcam footage from 2 years ago ?

Sorry, I was being a little snarky.

My point was that, dashcam footage would back up his story, and there would be no need
to hide the story, or worry about it damaging his credibility.
So, as Mendel says, if something happened anything like Klein says it did,
you'd immediately save that footage.

Conveniently, here, we appear to no dashcam footage, no bodycam footage, and only
some truly useless phone footage that looks nothing like his claims.

 

[deirdre]

more from the above blog regarding 2013 sightings same location

Article:

n. When we saw it without a camera lens, the light appeared to be an orange circle floating across the sky.

Source: https://chrisburnswriting.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/a-repeated-ufo-phenomenon-near-reddingweston-connecticut/

 

[deirdre]

and i would like to note it is very very dark out there, (and isolated and kinda creepy. in fact young ladies of my day dont drive near the resevoir at night as if you break down you may never be seen again. )

im thinking the officer didnt realize if you stare at a light in the dark, that light burns into your retina for a minute or so and you see that light floating in front of you wherever you look. My guess is this is why he thought it was "30 feet in front of me". but just a guess.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

A negative afterimage. Might explain a couple of things.

The afterimage would "follow" your gaze where ever you look. If you shift your gaze, the "light" moves too. Which might explain the "instantaneous" movement described by the witness.

How far/how close? How far away is an afterimage? It's whatever distance your brain decides it is.

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

This will help you produce a negative afterimage. How far away is it? How big? How does it move?

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

Another example.

Look around the room at the walls and shift your gaze to a piece of paper in front of your face. How far away is it? How does it move?

 

[Z.W. Wolf]

I can't help getting the impression that the story we are getting is muddled. I'm wondering if the light that changed colors was a scintillating star... and then shortly afterward... or not so shortly afterward... the witness saw a helicopter with spotlight.

 

[jackfrostvc]

Fun side story, Many years ago, sad to say .
I was making out with my girlfriend when a powerfull light lit us up from above. I couldn't work out what it was, just this large bright light and this weird noise. Quite the experience. I only realised it was the turbine powered police helicopter when it flew off. Of course confusion was probably then replaced with embarrasment

So yeah, I 100% understand how people can think they have been lit up by a UFO when it's in fact a helicopter. Particularly the noise those turbine Helicopters make, it's quite unexpected and not like what I had thought a helicopter sounded like.

 

[NoParty]

While I think this whole deal is pretty sketchy,
I can't be the only person who read:
"The officer described the object's movement as 'instantaneous,' claiming that when he
illuminated it with his spotlight, it immediately traveled across the body of water" and thought,

"Hmmmm...big item super close...then, a millisecond later a tiny object very far away, and no
travel witnessed...seems like it might be a different item...possibly with no connection at all."

 

[jackfrostvc]

While I think this whole deal is pretty sketchy,
I can't be the only person who read:
"The officer described the object's movement as 'instantaneous,' claiming that when he
illuminated it with his spotlight, it immediately traveled across the body of water" and thought,

"Hmmmm...big item super close...then, a millisecond later a tiny object very far away, and no
travel witnessed...seems like it might be a different item...possibly with no connection at all."

I have seen a video of a flare that went from super bright to almost out, it looked like it zoomed off into the distance.

That is to say, if your brain doesn't interpret a bright light dimming quickly as just that, IMO it can appear to be the same bright object looking fainter because your brain thinks it shot off into the distance.

A large bright light changing brightness and size quickly can happen with a flare or a helicopter spotlight being rotated away.