Rex Heflin

Rex Heflin, an Orange County, California highway inspector, documented an unusual aerial phenomenon on August 3, 1965. While working near the Santa Ana Freeway, he photographed a hat-shaped unidentified flying object from his work truck, capturing the sighting using Polaroid film. He took a total of four photographs: three showing the disc-shaped object and one depicting a black ring of smoke or vapor left after its departure.

The photographs became among the most scrutinized UFO images of the 1960s. They were studied by the U.S. Air Force, NICAP, and the Condon Committee, though some analysts questioned their authenticity. No definitive evidence of hoaxing was established, but the original Polaroids were reportedly confiscated by individuals claiming to represent NORAD and never returned.

Heflin's documentation remains a notable case in UFO research history, representing one of the era's most analyzed photographic records of alleged unidentified aerial phenomena.