James Everell

Colonial American settler James Everell, accompanied by two companions, reported observing a luminous aerial object in 1639 over the Muddy River near Boston, Massachusetts. The witnesses described a large bright light that moved back and forth over the river for hours, marking one of the earliest documented UAP sightings in North America. James Everell and his companions witnessed the unusual phenomenon during a nighttime event on the river while they were in a boat (lighter). The light moved swiftly toward Charlestown and back, and the witnesses found themselves carried back against the tide. Recognized as a key early report in UAP/UFO history, the sighting was recorded by John Winthrop, governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, who described Everell as a sober, discreet man, while multiple credible witnesses reported similar lights.