From archivist Wendy Connor's audio collection of UFO-related recordings, which includes "Cops and Saucers" (mp3 recording)
Socorro, New Mexico, April 25(?), 1964. Officer Lonnie Zamora is interviewed by Walter Shrode on KSRC Radio. 12:15 Mins.
SHRODE: This is Walter Shrode, your roving reporter at KSRC radio in Socorro, New Mexico. We have with us this afternoon Mr. Lonnie Zamora, the Socorro patrolman, that while chasing a car, found himself in an area about two miles west of Socorro and one mile east of KSRC radio station, at which time he reports he came upon an unidentified object resting on four legs, that as he drew closer, the object took off with a loud roar, spouting blue-red flame, and disappeared in the sky. A great number of cars and Socorro people have gathered here in front of the studios of KSRC to catch a glimpse of Mr. Zamora as he arrives and welcome him with their car horns. Mr. Zamora, after coming upon this object, just what did happen?
ZAMORA: I went up that little road, for about half a mile, I guess, ahhh, came up to this little parking (??) deal there on the side of the road, and I thought I’d glance out of the window, looked to my left and seen this white object on the ground. Thought that it might be a car that had turned over. Crossed the ril(?) to go out there to investigate, thought maybe somebody be hurt. Ahh, at that time, I saw this white, egg, like egg-shaped looking object...
SHRODE: That it looked something like an egg, you mean?
ZAMORA: Yeah, from that distance I was it looked like an egg to me,
SHRODE: About the size of a car, I think someone said...
ZAMORA: Yes sir, it looked like a car that had turned over, therefore I would say about the size of a car.
SHRODE: And was there any kind of markings on it of any kind that you noticed?
ZAMORA: Yes I did. Not from that far I didn’t see the markings. When I went up closer to it, I did see the markings.
SHRODE: And someone said that the markings that you saw was an upside down “V” with three lines running through it.
ZAMORA: No sir, I couldn’t tell you that, because they still don’t want me to say nothing about the markings.
SHRODE: They don’t want you to say anything about the markings. OK, we won’t question you on that. And if we run into an area that they don’t want to talk about, you just say so. And this happened about 5:35 in the afternoon?
ZAMORA: It happened about 5:50, about ten minutes to six.
SHRODE: About ten minutes to six. And you did place a call then to Sgt. Chavez of the State Police to come on out and help you with the investigation?
ZAMORA: From the time I saw this object, which I didn’t know what it was, I placed the call to Sgt. Chavez of the State Police, called him to come out there and help me on this. And he said, “Yes, I’ll be right there, in about two minutes.”
SHRODE: And he arrived just about two or three minutes after the object had taken off and left.
ZAMORA: Well, the object was still about a couple of moments (?) up there when he arrived.
SHRODE: Still in the direction it went, it went out over the top of the mountain, and we’ve heard several reports that it flew low, like if it was dragging something, we’ve heard some ahh....
ZAMORA: It was very low to the ground, at the time I was seeing it, it was very low to the ground up to the the perlite mill there, and then it started gaining in altitude.
SHRODE: Now also it was reported to me that when you first drove up into this area and sighted this object, that the motors were running and it was going “bzzzt, bzzzt, bzzzt” or some such sound as that. Is that correct?
ZAMORA: I couldn’t say because it happened so fast. I started running; I was scared.
SHRODE: Well I don’t blame you. The thought if it scares me even yet. Now you did say you saw two what appeared to be people dressed in white uniforms with... did they have helmets on like space men or anything....?
ZAMORA: No sir, I wouldn’t say they were people, I just... I saw something white, white coveralls, that’s all I can say
SHRODE: Like something in white coveralls.
ZAMORA: Right.
SHRODE: But you couldn’t identify them as actually being a actual human being, like you or I are?
ZAMORA: No sir, I couldn't.
SHRODE: You didn’t know where they turned and saw you or what then?
ZAMORA: Well, ahhh [hesitatingly], to my... I would say that... that, that, the white object turned and saw me.
SHRODE: Were there two of ‘em?
ZAMORA: I would say there were two, because one was in front and the other of them was in back.
SHRODE: Did you have a chance to notice what kind of a doorway they had, to this object, this flying object?
ZAMORA: No, I didn’t notice any doors, no.
SHRODE: And when it took off, it made a loud, loud roaring sound, is that...?
ZAMORA: It made a very loud noise, roar sound.
SHRODE: And then after it got up in the air about 20 feet, well the sound seemed to disappear?
ZAMORA: The sound was... disappeared. It was very, very quiet; you could hear a pin drop, yeah.
SHRODE: And now these markings it left on the ground—now the reports that I have had and I haven’t had a chance to go and take a look and the winds probably spoiled a lot of that anyway—was that, there was deep indentations in the ground, approximately 10 inches wide and 6 to 8 inches deep, about 15 feet apart, is that a correct report?
ZAMORA: Well, I would say it was about 19 feet apart of the prints(?).
SHRODE: Uh-huh, and were there any other prints, like footprints around the area, right after the takeoff and when you were making an investigation?
ZAMORA: There were some prints, but I wouldn’t know if they were footprints or anything, just prints.
SHRODE: Then you couldn’t actually identify them as actually being a footprint or indentations...
ZAMORA: No.
SHRODE: ... like somebody might have walked there, or something might have walked there?
ZAMORA: Somebody walked around there because there was, when I got there, there was nobody around there yet.
SHRODE: Now there was... according to a report from on one of the news television stations in Albuquerque, claimed that they had a call, just about 5:30 in Albuquerque of a sighting of a flying object, flying in this direction. Did you hear anything about that?
ZAMORA: No sir, I didn’t.
SHRODE: Which if that be true, it means that somebody in Albuquerque saw this object flying in this direction just prior to your sighting, which corroborates the fact that there was something here. Now, I get the feeling Lonnie that the people I have talked to and were out and around the area, that they are quite sure that something landed there, something that took off from this spot, because not only the imprint that it left in the ground, but the fires that it started and the method by which the fire or the power that, whatever it was using kind of spread itself as it took off, is that right?
ZAMORA: Right, I know that there was something out there because I seen it.
SHRODE: And what was your immediate reaction when you realized that this thing might be an object from outer space?
ZAMORA: Well I didn’t think it would be an object from outer space because I don’t believe in things like this, from outer space.
SHRODE: Well, ah, it was something that you had never seen before and...
ZAMORA: Right.
SHRODE: ...enough to scare you to run in the other direction.
ZAMORA: Well, what scared me was the loud noise and the flame that it had under it.
SHRODE: It had a large flame as it took off?
ZAMORA: Uh hum.
SHRODE: Was it a yellow flame, or...?
ZAMORA: No it was as bluish, ahhh, bluish-orange flame. I thought this object was going to blow up, that’s why I started running back.
SHRODE: And did you notice whether these arms that it was sitting on retracted back into the object as it flew away or not?
ZAMORA: I didn’t have time.
SHRODE: You didn’t have time. In fact you ran in the other direction.
ZAMORA: Right.
SHRODE: At that time, I would have been too. Are there any other things about this sighting that you think our listening audience might be interested in or something that you would be allowed to tell?
ZAMORA: No, that’s all I saw.
SHRODE: Uh huh, and, uh, did it disappear into the high sky after it went over around the perlite, or did it fly...?
ZAMORA: Yes sir, it flew low to the perlite mine, and then from there on it did go faster than you could barely view.
SHRODE: Right straight up in the air, huh?
ZAMORA: It depended on what you were looking at to see what it was doing.
SHRODE: Well, uh, do you think we’re going to get any more out him, or out of you?
ZAMORA: Hope not, not to me it isn’t (?)
SHRODE: Well that was quite an interesting experience and sure has caused an awful lot of comment. Ahhh, did the investigators that were called in make any comments at all, with the exception that they don’t have any such object in this area.
ZAMORA: Yes (?), they are still puzzled themselves, yes.
SHRODE: And there’s been no report on the samplings they took of the area around there, from the burning brush and the area that the blast hit the ground that might give a clue as to what kind of power was being used on this?
ZAMORA: No sir, no.
SHRODE: Uh huh. Well, I think that just about covers it here. Well, let’s see... it wasn’t dragging anything? We had a report that it was dragging something as it left.
ZAMORA: No, I wouldn’t say it was dragging nothing, just low to the ground.
SHRODE: And you can’t think of anything else about the sighting of this flying object that our listening audience might be interested in?
ZAMORA: No, that’s all I can say now.
SHRODE: Well Lonnie, I’m sure you’ve been getting an awful lot of questions and a lot of inquiry. I imagine you’re beginning to get a little tired of it actually from many people calling and asking you about it. Maybe this will be one way to keep too many people from having you have to go through this story over and over again.
ZAMORA: Right.
SHRODE: Well, it’s been a real pleasure talking to you Mr. Lonnie Zamora. This is the gentleman, the Socorro patrolman, that on Friday at around ten minutes to six, come up on an object, a flying object, an unidentified flying object, as the government prefers to call them...
ZAMORA: ‘Scuse me Walter, I’ve got some, some military people that charged out (??) and want to talk to me now, these are from the USAF(?)/US Army (Sounds like UFO)
SHRODE: All right, you have some military people that are here from USAF/US Army (?) to talk to you right now and to ask you some more questions about this. And they have not in any way tried to indicate that they didn’t want us to, to ah, cover this type of a news event(?)?
ZAMORA: No, I just saw them out there. I might as well come out and talk to you and the rest of the people, that’s all right.
SHRODE: All right, that’s fine, and we would be interested in knowing what they think about it, if they will allow it, and after you get through talking to them, if you would call us back here at KSRC and give us some of the information that they might allow you to let let us broadcast.
ZAMORA: I’ll be glad to.
SHRODE: All right, and Mr. Zamora, I hope you don’t come up on any more of these objects that...
ZAMORA: Me neither.
SHRODE: (Laughs) Unless we find out exactly what they are. So it’s been a pleasure Mr. Zamora having you in our studios and we want to thank you, and I know our listeners thank you—and this is expressed by the great number of cars that are out here in front of our studios just to get a glimpse of what we might call a Socorro celebrity right at the moment... Thank you Mr. Zamora. It’s been very nice having you at KSRC studios. You’ve just been listening to a KSRC radio special featuring an interview with Mr. Lonnie Zamora, a patrolman here in Socorro, who sighted a unidentified object that flew away as he drove up on it.
Officer Lonnie Zamora is interviewed on the phone by NICAP’s Streeter Stuart, April 29, 1964. 02:50 Mins. (mp3 recoding)
ZAMORA: I was chasing a reckless driver going up south Pike Street. After a time I came down to this little road, I heard this big roar—blast. We got a dynamite shack to the west there. I thought I’d investigate, maybe, I thought maybe it blowed up. So I fired up there real fast. Half way through it, I stuck my head out the window, out of the car, and I seen this like egg, ah, egg-shaped object, ah, ‘scuse me, object. Ah, I didn’t know what it was. At that time I thought it was a car that turned over, vehicle that turned over. I started out there real fast so I could maybe help the people in the car. I went up to as close, about 200 feet, about 200 feet from this... I got out of the car and started toward it when I heard this big noise again, same noise, and the flame coming from under it. I got scared and started running back. I ran about 50 feet from it. Ah, I turned about ? feet the ground and hides(?), afterwards I didn’t hear the noise no more. Ah, I lifted up my head to see what’s, what’s happening. It was real quiet then when I saw this white object just take off, towards the west there, straight out (??).
STUART: Did it leave any kind of a vapor trail when it took off?
ZAMORA: No sir, it didn’t. No trail, no nothing.
STUART: But it did make a roar at the time you approached it?
ZAMORA: A big roar, yes sir, it did.
STUART: And you could actually see the flame then under it?
ZAMORA: Yes sir, I did.
STUART: Was it standing on legs?
ZAMORA: Yes sir, it had legs, I called it legs, yes.
STUART: And you thought there were four of these?
ZAMORA: Apparently there was, from the markings on the ground, there was four legs, yes.
STUART: In other words, you examined it later on?
ZAMORA: Yes, we did—me and the State Police, New Mexico State Police.
STUART: After it took off, did you go back to get help?
ZAMORA: No, I radioed for help from the car and they came on out, yes.
STUART: I see. And when you went back to examine it, what did you find near where it had been parked?
ZAMORA: Well ah, the bush, a bush that’s all around there, greasewood, and grass was still burning. So as far as markings on the ground, prints and everything else.
STUART: There were prints as if it had been standing on these legs.
ZAMORA: Right.
STUART: Did the legs go up into the object when it took off? Did you notice that?
ZAMORA: No sir, I didn’t notice it at the time.
STUART: And after it got into the air, did the roar stop?
ZAMORA: Yes sir, when it came straight up.
(END)
