‘Unsolved Mysteries’: 1994 Michigan UFO Still Puzzling Today—Here’s Why

The first three episodes of Unsolved Mysteries Volume 3 are out on Netflix now, with the remaining six set to drop on October 25 and November 1.

Episode 2 in the new series is titled “Something in the Sky” and explores a UFO sighting in Michigan in 1994.

While what exactly transpired remains unknown to this day, one thing is for sure— enough people were concerned at the time to raise the alarm that something strange was taking place in the skies above them.

Newsweek has everything you need to know about the case and why it is still puzzling for so many today.

The 1994 Michigan UFO Incident

On the evening on March 8, 1994, the residents of Western Michigan saw something unusual in the sky.

According to the Chicago Tribune, there were over 300 witnesses across 42 counties in Michigan who reported seeing the event.

More than 300 calls were made to 911 that evening, with residents reporting strange and unnatural lights sparking along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.

Many residents reported that the lights were circular or cylindrical and flashed in different colors over the glistening lake. Some described them as looking like flying, flickering Christmas lights but what they witnessed has never been conclusively identified.

In Unsolved Mysteries Volume 3, several theories are put forward to explain the sighting—from aliens to military aircraft or a natural event like the northern lights. Audiences also hear directly from those who witnessed the event, all giving similar descriptions.

A General Incident Report filed by Officer Jeff Velthouse of the Holland Police Department detailed his response to numerous 911 calls. After looking through binoculars, he too saw flying objects that were red, green, and white.

At the time, radar operator Jack Bushong from the National Weather Service, based at Muskegon County Airport, recorded the spectacle and said that something did take place in the sky that required attention.

Bushong said he followed the objects on the weather radar and was certain they were not a form of military aircraft. He said he had never seen an aircraft get up to a speed of 72,000 miles per hour before.

Unfortunately, it has never been confirmed what happened in the sky on the night of March 8, 1994, in Michigan.

The Chicago Tribune reported in 1995 that researchers had ruled out the objects in the sky being a small plane, gas, a blimp, a weather balloon, a satellite, shooting stars, military aircraft, or debris.

If you have any information about the 1994 sighting, you can share your tip via unsolvedmysteries.com/tips/ now.

Unsolved Mysteries Volume 3 episodes drop October 25, and November 1 on Netflix.