Cabo Rojo jet disappearance (1988)
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 6
| Date | January 1989 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Military encounters (topic), Congress & law (topic) |
| People | Jorge Martín |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 102 |
| Year | 1989 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1989 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 7 |
On the evening of 28 December 1988, residents of Cabo Rojo and Lajas in southwestern Puerto Rico reported seeing two jet fighters chasing a huge triangular craft, and said the jets appeared to vanish into it. The case was publicised by Puerto Rican researcher Jorge Martín; no official record of it has been found.[1]
The reports
According to Martín's account, at about 7:45 p.m. witnesses saw a large triangular object with bright yellow lights at one tip and red lights at the other, pursued by two jets that he believed were U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcats. The jets appeared to disappear inside or merge with the larger object, which then split in two and shot straight up. Martín said that the accounts and sketches of many witnesses from both towns agreed; one later account claims more than 115 witnesses, a figure that cannot be verified. The Lajas valley was already known for frequent UFO reports.[1][2]
Official response
The Federal Aviation Administration reportedly denied that any incident had occurred, and the Navy and Air Force have not confirmed any incident or any missing aircraft. Martín said he later obtained confirmation from a U.S. source, but has not published official documentation. The testimony mentions a Navy sailor who said F-14 pilots had chased a UFO near Puerto Rico around this time. The U.S. had a major Navy base at Roosevelt Roads on the island.[1]
Assessment
Skeptics suggest the witnesses may have seen a military exercise or aerial refuelling. The details come from ufology sources that repeat each other, and no primary Navy or FAA records have been found. The case is one of the best-known in Puerto Rico's long history of UFO reports.[1][2]
People and topics
- U.S. Navy — The U.S. naval service, whose pilots reported the UAP encounters revealed in 2017.
- Unidentified anomalous phenomena — The U.S. government's current term for unidentified objects in the air, in space and underwater.
- Unidentified flying object — An object in the sky that can't be identified; the older term for UAP.
- Jorge Martín — Puerto Rican UFO researcher.
- U.S. Air Force — The U.S. military service that ran the official UFO projects from 1947 to 1969.
On the Timeline
- Bill English and Grudge/Blue Book Report 13 (January 1989) — Bill English claims he saw a memo saying Blue Book officials knew of crash recoveries.
- Bob Lazar goes public (15 May 1989) — Bob Lazar goes public, claiming he worked on alien craft at S-4 near Area 51.
See every 1989 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- "Puerto Rico 1988 jets", Darnell Williams Word (Apr 2011) · darnellwilliamsword.blogspot.com · archived copy
- "Interview with José Martínez of PRRG", Inexplicata (Mar 2009) · inexplicata.blogspot.com · archived copy
- Puerto Rico close encounters index — Patrick Gross · ufologie.patrickgross.org · archived copy
- UFO capture of two F-14s (book) — Goodreads · goodreads.com · archived copy
- Government coverup? Puerto Rico UFO reports — Princeton student archive · princeton.edu · archived copy
- cavinessreport.com · cavinessreport.com · archived copy
- youtu.be · youtu.be · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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