On the evening of January 8, 2008, dozens of people in and around Stephenville, Texas, reported very bright lights moving fast and silently across the sky. Some said the lights belonged to a huge flat object, perhaps a mile long, and that military jets were chasing it.
The Air Force first said no aircraft were in the area, then corrected itself: ten F-16s from a reserve wing had been training there and dropping flares used to fool heat-seeking missiles.
The story drew reporters from all over the world. A local constable gave more than 100 interviews, T-shirts called the town the "New Roswell", and the case is still told in the area as the night the jets came.