Project Blue Book Case #1502. On July 17, 1952, a bright object was observed over White Plains, New York — the Westchester County seat, approximately 25 miles north of Manhattan. White Plains sat beneath the busy approach corridors for New York's major airports, and its residents were thoroughly familiar with the constant flow of commercial aviation.
July 17, 1952, was just two days before the first Washington, D.C., radar events would make worldwide headlines. The great wave was at maximum intensity, with reports arriving from coast to coast. The New York metropolitan area, with its enormous population and busy skies, contributed multiple cases during this peak period.
White Plains' suburban setting, combined with its proximity to the nation's largest city, meant any reported unknown had to be genuinely anomalous — residents simply would not bother reporting routine air traffic. The case was classified "Unknown."