010 UNCLASSIFIED All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) CLEARED U.S. Department of Defense For Open Publication Case: “The Puerto Rico Object” Mar 19, 2025 Case Resolution | 20 March 2025 Department of Defense OFFICE OF PREPUBLICATION AND SECURITY REVIEW AARO Assessment and Case Status: Case Synopsis 1 AARO assesses with high confidence that the objects did not exhibit anomalous Location: Puerto Rico behavior or transmedium capabilities. AARO assesses with moderate confidence Date: April 26, 2013 that the objects were a pair of sky lanterns. Object Altitude (Reported): N/A Case Overview Object Altitude (Assessed): 656 ft On April 26, 2013, an infrared (IR) sensor Object Speed (Reported): N/A onboard a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) De Havilland Canada 8 Object Speed (Assessed): 8 mph aircraft flying above Rafael Hernandez Object Shape (Reported): N/A Airport near Aguadilla, Puerto Rico captured thermal video footage of two Object Shape (Assessed): Indistinct objects drifting at wind speed and direction. Reporter: Publicly available media, originally The objects appeared to move at a high rate recorded by U.S. Customs and Border of speed over the airport and surrounding Protection. area before separating from one another. The objects seemed to enter, exit, and Data Type: Infrared disappear into the Atlantic Ocean off Puerto Rico's northwestern coast. Reported Behavior: Split or replicated; transmedium behavior. During the encounter, the CBP aircraft flew in an arc around the Rafael Hernandez Assessed Behavior: The objects did not Airport, gaining approximately 1,725 feet demonstrate anomalous performance in altitude before losing sensor contact with characteristics. the objects at 3,600 feet. The aircraft Confidence: High confidence that the objects entered a layer of scattered clouds as it did not demonstrate anomalous performance passed 3,000 feet in altitude. These clouds characteristics. Moderate confidence that the partially obscured the sensor's view, objects were a pair of sky lanterns. potentially affecting the objects’ sensor return. The range between the aircraft and the objects nearly tripled during the encounter. These factors contribute to the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office Page determined to be Unclassified 1 Reviewed by Chief of Staff, AARO Chief of Staff, AARO Authority: FY24 NDAA, now codified at 44 U.S.C. 2107 UNCLASSIFIED IAW FY24 NDAA, Section 1841(a)(1)(C) Date: 3/20/2025 Date: 3/20/2025 Released in Full: X 25-P-0553 Case Number: 330UAP000010