Overview
Recently released FBI documents from the National Archives are adding new public detail to a reported UFO sighting involving Anoka, Minnesota police officers, a case that had remained largely obscure outside UFO research circles. The records, which are part of the federal government’s Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection, describe an unusual object seen by at least three Anoka Police Department employees on Feb. 19, 2025, and include a short video clip taken during the incident. According to the files, the sighting was reviewed but ultimately closed without further investigative action, leaving the event unexplained.
What the records show
The documents indicate the observation began around 1:17 a.m., when officers and staff who had just finished training were conducting an after-action briefing in Anoka and noticed a multicolored object near the western horizon. Witnesses later moved to the Anoka Municipal Ramp to get a better look. One account described the object as appearing like “six hula-hoops with lights around each loop,” resembling an orbital diagram of an atom, while another witness estimated it was roughly the size of an SUV or school bus. The records also note that the object appeared to hover and then shift position in a way witnesses found difficult to explain.
One of the more striking witness descriptions said the object was a sphere emitting red, blue, green and white light, which the observer compared to a “tie dye” shirt in motion. The witness wrote that the object seemed to mimic navigation lights but did not resemble a conventional aircraft. Another account described the movement as occurring in “three separate bursts,” with the object appearing to descend “like a leaf floating on a breeze.” A different portion of the file said it may have traveled “30–40 miles in a few seconds,” moving “like a stone on a pond.” The records also suggest the object may have flown near the Monticello Nuclear Power Generation Plant, though no conclusion was reached in the documents released so far.
Video evidence and limitations
The archive includes a three-second video clip from the sighting, though the footage is blurry. According to the file, one witness captured the image by pointing a phone camera through binoculars. The records also note that the officers were limited by the conditions at the time, including the cold weather, which prevented them from using some of their other magnified optics and night vision equipment. One witness wrote that, in the future, they would need better tools to document a similar event more clearly.
Broader context
The Anoka case is drawing renewed attention not only because it involves law enforcement witnesses, but also because it has now been placed into a broader pattern of Minnesota reports from the same period. UFO researchers and reporting groups, including Americans for Safe Aerospace and NUFORC, have pointed to the incident as one of several unusual sightings reported in the state around that time. While the FBI records do not identify the object or suggest a definitive explanation, the release underscores how UAP reporting continues to move from anecdotal accounts into the federal record, where cases can remain unresolved even after review.
