Three UFO reports to PSNI in 2025 but true number of sightings ‘may be higher’
By Rebecca Black, Press Association
Three orange lights in a “perfect triangle” in the sky were reported to police in Northern Ireland in 2025, it can be revealed.
Police also received a call on their non-emergency 101 number reporting a UFO “above the airport/docks”, and an emergency call to 999 from Coleraine during which “UFO” was heard before it cleared.
In response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said they received three reports categorised as concerning UFOs, and none concerning aliens.
These included a call from Abbey Park in Armagh to 101 during which “three orange lights in the sky in a perfect triangle which moved then dispersed” were reported.
The 101 call reporting a UFO above the airport/docks came from an address recorded as Cypress Park, believed to refer to Cyprus Park in east Belfast, while the call from Coleraine came from Norwood Court, according to the FOI response.
Police said all three reports were “solely noted for information”, adding: “There was nothing ongoing and no lines of inquiry were identified at the time of the call.”
Asked whether the PSNI worked with any other organisations concerning UFO reports, the FOI response added: “PSNI works in partnership with others as and when circumstances require.”
The number of UFO sightings has varied over the last five years, going from four in 2019 to six in 2020, eight in 2021, one in 2022, and no reported UFO sightings from January 1st to November 1st 2023.
While these figures are very low, it doesn't mean people in Northern Ireland aren't seeing strange things in the skies
However in 2023, there were two reported sightings of aliens and one reported sighting of “strange lights”.
There were three reports concerning UFOs in 2024, which included a caller in Belfast telling the PSNI they had noted a flying object rising into the sky from the direction behind their house.
They described: “It has a vapour trail but made no sound at all. It had green and red flashing lights,” and said it went over their house and out towards the dock area.
According to the FOI response, the PSNI did not receive any reports around widely discussed lights in the sky across Ireland in October, which was later put down to debris for a rocket launched in Florida.
The Ministry of Defence previously recorded UFO sightings, but closed its UFO desk in 2009 after concluding that in more than 50 years, no received report had ever disclosed any evidence of a potential threat.
Nick Pope, who previously investigated UFO reports for the MoD, sounded caution over the numbers.
He told the Press Association he believes numbers are low because people fear they will not be taken seriously.
“While these figures are very low, it doesn’t mean people in Northern Ireland aren’t seeing strange things in the skies,” he said.
“The wave of sightings reported across Ireland in October proves they are – even if debris from a US rocket launch was the likely culprit on that occasion. I suspect the low numbers reflect the fact that a lot of people who see UFOs don’t report them, perhaps because they don’t think they’d be taken seriously.
“Furthermore, those people who do make a report may be more likely to contact the military, the media, or a civilian UFO research group, as opposed to calling the police.
“Until and unless an official focal point to report UFO sightings is set up, we’ll only ever get to hear about a tiny fraction of the strange phenomena undoubtedly being seen in Irish skies.”
