Aguadilla CBP Thermal Video
U.S. Customs and Border Protection released approximately three minutes of thermal video showing an unidentified object passing rapidly across the runway at Rafael Hernández Airport, briefly entering the water and continuing flight.
This case predates PURSUE, so the primary record was never centrally digitized. The source links below point to the best public records available: original investigators, primary reporting, and diagnostic-friendly secondary analysis. For PURSUE-era cases, mirrored files render inline further down.
Provenance metadata
None of the 9 structured provenance fields were disclosed in this release. That is a gap in the source, not on our end.
Show the 9 undisclosed fields
- Coordinates
- Altitude
- Sensor detail
- Encounter duration
- Witness count
- Operational context
- Weather / visibility
- Chain of custody
- Classification
Official description
The video was released through FOIA and circulated by the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU), which produced a detailed analysis estimating object speeds and the apparent water-entry behavior.
Editor's context
Independent analyst Mick West has proposed that the object is a wedding lantern or similar light source, with the apparent water-entry being a parallax artifact. The SCU response argues the kinematics do not match a wind-borne lantern. Both analyses use the same source video and disagree on geometric assumptions.
In the margins
Transcribed redactions, stamps, and handwritten markings, the paratext of the file. Often the most human part of a declassified document, and worth reading on its own.
- Stampp. FOIA coverU.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DHC-8 SURVEILLANCE AIRCRAFT
- StampRAFAEL HERNÁNDEZ AIRPORT, AGUADILLA, PUERTO RICO
- AnnotationApproximately 3 minutes of thermal imagery captured. Object reportedly enters water at one point and re-emerges, then continues flight.
- AnnotationReleased to the public via FOIA in April 2015. Subsequent analyses by SCU and Mick West reached opposing conclusions using the same source video.
Cite the primary source
Citations center the originating government agency and link to the official record. This archive is listed as the access point, not the author.
U.S. Department of Defense. "Aguadilla CBP Thermal Video." Released via PURSUE program, 2015-04-08. https://www.explorescu.org/. Accessed 2026-09-26 via Social Media for Aliens archive, https://socialmediaforaliens.com/files/aguadilla-2013.
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