Christmas Lights Are Likely Source of Multiple UFO Reports in Wisconsin (But Not Everyone's Convinced)

Joshua Rodriguez/Twitter

A Christmas lights display may be behind a series of strange lights that appeared in the sky over Wisconsin earlier this month.

Bright orbs that seemed to glide through the clouds over rural parts of the state were recently captured in video footage shared by social media users who thought they might have seen a UFO.

"Multiple witnesses reporting orb-like UAPs flying in formation over rural Wisconsin..!!" wrote Twitter user Joshua Rodriguez. A tweet of the video on his page garnered over 24,000 views.

But according to investigator and columnist Mick West, the illuminated objects likely came from spotlights at a home in Belgium, a village in Ozaukee County.

"Regarding the Wisconsin searchlight 'UAP' [unidentified aerial phenomena], I asked around and apparently the Holy Cross Church of Belgium, WI, added searchlights to their Christmas display this year. And it's right in the lines of sight," West wrote.

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West included maps illustrating why he believed the display, set up at the home of the Flanders family, was the likely source of the lights.

"The Flanders Family Christmas Lights are responsible for several 'UFO' sightings in Wisconsin," he tweeted. "From a distance all you see are the spots of lights moving in the clouds. Their motion follows music (broadcast on radio) in quite long and complex sequences."

West said he contacted the Flanders family, who confirmed they had "6 moving [beams of] light" as part of their holiday decorations.

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In a video posted to YouTube, West broke down how he figured out the Flanders home was responsible for the UFO reports.

"I did a little Googling, and found the Flanders Family Christmas Light Show, and I messaged them to ask if they had moving spotlights, and yes they did," he says in the video. "They even sent me a video. The spotlights are on the roofline, and they tilt down toward the location of one of the videos, so it's pretty much a perfect match."

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"So, case solved!" he added. "Not UFOs, just some spotlights. A fun little investigation. But the real puzzle here is why people thought it might have been anything else."

However, at least one person remains unconvinced. Former FBI agent Ben Hansen, who hosts UFO Witness on Discovery+, explained his skepticism on Twitter.

"I respect you @mickwest but this doesn't add up," he said in a series of tweets. "The Flanders Christmas display is 12.5 miles from our witnesses. The family told us they use 380W DMX party lights (DJ stage lights). This video is the house recorded from 2 miles. Do we really need to go back 10 more miles?"

He later added: "Not to mention, the pattern does not resemble what was captured on camera, nor are beams visible whatsoever in the witness videos. This demo was recorded under similar conditions at 10:50 PM (same as the event). You may feel the case is solved, but we still have work to do."