Another Silent, Black Triangle – The 2014 Magic Roundabout UFO Encounter

During the autumn of 2014, a resident of Swindon in Wiltshire, in the United Kingdom, witnessed a huge, black triangle while driving in the town. The details he would later offer, in terms of the appearance and behavior of the craft, matched many other sightings on record of these mysterious black triangles. Moreover, his report was just one of many reports of the exact same craft around the same time.

Further to that, as we have documented on several occasions before, Wiltshire is home to an abundance of UFO sightings, both in the contemporary age and stretching back to the Modern UFO Era. Some people offer that this is due to the many military bases and facilities in the area, while others put forward that the reasons for such a high number of UFO sightings here goes back much further, thousands of years to a time when the ancients seemingly knew something of this land that we today don’t.

Of course, black triangular UFOs are an intrigue in their own right. While there are sporadic reports of such craft in past decades, it wasn’t until the 1980s and 1990s that sightings of them began to increase dramatically, resulting in several UFO waves, the most famous being the Belgian UFO Wave of 1989 to 1991. Are these strange craft aerial vehicles from another world or dimension? Or are their origins much terrestrial, and part of a top-secret aviation program?

The sighting in question was originally investigated by the British Earth and Aerial Mysteries Society, and has been revisited on several occasions in the decade since it unfolded. It does, though, remain unexplained.

A Huge Object Over The Houses

While out driving on the evening of October 3^rd, 2014, at around 8 pm, a resident of Swindon, Wiltshire, England – Sam Young – witnessed something bizarre overhead. There, hovering no more than 50 feet from the ground over the quiet housing estate, was a huge, black triangular craft. ^[1] In fact, the curious craft was so low to the ground that Young felt sure that other residents and motorists must have seen it also.

He continued to look upwards at the object, attempting to take in as much detail as possible. He recalled that at each corner of the triangular object was a round, bright, white light, while in the middle, on the underside, was a “pulsating red light!” It is interesting to note that these details resonate almost perfectly with details of other sightings of triangular objects around the world, suggesting that the same intelligence is likely behind these specific sightings, whatever that intelligence might prove to be.

Young also recalled that the exterior of the craft was black and seamless, with no outstanding features. Moreover, there was no sign of any landing gear, and no clear sign of any type of propulsion system. He remained where he was, watching the object, itself remaining completely still as it hovered silently above the rooftops. Young stated that it appeared as though the craft – or at least the occupants of it – were looking for something, or someone, on the ground directly below where it hovered.

Young watched the object for between three to four minutes before it suddenly began moving. However, rather than shooting off into the distance, it simply began away from the housing estate in a slow, calm manner. As it moved, it remained completely silent, as well as staying perfectly straight and “parallel to the ground!”

Something Definitely Solid

We should note that the object was already hovering and in position when Young first noticed it, and we might recall that it remained visible for between three to four minutes after that. Young stated in his report that he was driving on the other side of town, around 15 to 20 minutes before arriving at the location, he eventually saw the craft, and that he didn’t see it overhead at that point. From this, we can conclude that the object was likely visible for between four and 20 minutes in total, most likely around 15 minutes, certainly giving other residents enough time to spot it (although it is unclear if there were any other witnesses to the sighting).

The witness also claimed that the ground below the craft was illuminated from the bright white light present at each corner of its underside, further suggesting that there must have been other witnesses to the sighting. When the craft moved, it did so at a speed of only around 15 miles per hour and appeared to be heading in the direction of Swindon’s famous Magic Roundabout, which still would have been relatively busy with traffic. However, before it reached the roundabout, the object banked to the right before climbing vertically.

As the object began to climb, Young could once more see the underside of the object. From this perspective, he could tell that there was a “bulkiness” to the craft and that it appeared to be particularly robust. Eventually, within a few moments, it disappeared into the blackness of the evening sky.

As it happened, Sam Young’s sighting was just one of many sightings of black triangular objects over the United Kingdom during this time.

Other Sightings Around The Same Time

Just before 10 pm on October 22^nd – only several weeks after Young’s sighting – an anonymous witness was standing at their back door in Norwich when they noticed “an entire group” of black triangle-shaped objects overhead. To begin with, in part because it was a particularly dark, moonless night, the witness thought the objects were a “perfectly formed cluster of clouds!” However, when they noticed that the rest of the sky was clear and cloudless, they realized they were looking at something altogether more out of the ordinary, not least as they were moving much faster than clouds would usually drift across the sky.

The witness continued to watch the cluster of objects, noting that there were three of them and they were in a “perfectly formed formation,” with one of the crafts clearly in the lead position with the others positioned behind it, one on each side. They further recalled that the objects remained completely silent as they moved, despite their obvious large size.

Several weeks later, at around 8 pm on November 8^th, in Wigan, an unnamed resident reported seeing a “triangle of lights” moving across the night sky. The witness was certain the lights were moving after he tracked their movement against the clouds for several moments. He also got the sense that, although he could only see the lights of one definite triangle-shaped object, he had a sense that there were several others, out of view at a higher altitude.  The witness also claimed in their report that they had seen similar objects in the same area previously.

Although it didn’t happen in the United Kingdom, it is also worth briefly mentioning a similar sighting that occurred around a week later on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in Oregon, in the United States. At just after 6 pm on November 17^th, a husband and wife noticed a “massive black triangle” moving overhead slightly ahead of their location. The couple later estimated that the object was at least 50 feet in width and was certain that it made no sound whatsoever as it moved. Moreover, for its size, it was moving at a relatively slow pace. In total, it remained in view for around five minutes before disappearing into the distance. The pair added that they lived close to a landing strip, and in all their time,e they had never seen anything so unusual.

Another Swindon Sighting

While it wasn’t a report of a black triangle, a sighting that also occurred in Swindon several years earlier is also worth briefly examining here. According to a report in a local newspaper, 17-year-old student Chris Moran spotted a strange “oval-shaped object” at around 9 pm on March 12^th, 2007, while he walked near open ground in the area. ^[2] He stated that he first spotted the aerial anomaly out of the corner of his eye before turning in its direction. He stated that the object was “quite bright” and was “hanging in the sky!” It remained in sight for only a few seconds before it “zoomed off” into the distance.

At this point, Chris turned to his friends to get their reaction to the bizarre events. However, much to his disbelief, none of them had seen it. Around an hour later, though, the object returned – and this time, all of the group saw it.

By this time, the group of friends were standing outside a public house when they noticed the bizarre, bright object appear overhead. They later stated in their report that the object was again oval-shaped, appearing similar “to a rugby ball!” Moreover, each of them noticed that they couldn’t hear any of the “rumbling” sounds one might associate with a moving aircraft. In fact, it remained completely silent for the duration of the sighting. The group was making so much noise as a reaction to the object that at least one person came out of the pub to see what the matter was.

Following the newspaper report on the sighting, the Ministry of Defense was asked to comment on the incident. They declined to do so, however, claiming they had received no reports of any unusual activity on the night in question. Just what the object might have been remains unknown.

Whether there is any kind of connection between the 2007 sighting and the black triangle sightings of 2014 remains unclear. With the Swindon sightings in mind, it is perhaps worth considering the wider location of Wiltshire, which is a hot spot for UFO activity and has been for decades, as well as an area in England that gets more than its fair share of crop circles.

It is also worth mentioning that Wiltshire is home to Rudloe Manor, one of the most controversial buildings in the United Kingdom, and a location that some researchers suggest sits on top of recovered UFOs – UFOs recovered, it is claimed, around the time of the Second World War or in the immediate years that followed. Moreover, UFO sightings appeared to increase in Wiltshire in the years following the end of the Second World War, and certainly as the 1950s unfolded. There were multiple reports of disc-shaped objects during this time. These sightings, though, suddenly increased dramatically as the 1960s progressed.

A Sudden Surge Of Sightings Around Wiltshire As Far Back As The Sixties

Beginning in December 1964, residents of the area began to report hearing a “crackling, humming” sound. Around the same time, an entire flock of dead pigeons suddenly dropped out of the sky. Whether the strange sound was connected to the strange and sudden deaths is not known, but some people began to contemplate if the flock had crashed into something unseen overhead (essentially, a spacecraft that was operating under some kind of cloaking device). It was after these events that reports of strange aerial objects suddenly exploded, with reports coming from across the county. ^[3]

On the evening of August 20^th, 1965, a courting couple on a motorcycle suddenly felt the bike stall and come to a stop. At the same time, they noticed two strange “white spheres of light” hovering above them. They watched this glow for several moments, noting that it changed color several times. Several months later, on October 8^th, 1965, a similar incident unfolded when a female motorist noticed a “bright orange ball” of light in the night sky before her car suddenly lost power. A moment later, a “dark object” suddenly ascended from a field at the roadside, sending a shower of red and blue sparks into the air as it did so. Within seconds, it had disappeared, and the witness’s car suddenly came to life.

Several years later, one evening in 1967, a local man was driving near Clay Hill when he heard a sudden high-pitched noise. At the same time, his car suddenly began to feel very hot. It then came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. He exited the vehicle in order to try to establish what the problem was. As he did so, he saw a “glowing white disc” moving overhead before it sped off into the distance. As soon as it was gone, the car’s engine started up again. Just short of a decade later, on the evening of August 25^th, 1975, a serviceman was driving his vehicle close to Warminster when he witnessed a bright red glowing object moving across the night sky. While this strange light was in sight, his car refused to start.

These strange occurrences, as well as the bizarre humming sound, continued well into the 1970s, eventually seeing another spike of sightings in 1978 (during a general wave of UFO sightings that encompassed the entire UK). Then, for no obvious reason, the sounds and the waves of sightings suddenly stopped. A particularly intriguing sighting took place in early 1977 and was witnessed by UFO researcher Kevin Goodman. ^[4] He claimed that he was looking in the direction of Cradle Hill when he witnessed “four red lights, evenly spaced apart!” He claimed he watched the lights for several moments before they came to a stop over the top of Battlesbury Barracks. Then, one of the lights suddenly shot directly upwards at “great speed”, quickly followed by the other three.

Multiple Reports Across The Decades

Although there was a peak of activity in the late 1970s, sightings continued to be reported throughout the 1980s, including reports of strange objects near several military bases such as RAF Rudloe and RAF Lyneham. ^[5] Moreover, many of these sightings resonated very nicely with the reports of previous years.

In December 1981, for example, a police station in Melksham received a report of a “bright orange round light” that was hovering over the witness’s home. Even more remarkable, the witness had claimed that the object had headed in their direction, moving steadily before it suddenly changed direction and disappeared with great speed toward the west.

At around 10 pm on the evening of May 17^th, 1985, an almost identical object was witnessed over Great Chalfield Manor near Holt. The anonymous witness was driving along a quiet road with their girlfriend when they first noticed the aerial anomaly. He claimed that it remained motionless, simply hovering in place above them for around a minute before it moved off into the distance at a rapid pace. Then, however, both the witness and his girlfriend looked on as a row of three flashing orange lights appeared overhead. Each recalled that they flashed in such a way that they appeared like strobe lighting. The witness reported what he had seen to the local police station, even requesting that military officials be sent to take an official report (it is not known if this happened or not).

Several weeks later, on a bright, sunny afternoon of June 2^nd, 1985, in Bromham, a town a short distance from Melksham, a local resident reported seeing a black egg-shaped object moving overhead. They watched it for several moments as it seemed to be heading in the direction of Bath. Just over two years later, in September 1987, in Calne, a local resident witnessed a large, conical-shaped object that seemed to change color from red to green, and then to blue. Furthermore, at the bottom of the object (the base of the cone), the witness – who viewed the object through their binoculars – reported seeing further “twinkling lights!”

Strange Activity Continues Today

This strange activity continued into the twenty-first century. On the evening of January 19^th, 2017, for example, local resident Ian Jones was walking his dog when he noticed a bizarre orange light hovering overhead in the evening sky. ^[6] He watched this strange aerial anomaly for around five minutes but was unable to explain or even fathom a guess as to what it might be. He later stated to the Express media platform that he thought at first that it was a Chinese lantern, but “it wasn’t moving!” He then contemplated that it might be an Apache helicopter, but the lack of any sound or noise coming from the light forced him to dismiss that.

Several months later, in August 2017, another strange sighting was reported, this time seemingly in connection with a recently appeared crop circle. ^[7] Even more remarkable, the witness – Pierre Beake, an investigator and expert of crop circles – managed to capture part of the sighting on film. He claimed that he witnessed “two mysterious balls of light” traveling very purposely over a field in Wiltshire in the middle of the day.

Beake showed his footage at a conference he was speaking at in nearby Glastonbury. He stated that you could clearly see the light “in the distance, coming across the field. It is windy, but it stays at the same speed with the same force!” Speaking about another sighting he had in the same area, he stated that “there were two big balls of light that just disappeared. There was no rain, no moisture. It was a hot day, you just can’t explain it, it is very weird!”

Why Is Wiltshire A UFO Hotspot?

It seems clear, then, that not only is Wiltshire a UFO hotspot, but this strange activity has been taking place there for decades, and perhaps even long before that, before accurate records were kept of such bizarre aerial events. Moreover, a great many of these sightings have occurred at relatively low altitudes over residential neighborhoods. While many people believe that these triangular-shaped UFOs are secret military vehicles (perhaps based on reverse-engineered technology), we have to ask, if this were the case, why would they operate so brazenly where these apparently secret vehicles can be easily seen and reported?

If we assume that these vehicles are of an otherworldly nature, why are so many of them witnessed over Wiltshire? Could it be that there is something special about this location that dates back to antiquity, perhaps some kind of energy source within the earth itself? If there is any truth to such assertions, we might ask if this was the reason that Stonehenge was built in this same location, to harness this potential natural energy? Could this speculative energy source even result in the creation of portals that offer gateways to these UFOs from their own realm of existence to ours?

Indeed, by understanding what apparent importance this region of England has in terms of UFO sightings, we might also begin to clear the picture on other mysteries from this same area, and similar ones around the world.

The short video below explores UFOs and the Wiltshire region a little further.

Expert Opinion

Allegations from autumn 2014 revolve around Sam Young’s claim of a colossal black triangle hovering silently near Swindon’s Magic Roundabout, marked by glowing corners and a pulsating red center. Larger context reveals Wiltshire’s ongoing pattern of UFO sightings, with some attributing it to hidden military facilities or ancient energies. Alongside additional eyewitness reports, the 2014 event stands out for both its proximity to onlookers and its purported scale.

Critics often propose that black triangles might be advanced government prototypes or misidentified conventional aircraft, casting doubt on extraordinary claims. Nevertheless, striking similarities among independent witness accounts—from the methodical hovering to the precise lighting—suggest something more than typical jets. With no definitive physical evidence or official acknowledgment, the 2014 sighting lingers in that gray area between plausible testimony and outright mystery.

Verdict: Inconclusive
Multiple reports reflect consistent details, but no conclusive proof or official confirmation has been established.

Marcus Lowth is an expert on this topic and has over 20 years experience studying and reporting in these fields. Marcus has written several books and appeared on TV shows as an expert investigator discussing these topics.