Crestview Elementary School UFO Incident
Although it generated some state media attention at the time, the UFO sighting over Crestview Elementary School in April 1967, an incident with hundreds of witnesses, was largely forgotten about until the internet provided a platform for it in the early 2000s.
Many of the witnesses were young children at the time, and as adults, the event is still clear in many of their minds.
In fact, what perhaps makes this incident even more intriguing, is the very fact that the witnesses were so young at the time of the encounter.
The vast majority are still alive today.
And now, with an apparent desire among at least some of them to find an explanation for what they saw that spring morning over 50 years ago, maybe there is still more about this encounter to reach the public arena.
On the morning of April 6, 1967, fourth grade student, Jonathan, while standing in the schoolyard during recess, would notice a strange object hovering over the schoolyard in North Dade County, Miami, FL.
The object was quite a way in the distance, but still close enough to see in detail.
It was a round, disc-shaped craft which appeared to spin in the air, calmly and controlled.
It was at the end of the morning recess and most of the other children were already inside.
Fourth grade teacher, Mr. Robert Apfel, was busy calling the odd straggler in and to their next lesson, one of which was the now enthralled Jonathan.
As Apfel walked over to the young boy, Jonathan turned to ask him while pointing upwards, what is that?
Both teacher & student could see the metallic craft overhead.
Neither knew what it was, and with all the other children now in the school, they were the only 2 witnesses remaining.
As they both looked upwards the object vanished in a white flash.
Standing there for a moment to gather his thoughts, Apfel then ushered Jonathan inside.
Although there were several military bases & airports in the vicinity, it wasn’t an aerial craft either had seen before.
Not at all sure what they had seen, neither expected to see such a sight again.
The next day, however, this mysterious craft would return, and it wouldn’t be alone.
The following day, on the 7th April, Jonathan along with the rest of his grade sat in their class awaiting the start of the lesson.
Before Mr. Apfel could begin, however, the children noticed 3 strange objects hovering in the sky outside.
One of them was the same craft as Jonathan witnessed the previous day.
This time, though, there were 2 additional cigar shaped objects and they were much closer to the school.
Then, the 3 objects vanished once again.
The children, including Jonathan, would rush outside to get a closer look.
As they ran outside, the circular object returned.
They were soon joined by other students who had also noticed these apparently other worldly visitors.
In all, it is estimated anywhere between 100 & 200 people witnessed the strange crafts.
Most of them elementary students, although several teachers were among them.
The growing mass of students pressed against the fence at the edge of the school perimeters.
The rotating disk was now only yards away from the witnesses.
Then, it began to move and would shoot forward into the trees which overlooked the schoolyard.
However, instead of crashing into them and sending damaged branches into the air and to the ground, it simply vanished, as if an unseen portal or gateway had swallowed it.
The children stared in disbelief, they would let out a collective gasp when the object returned in a flash.
Again, it was as if it had appeared from out of the trees, and again, there was no damage to speak of.
After several more seconds, the object vanishes from sight in another flash of light.
An official report was made to MUFON.
Many of the children state to remembering a military presence in the school on the afternoon of the second sighting.
3 of the teachers were apparently interviewed privately, and some spoke with the children themselves.
The official result of this military presence was that 3 low hovering helicopters were the mysterious objects.
Furthermore, the children must have been mistaken in what they claimed they had seen.
Perhaps not surprisingly those present that morning reject the notion that what they saw was a low hovering helicopter.
Perhaps not least due to how familiar they all were with the abundance of aerial vehicles in the sky on the outskirts of Miami.
Decades later, with the advent of the internet, many of the students would speak of their encounter online, finding other witnesses who were there that morning.
For example, a sixth grade student would write of their experience that morning at the National UFO Reporting Center.
They would state of seeing 3 oval shaped objects coming through the clouds, on what was a clear day.
According to this witness, the 2 smaller objects were dancing around the larger craft.
The larger object appeared to be made from shiny metal and was around the size of a cruise ship.
The witness would also state the object would land briefly in a nearby field.
They would later ride their bikes to the area and find the ground charred & smashed mirroring the shape of the object.
They would also remember men in uniforms arriving at the school later that day.