Bill Bully Bush
Bill "Bully" Bush was a civilian resident near Kecksburg, Pennsylvania who independently witnessed the 1965 Kecksburg UFO Crash and provided a detailed firsthand account that corroborated the testimony of volunteer fireman Jim Romansky, despite having no known contact with him. Bush is notable as the only witness to report a strong sulfuric odor at the crash site.
| Role | Civilian witness |
|---|
The Sighting and Investigation
On the afternoon of December 9, 1965, Bully Bush was driving his car when he observed a brilliant fireball streaking across the sky. He stated: "The object appeared to hesitate over the Ligonier area, then made a turn and then began to travel northeast towards Kecksburg," where he saw it descending. Bush immediately turned his vehicle and drove to the top of a hill near the crash site (later known as "Meteor Road") to observe the area.
As darkness fell, Bush saw blue flashing lights in the woods. He walked into the forest toward the crash site to investigate. There, he discovered a large metallic acorn-shaped object embedded in the ground, partially buried approximately a foot to a foot and a half deep. According to Bush, the object had "belly-landed," knocking out the tops of trees on its descent and leaving a path of destruction through the woods.
Description of the Object
Bush's description of the object closely matched that of Jim Romansky, though the two witnesses had no known interaction:
- Shape: Acorn-shaped, metallic
- Entry: The object appeared to have descended in a controlled manner, making a "figure eight" maneuver before landing, "just like if it was radio controlled"
- Markings: A raised ring or band around the base featured strange writing resembling "Egyptian-like" symbols
- Blue Arcing Light: Bush observed blue arcing electrical discharges emanating from the object at intervals, describing it as "sizzling" and emitting sparks "like it was cooling off"
- Smell: A strong rotten egg odor (sulfuric smell) — Bush is the only witness on record to describe this characteristic
- Condition: The object appeared red-hot and was actively cooling when Bush observed it
Unique Details
Bush provided several observations not corroborated by other witnesses:
- Sulfuric Odor: The rotten egg smell is unique to Bush's testimony. Similar sulfuric or ammonia-like odors have been reported in other UAP cases, including the 1997 Varginha Brazil UFO Case, suggesting possible commonalities in crash site environments or propulsion residue
- Controlled Descent: Bush explicitly described the object making a figure-eight maneuver before descending, strongly contradicting the Project Blue Book conclusion that it was a meteor
- Electrical Activity: The blue arcing light and sizzling sounds suggested the craft was either cooling down or discharging energy
Departure from the Scene
Bully Bush fled the woods when he heard the Kecksburg Volunteer Fire Department crew approaching, including Jim Romansky. He did not interact with the fire crew or military personnel but later came forward to investigators including Stan Gordon to share his account.
Significance
Bush's independent corroboration of Romansky's testimony is critical to the credibility of the Kecksburg case. The two witnesses described the same object, location, and markings without coordination, and their timelines fit together seamlessly: Bush saw the object while it was still cooling; Romansky arrived minutes later as part of the fire response.
Bush's description of controlled flight maneuvers and the sulfuric odor add important sensory and behavioral details absent from Project Blue Book's meteor explanation.
Sources
- Video - The 1965 Kecksburg, Pennsylvania UFO Crash
- Stan Gordon, Kecksburg: The Untold Story (1998)