2019 – Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne – Red & Yellow Orbs Sighting

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report

Author: Dave Hodrien

Release Year: 2022

Last Updated: 21/07/2026

Note: For reasons of anonymity pseudonyms have been used

In 2022 I posted a link to a new case report I’d written up covering a red glowing sphere seen over Birmingham in 1969. The link was posted on a number of UFO related Facebook groups. In response to this I was contacted on Facebook Messenger by a man who I shall name “Jack”. He informed me that he had seen something similar from his house in Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear. Jack did not respond to further questions, so the information known about what happened is limited at present.

Sighting Details

Jack says the incident happened around 2019, but he cannot remember the exact date or time. His living room is on the middle floor of a townhouse. He was sitting there by himself when he recalls something coming into view on the left side of the window.

It appeared to be about the size of a football and quite close to the house. It was glowing a deep red colour. It was around 20 feet above the nearby roof tops, and was moving on a straight course extremely slowly, potentially slower than walking pace. There was no perceivable sound coming from it.

Suddenly it halted in the sky. Out of the top right corner of the orb he then saw a smaller mustard yellow coloured glowing sphere emerge from it. It appeared to be about the size of a tennis ball. It looked like it was observing something. It then retreated and seemed to merge back into the red orb.

Slowly the orb then moved off towards the coast road. Jack ran upstairs and got his son to come and look at it as it slowly moved away. In the distance were some crane lights near to the River Tyne and Newcastle city centre. The object seemed to remain at the same height as these as it departed.

Without warning it either shrank in size or the light within it switched off as it dropped to the ground, leaving a trail behind it as it disappeared from view.

Sighting Analysis

This an intriguing sighting. The object was clearly not a distant aircraft or helicopter. While a drone cannot be entirely ruled out, at the distance it appeared to be the witness would likely have heard the buzzing rotor blades. A red coloured LED balloon drifting on air currents seems unlikely because of the smaller orb that emerged from it and the way in which it suddenly switched off and descended.

Some aspects suggest that what Jack saw may have been a sky lantern. Lanterns are usually described as being amber orange in colour not deep red, but this can vary depending on lighting conditions. The small size would fit with a lantern, as would the way it suddenly seemed to descend and “switch off” as it moved away into the distance. Lanterns only remain airborne when lit, if the flame in them dies out they can suddenly drop from the sky.

However, there are some aspects which are more interesting. While the abrupt halt could of potentially been caused by it drifting into a conflicting air current for a period of time, the smaller yellow orb which emerged from it sounds very unusual. A spark or small flame could potentially drop from a lantern but this would usually fall downwards below it out of the opening at the base, not move up diagonally, stop and then seem to re-join it. This aspect does suggest that the object may have been something far more unusual. That said, a drifting spark cannot be entirely ruled out.

Unfortunately, Jack did not manage to capture the object on camera so we only have his testimony to go on. If you have any information relating to this incident, please get in touch.

Copyright Dave Hodrien 2026