The witnesses said the incident started on August 20, 1976 when four men, all in their early-twenties, ventured on a camping trip into the wilderness near Allagash, Maine. The group comprised twin brothers Jack and Jim Weiner, their friend Chuck Rak and their guide, Charlie Foltz.

They say their first day went by without incident. However, on the their second night, they noticed a bright light not far from their campsite which they first passed off as being a helicopter or weather