Photo and Enlargement of Object.

Rockaway is in Central New Jersey About 25 Miles Northwest of New York City.

Date of Sighting: November 26, 2009
Time of Sighting: 3:15 PM EST
Location of Sighting: Rockaway, New Jersey (See Map)

Description: Around 3:15 in the afternoon we saw what looked like a star in the sky. It would move very slowly to the west then stop. It kept doing this until about 5 minutes later it started moving fast and we lost sight of it when it passed behind a tree. It looked very high up in the sky because some planes passed by and you could see it was beyond them.

Additional Information Provided by Kristen Ann Winslet of MUFON on December 3, 2009:
(Kristen is a field investigator for the State of New Jersey.)
The Rockaway, New Jersey UFO sighted at 3:15 PM on Thursday, November 26, 2009 (Thanksgiving Day) was nothing more than a parade balloon. YELLOW STARs were part of the balloon celebration so based on the weather data, a balloon must have gotten away in the first hour of the parade. (This is the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in nearby New York City.)

Note: This case deserves the utmost attention. The photo by itself is compelling, but combined with what the witnesses saw makes it more intriguing. The westward movement, stopping, and speed change rules out conventional explanations (space station, balloons, airplanes, etc). The photo was taken with a high end camera (Canon EOS 20D digital camera). This is a SLR (single lens reflex) camera with a maximum resolution of 8.2 mega-pixels. The original photo has been edited by the witness to show the enlargement of the object. I don't believe that the photo has been changed beyond showing the enlargement. The original photo has been requested.

Update - December 3, 2009: Given the new information that I have received the object in the photo was "likely" a balloon released from the Macy's Parade in New York City. The balloons would have had to remain airborne for at least 3 hours because the parade ended at noon EST. (Of course there is a chance that the balloons could have been released after the parade.)