HECKER, Ill. (KMOX) -  “Nothing to see here…move along.”

St. Clair County sheriff’s authorities seem unimpressed by claims that strange lights seen hovering above Hecker, Ill. on Monday night might have been extraterrestrial in nature.

A deputy who was summoned to the scene released an official report Tuesday.

“I arrived on (the scene of the sightings) and observed what appeared to be a satellite in the evening sky. I returned to my patrol after observing nothing suspicious”.

He did note that “no environmental violations were observed,” and went back on duty.

OUR EARLIER STORY:

Curious residents and local law enforcement are wondering what it was — and whether it might be back at nightfall — a bright red object seen hovering on the horizon for several hours Tuesday night.

“It’s pretty much the talk of the town on the sidewalk and at the coffee shop,” said Ed Wienhoff, owner of the Monroe County Independent.

Wienhoff says the mystery began when a rural Hecker resident called police just after 7 p.m.Tuesday to report something was glowing in the distance that didn’t look like a normal air craft.

“The Monroe County Sheriff’s department was notified and they began following this object,” Wienhoff said.

Monroe and St. Clair County deputies met along Floraville Road to get a better look and soon found a crowd of towns folk gathering.

“The deputies did have binoculars and a scope for the rifle they were looking through,” Wienhoff said, “and I think the consensus was it was roundish or square with a haze around it, and there were reports of blinking lights at a distance.”

The paper reported the object remained stationary for some time, twinkling with red, green, blue and orange light. After 8 p.m., the object slowly rose and a second light was seen on the horizon from what seemed to be the Freeburg area. Law enforcement left to answer routine radio calls, but some residents stayed watching with the aid of a telescope. It’s not clear how the siting ended.

Wienhoff says residents were discussing several theories about what it might have been.

“We are near Scott Air Force Base. Scott officials said they had nothing in the area,” Wienhoff said, “Some people say it might be a planet, maybe Jupiter, or a satellite .”

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