(Original headline: Man's plea as family is startled by a 'UFO' )
Is anybody out there? That's the question posed by Rotherham UFO sceptic Malcolm Rotchell after seeing a strange object during Sunday's awesome thunderstorm.
The 54-year-old Rotherham resident is a total non-believer when it comes to ghosts, aliens and things that go bump in the night.
But the bright orange ball that "whooshed" over his home in Spring Croft, Kimberworth Park, left him speechless.
He witnessed the strange event along with his wife and son...and is now appealing for others to call in if they saw the same thing.
The weird "fireball" shot over his home at about 10.15pm, just after a local powercut caused by the terrific storm on Sunday evening.
"I was in the shower when my son saw it out of the window. My wife also saw it out of the bedroom window," said Malcolm, who works for the NHS in Sheffield.
"It was an orange light with an aura to it, maybe 1,000ft up, but I couldn't really tell the size.
"My son thought it was a firework as it whooshed over our house, making that type of noise.
"But as I watched it, waiting for the explosion, nothing happened and it continued travelling in a north-easterly direction.
"Suddenly, it changed direction and flew off pretty quickly to the east towards the Swinton area. It seemed to plummet to earth and I became alarmed.
"I was waiting for an explosion or a muffled bang or something, but there was nothing. It looked like it was crashing so I expected something.
"I have no idea what it was and hope others can call in if they saw anything. Maybe it was an effect of the thunderstorm."
Light balls caused by static in the air have been known to form during electrical storms. If anyone saw the light, email steve.hewitt@sheffieldnewspapers.co.uk or call The Star's Rotherham newsroom on 01709 363488.
