Stanton Friedman. Portrait of Stanton T. Friedman, nuclear physicist and author of books examining the UFO incident near Roswell, New Mexico, USA. He makes a living from writing and lecturing on UFOs. The Roswell incident started on 2 July 1947 when UFO sightings were reported during a thunderstorm. Next morning a rancher, Mac Brazel, discovered strange wreckage in a field. When the impact site was located, a UFO craft and alien bodies were allegedly found. On 8 July 1947, the Roswell Daily Record announced the capture of a flying saucer. The official statement was that a weather balloon had crashed. Many Roswell inhabitants, however, believe this a cover up, and that aliens arrived. Model Released (1997).