April 23, 2008 Mystery lights may be balloons Play video

(NECN: Phoenix, Ariz.) - There are no clear answers, but a lot of people in Phoenix, Arizona have theories about the mystery lights spotted over the city on Monday night.

The red colored lights showed up over the city late Monday night, leaving some people to speculate about another visit from a UFO. But, there are police officers who say they've seen this type of thing before and the lights can be easily explained.

Bruce Bates is a veteran police helicopter pilot. He says the lights could have been flares tied to helium balloons. He says the shape the lights made could
have just been the way the lights were moved around by air currents.

Despite the explanations, it has people talking because this isn't the first time lights like this have been spotted over the city of Phoenix. There have been several incidents over the last 11-years or so. Some of them have been found to be training flares set off by the military during training exercises.

There has been no confirmation from the military if that is the case this time around.

Police Helicopter Pilot Bruce Bates has this to say.