Mac Brazel. Portrait of William W. Mac" Brazel with wife, rancher and discoverer of UFO wreckage near Roswell, New Mexico, USA. On the evening of 2 July 1947 many UFO sightings were reported during a thunderstorm near Roswell. Mac Brazel heard an explosion. Next morning he and D. Proctor (a 7 year old boy) discovered strange wreckage in a field. Brazel was detained for questioning. 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 explanation was that a weather balloon had crashed. Many Roswell inhab- itants, however, believe aliens had arrived."