The FBI’s file on late-night radio host Art Bell has expanded with the release of a previously unheard audio recording, offering a rare, albeit brief and segmented glimpse into the Bureau’s investigation of his harassment complaints and the evidence he once submitted himself. According to the FBI’s written records, Bell had provided an audio tape to agents as part of his report, a piece of evidence now partially released. The recording is difficult to listen to: fragmented, punctuated by long silences, and seemingly edited or redacted, leaving major gaps in conversation and context. The Black Vault first obtained and published…
Author: John Greenewald
On December 17, 2022, a Cessna 172 pilot approaching Tucson, Arizona, reported an unusual airborne object to air traffic controllers. Now, following a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by The Black Vault, the FAA has released official documents and audio transcripts detailing the encounter. The FOIA case, filed January 19, 2023, was prompted by a comment on Reddit in response to a Black Vault posting about pilot sightings. A user referenced a recording of air traffic control communications and mentioned a pilot describing a strange red and silver object. That tip led directly to the FOIA request, which…
The FBI has released a detailed set of investigative files on the so-called “Jetpack Man” sightings near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The release on October 1, 2025, followed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by The Black Vault first filed August 3, 2021 and resubmitted November 27, 2021 after an initial denial. The Bureau originally withheld all the records under FOIA exemption (b)(7)(A) for ongoing investigations but reversed its position with the second request after nearly four years. When the sightings first made headlines in 2020 and 2021, they were widely portrayed as encounters with a person flying…
The Department of Defense (DoD) has denied a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking records connected to the review, redaction, and release of a UAP video published by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) earlier this year. The request, filed May 19, 2025, sought internal communications, review logs, classification guidance, legal opinions, and technical documentation tied to the public posting of the video titled “Middle East 2024.” The video, showing more than six minutes of infrared footage from a U.S. military platform, was released in May 2025 and remains unresolved by AARO. The DoD confirmed that responsive documents exist,…
Newly obtained Secret Service records continue to shed light on the numerous biting incidents involving President Biden’s German Shepherds, Major and Commander. Through a sequence of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) releases. First in February 2024, then unexpectedly again in February 2025, and finally through a September 2025 appeal; the Black Vault has now pieced together a fuller picture of the scope and seriousness of these episodes. The process itself is highly unusual. The February 2024 release was framed by the Secret Service as a “final” response to the case. Yet, one year later, the agency issued another “final” release…