Around 10 p.m., the Massachusetts State Police received reports that a group of hikers got lost in the Milton reservation, State Police spokesman David Procopio said.

One of the hikers, Ramona DiFrancesco, 18, said the group saw several UFOs during their journey, including “three bright lights in the formation of a triangle” and a giant orb that looked “bigger than the moon.”

Three young hikers who were looking for UFOs got stranded in Blue Hills Reservation and had to be rescued by police Thursday night. But they said their harrowing night on high ground outside Boston paid off.

“We sent numerous patrols along with K-9 units and a helicopter. They were believed to be in the Buck Hill area of the reservation,” Procopio said in an e-mail to the Globe.


Procopio said the hikers were located by the helicopter at 10:35 p.m., and officers on the ground led them out of the woods. None of them were hurt, he said.

The three hikers from Plymouth — DiFrancesco, Travis Stoecklin, and Savannah Winship-Cody — said they had ascended Buck Hill to enjoy the views and search the sky. They said they knew exactly where they were but realized when it got dark that it would be dangerous to return the same way they came up the hill.

“The path we took was rocky,” said Winship-Cody, 17, who was wearing slippers at the time.

She said it took them about an hour and a half to reach the top of the hill.

“Our phones were dying,” DiFrancesco said. “We didn’t have any flashlights. We were a little unprepared.”

Stoecklin, 21, said the hike was a “spur of the moment idea,” and after realizing how wet and slippery the conditions were, and how difficult it was to see in the dark, “we weighed [our] options and we decided to call for help,” he said.


Stoecklin said police led them down a different trail on the opposite side of the hill and gave them a ride to their car, where they were intercepted by a reporter from WHDH-TV (Channel 7), who initially broke the story.

Michael Carey, a Boston-area music teacher who started a group on the website Meetup.com for people interested in UFOs, said he was not aware of sightings in the Blue Hills. “There are protocols in place for folks who have the ability, strange as it sounds, to call in interdimensional beings or crafts,” Carey said. “But I don’t think location matters.”

DiFrancesco said their only regret was that they “weren’t as prepared as we should’ve been.”

“We should’ve brought flashlights and charged our phones and maybe brought better hiking gear,” she said. “But it was overall very worthwhile because it was a beautiful hike.”

As far as seeing the UFOs, she said: “It was very interesting, but also pretty creepy.”

BREAKING: Only on @7News: @MassStatePolice had to rescue 3 hikers in Blue Hills Reservation tonight who were hunting for...well...UFOs. pic.twitter.com/sS76XZ8rqh — Adam Bagni (@AdamBagni) June 9, 2017

Here's a photo of the alleged UFO in Blue Hills Reservation tonight. State police had to rescue the 3 hikers/UFO hunters. @7News pic.twitter.com/fsAfoX2q0A — Adam Bagni (@AdamBagni) June 9, 2017

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney. Nestor Ramos contributed to this story.