The first sighting of a strange series of lights, up to 180 metres across, was said to have resembled the back of the fictional Rebel Alliance craft while in flight.

It was seen by four people on Cony Island, near New York, and has been reported to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) official database.

Roger Marsh, of UFO website Openminds.tv, said: "A New York street photographer driving to Coney Island reported capturing a disc-shaped object while taking ‘rapid fire images’ of a bridge.

"The witness was with three friends on their way to pick up another friend."

The photographer, who has not been named, said: "I always carry my camera with me. At the time I shot with a Fujifilm XT1 and had it on machine gun mode for rapid shots.

"We were passing by the bridge as I decided to just rapid fire some shots of the bridge free hand and I did not have my eye sight in my view finder.