Bbq in friends backyard looked up round disc object with white lite like a window side of craft huge two figure about 500 feet agl heading due west slow speed cable attached bottom of craft seemed to be carrying of shaped boxes not a drone too big then went up fast 40 degree headed sooth at increadible speed upward took picture with phone far away you can zoom in on it.

We spoke via telephone with the witness, and he sounded to us to be serious-minded.  He has both military, and aviation, background.  However, his photo strongly suggests to us that the object was a large, helium-filled balloon, in the shape of an oblate spheroid, with other objects suspended below it on some type of cord or cable.  However, the witness reports that the cluster suddenly accelerated, and climbed out of site very quickly, which one would not expect for a balloon.  PD