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Person · Falls Church, VA

Matthew James Sullivan

USAF intelligence officer. Air Force intelligence officer, call sign 'Quake', who served at NASIC on Wright-Patterson AFB, the NSA and the Air Force Intelligence Agency, and earned a Bronze Star for valor. He died at home in Falls Church, VA, on 12 May 2024, aged 39. Rep. Burlison and David Grusch say he was a source for Grusch and was due to testify about UAP. That is the most direct UAP claim attached to anyone on the press list.

Portrait
Portrait · Photo supplied by Igor

On the record

  • Died 12 May 2024.
  • List check (the press lists): partly right. USAF service and May 2024 death check out. He was an intelligence officer, not a scientist. The UAP-witness role is claimed, not documented.
  • As the list had it: "Added late Apr 2026 after Rep. Burlison's 16 Apr letter to the FBI (Daily Mail, NY Post): Matthew Sullivan, USAF, died May 2024, a 'pending UAP witness' preparing to testify to Congress. Counted as the 13th name on some lists."
  • Cause or status, as sourced: Per the NY Post, Virginia Northern District medical examiner records list a lethal combination of alcohol, alprazolam (Xanax), cyclobenzaprine and imipramine; the Post headline calls it an accidental overdose. The Daily Mail said he died 'after reportedly taking his own life'. The Wikipedia table says suicide. Sources conflict on manner. Foul play: claimed by Burlison as a possibility, not demonstrated.
  • Obituary: USAF intelligence officer at NASIC, NSA and AFIA; F-22 squadron service; Bronze Star; died 12 May 2024; buried at Quantico National Cemetery.
  • NY Post, citing medical examiner records: lethal combination of alcohol, alprazolam, cyclobenzaprine and imipramine.
  • At his funeral, retired Maj. Gen. David Abba said he carried 'the burden that a select few in this nation have of truly understanding what's going on'.
  • Burlison's 16 Apr 2026 letter to FBI Director Patel cites 'sudden and suspicious circumstances' and 'potential foul play', and notes it was 'a local Virginia medical examiner case'.
  • The IC Inspector General 'can neither confirm or deny the existence of any ongoing or potential investigations'.
  • NewsNation: Sullivan is not among the cases the FBI has said it reviewed.

Claims (12)

Grusch was helping him come forward as a whistleblower.secondhandSourced, unconfirmed
He had personally seen UFOs in federal possession and would have exposed the 'legacy' crash-retrieval program at a Nov 2024 hearing.anonymousSourced, unconfirmed
'He was on the program.' It was 'either self-harm or otherwise, or it was something else.'firsthandSourced, unconfirmed
He was 'scheduled' by the 'UAP Task Force' and preparing testimony for Congress.secondhandSourced, unconfirmed
The IC IG found 'serious allegations of misconduct' and pointed to the death 'not being a suicide'.secondhandSourced, unconfirmed
He was 'a very, very close friend of David Grusch's' and a key witness behind Grusch's IG complaint.secondhandSourced, unconfirmed
His death was a silencing.speculationSourced, unconfirmed
Accidental mixed-drug overdose.analysisSourced, unconfirmed
He was the NASIC analyst whose 'night job' was legacy-program work.NASIC: Air Force UFO Crash Retrieval & Reverse EngineeringsecondhandSourced, unconfirmedDavid Grusch
Rep. Luna's office wrote to the FBI about his death; the IG found the matter credible.firsthandSourced, unconfirmedAnna Paulina Luna's office
He was in NASIC's geospatial squadron and handled recovered craft.NASIC: Air Force UFO Crash Retrieval & Reverse EngineeringanonymousLeadUAP Gerb (Sam)
He was one of Grusch's 40-plus witnesses, a senior NASIC analyst, and died in 2024 before his protected disclosures.UFO Crash Retrievals, Disclosure & Extended QnA - UAP Gerb LiveDavid Grusch on JRE, Herrington Denial, RFK Shoot Down Briefing & QnA - UAP Gerb LiveNational Air and Space Intelligence CenteranalysisSourced, unconfirmedUAP Gerb (Sam)

Connected

Classified space and special access programs fieldNational Air and Space Intelligence Center orgUnited States Air Force orgWright-Patterson AFB & 'Hangar 18' orgAmy Catherine Eskridge personMaj. Gen. William "Neil" McCasland person

Sources

Mentioned on (4)

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