Case Submission Number: 17954
Submission Date: July 8, 2009
Date of Event: March, 1956
AN4, CAT 3, Circle
Location: Ventura County, California
Number of Witnesses: 2
Investigators: Cinde L. Costello
Disposition: Unknown
Case Overview by Cassidy Nicholas
Returning from an evening out, a young Sailor and his date encountered something that would change
both
their lives. It was March of 1956, Santa Monica, California. The
couple was driving down the coast highway in Santa Monica to return to
his stationed Port Hueneme Naval Base when they noticed two young boys
on the side of the road, both dressed in proper Naval Uniform.
Concerned,
as the hitchhikers appeared to be very young, (the witness guessed
their age of 14 years or younger) the couple pulled over and offered the
boys a ride.
While driving, the witness asked the young sailors
where they were headed. The boys responded that they were on their way
to the Coos Head Naval Base in Charleston, Oregon. At this point, the
witness became confused, because he had never heard of the Naval Base,
but decided upon no further questions. When they arrived at a turn off,
the witness stated that his young passengers exited the vehicle and
were wished a safe journey.
Continuing
their return to Port, the couple noticed they were drawing near a large
sphere of light hovering close to the center of the road. The sphere
was white, and the witness estimated it to be 11 to 30 feet in size.
As intense as this light was, the witness stated that it did not hurt
his eyes to stare directly at it on approach.
As the couple
advanced towards the location of this unknown light directly in their
path, the sphere simply disappeared stunning both of them. The witness
recalls that as soon as they drove through the previous location of the
sphere, they experienced “a bone chilling iciness that passed through
[their] bodies.”
Unsettled by the feeling, the witness looked
into his review mirror and in shock noticed that the sphere was now
behind the vehicle and appeared to be following them as they drove. At
this point, his date was horrified and collapsed to the floor boards of
the vehicle screaming. Equally terrified, the witness remained driving
forward watching this unknown pursuer in the mirror.
As the
couple raced through a small gully in the road, they noticed that the
unknown light seemed to remain stationary there. Looking ahead the
witness realized that they weren’t the only ones in danger as there was
an oncoming car. Without thought the witness frantically signaled the
oncoming driver to pull over flashing his headlights, causing the car to
pull off of the road.
With the oncoming car now pulled over the
witness explained that this vehicle was a taxi and as they slowly drove
by the car, light illuminated the entire scene and to his shock, the
driver appeared relaxed, with his white shirt, resting his arm out the
window staring straight ahead, with no inclination of what was
happening.
At this point, the confused witness continued down
the road, with the sphere of light right behind them once again. He
stated that he started to notice the light becoming smaller and lagging
behind the vehicle as he drove.
In the distance, the witness
could see the lights of the oncoming town, internally he thought to
himself that if he could just reach the street lights, he and his date
would be safe. Finally reaching the town the witness noted that the
sphere of light abruptly stopped short of the lamps and after hovering
for a moment, ascended straight up into the sky at a 45 degree angle.
Shaken
by the situation, the witness found the first available phone booth and
called the police. After telling them of the recent events, they sent a
patrol officer who, with the couple, retraced the steps of the evening.
When the officer phoned dispatch to contact the taxi company involved
earlier, he did find that there was a driver in the vicinity at that
time, though, shockingly, the driver stated that nothing odd happened
that evening and had no recollection of being driven off of the road or
any knowledge of the event, leaving the young Sailor and his date
dumbfounded. The witness even reported the incident to his superior
officers, who in turn filed a report.
Slightly over a year after
the event, incidentally, the witness was given orders to report to the
Coos Head Naval Facility. Remembering the young boys of that horrifying
evening a year earlier, became all too frightening when he arrived at
the base, and realized that it was not yet ready for occupancy and he
had to stay in a local hotel in Coos Bay, until the construction of the
base was completed. Who did our witness pick up in the car that night?
Two young boys heading to a facility that wasn’t yet in operation?
This
witness continued to have strange occurrences throughout his life,
stemming from the close encounter that frightful March night. Even today
he still tries to find answers.