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I noticed a very bright, brilliant light, 8 to 12 inches in diameter, 3 to 4 feet off the ground," Johnson said in a taped police interview. "The edges were very defined."
The incident turned Johnson into a local legend and national media sensation. And years later, people are still talking about it. Johnson's squad car is preserved in the Marshall County Museum with a plaque that says: "U.F.O. Car." People still come from miles around to see it. It's an annual display at the Marshall County Fair. Sometimes former Marshall County Sheriff Dennis Brekke gives talks at the museum about the car and the night his deputy drove it into a ball of light. Police investigated and never drew any conclusions.
But the incident's enduring fame has lingered far beyond Marshall County. What's known as the "Val Johnson Incident" remains one of the top 10 most influential UFO encounters in history, according Jerome Clark, who wrote about it in his 1998 book, "The UFO Encyclopedia." Paranormal TV shows like "UFO Files" and "Mysteries at the Museum" filmed reenactments. Even now, people debate the legitimacy of the encounter on online forums.
It was an extraordinarily important case," Clark said. Plenty of people have strange experiences on back roads late at night, Clark explained, but very few of them yield any tangible evidence. Fewer still are ever investigated.
To this day Johnson won't speculate on what happened to him in 1979. He doesn't think the light he saw was an extraterrestrial — but also won't rule out the possibility. For years, he said, it just hasn't crossed his mind.
I saw a ball of light," he said. "I drove toward it, and suddenly it was in the car with me. It's unexplainable, and will remain so. I'm happy with my mental stability."
originally posted by: donktheclown
Have you ever tried bending a car's radio antenna? No amount of light can do that...JMO
originally posted by: data5091
a reply to: rickymouse
so you think if it was ball lightning that would be capable of the car damage? That would be a first for me, for ball lightning to be able to do such physical damage to something metal like a car.
originally posted by: KellyPrettyBear
a reply to: data5091
If it was a "BOL" (ball of light), either of the atmospheric variety (ball lightning)
or of the piezoelectric-generated variety (earth light), then yes, they are
often attracted to a source of electricity like a car, and can "materialize"
inside of a car.
They do disrupted car engines, cause radiation burns, etc.
It sounds like an "IFO" (identified flying object) to me.
originally posted by: KellyPrettyBear
a reply to: data5091
If it was a "BOL" (ball of light), either of the atmospheric variety (ball lightning)
or of the piezoelectric-generated variety (earth light), then yes, they are
often attracted to a source of electricity like a car, and can "materialize"
inside of a car.
They do disrupted car engines, cause radiation burns, etc.
It sounds like an "IFO" (identified flying object) to me.
originally posted by: KellyPrettyBear
a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed
Ball lightning/earth lights/plasma balls and other such effects
not only blow holes in things one moment with great IMPACT,
but the next moment can float right through a wall or
windshield and not disturb a flea.
It's interesting stuff.
You will note that various other people in this thread agree
with me.
However of course, there could be OTHER also viable
explanations.
But this one is the least exotic, so it deserves consideration.
Kev