In the past, I’ve talked about how much I love my friends. This love hasn’t changed while I’ve been absent from writing; if anything, my love for them has only grown because they’ve supported me through the numerous hardships I’ve endured. Likewise, I’ve done my best to help them out—even if it’s through simple gestures.
Writing articles dedicated to my friends is one of those simple gestures. While it may be a bit self-indulgent since I can’t guarantee it’ll make them happy, I do like to think that offering them something to read can help take their mind off of simple troubles, whether it be stress from college, work, or anything else of that nature. If nothing else, it’s the perfect reason for me to stop procrastinating!
Last year, a few of the Decemystery duology entries were dedicated to friends. One of them was for a Finnish friend of mine, Nea, whom I’m very close to. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I’d cover another one for her—or any other friends, for that matter. However, given the worry that she, along with my other friends, expressed during struggles I had earlier in the year with my bipolar, I figured it’d be rude of me not to do something for them.
So, when I was piecing this year’s Decemystery back together, I opted not only to dedicate another story to her but also picked out a few other cases that I knew would make my closest friends happy. Most of those friends are from one collective group, though, so the story dedicated to them will come much later in the month (much like last year).
Anyway, let’s get to today’s story. Well, if you read the title, you know what to expect. It’s time for more UFO goodness; I can’t help but have a sweet tooth for these stories. While some may be frustrating (like the one I went over the day before yesterday), so many of them provide me with a wonderful amount of material to work with…
And then there’s today’s story.
This is a head-scratcher of a case. I can’t quite put into words what it is, but this sounds like more than a UFO sighting without it ever becoming more than one. It’s practically one sentence away from being an alien abduction story—one that’s simultaneously told from the perspective of someone who witnessed an alien abduction and was abducted by aliens.
But, hey, don’t take my word for it; I’ll showcase it to you myself. Grab your passport, and let’s take a trip over to Finland, dear reader! It’s time to dive into the story of The UFOs High Above Artjärvi! Why’d I add an exclamation point to today’s write-up? Because I felt like it, that’s why!
Take Me Higher
As is the norm for this blog, I found this case while looking through the accounts submitted to the National UFO Reporting Center (or NUFORC). The individual who sent it in remained anonymous, so I flipped a metaphorical coin and decided to refer to them as Leo. Why? It’s short, and therefore, it means that I have to type less.
Anyway, Leo submitted his story on March 5, 2016. Oh, hey, that’s the day after my birthday! Too bad it didn’t happen on my birthday. No, Leo’s experience occurred a little under six months earlier, on September 15, 2015. Hey, that’s the day… actually, I don’t know anything of merit from that day. I’m sure something happened, though!
Okay, onto the story. According to Leo, he was “interested in amateur Astronomy,” so he was outside “looking at the stars” on the previously mentioned date of September 15 at around midnight. Out of curiosity, I decided to check out that day’s weather on Time and Date, just in case there was any tomfoolery afoot (see: hoaxing). Rest assured that, yes, it was clear outside at that time. It was also warmer than I’d expect it to be at a pleasant 46 degrees Fahrenheit (6.6 degrees Celsius).
During his stargazing, Leo saw “a black boomerang craft” fly across the sky at around 10,000 feet (that’s roughly 3 kilometers). Normally, I’d spend an unnecessary amount of time questioning how someone could guess height, but I’ve come to learn that people are surprisingly good at making educated guesses about how high something is off the ground.
However, I do find it weird that a Finnish person used the imperial system and not the metric system. It’s possible the person who submitted this was an American living abroad (that’s anything but unlikely), but it still strikes me as a bit peculiar—especially when Artjärvi has a population of only 1,412 (according to a Google search; that number is from 2010, though, so it’s undoubtedly changed).
I digress, though. This odd boomerang-shaped aircraft flew westward before it vanished from sight. On its own, that’s a bit odd but far from the most baffling thing to ever grace this blog. However, there’s more to Leo’s story. You see, mere seconds after the boomerang vanished, another aircraft flew into view!
Unlike the previous UFO, this one was disk-shaped and appeared to be made of “shiny metal.” It was around 200 yards (182 meters) from Leo and was “flying above a forest and a nearby lake.” Unfortunately, Leo didn’t state how fast this UFO was going, but given his report says the incident lasted 30 seconds, I’m going to guess it wasn’t a lumbering giant like the one we discussed earlier this month. You know, the one from Fort Wayne that only one person managed to notice.
No, I’m still not over that!
I digress once more, though. Before we move on, there’s one thing I want to draw attention to—and it’s something I opted not to bring up because I felt that now would be a much better time to do so. According to Leo, the boomerang-shaped UFO “seemed to be chasing the disk.” I’ve heard of UFOs seemingly chasing each other and have even heard stories of them having aerial battles; I discussed the latter last year when I talked about The Air Battle Above the Netherlands.
That said, there’s nothing to indicate that the boomerang was chasing the disk. In fact, the boomerang never returned. I don’t know if something was omitted or if I misread the report, and the direction it headed was where the disk originated, but this detail had me questioning if my eyesight was worse than I thought. But, no, it seems like there may be something that wasn’t included. How unfortunate; I could’ve gone for a case about two UFOs playing cat and mouse.
Anyway, let’s move on from that; there’s time for it in the theories section. So, getting back on track, Leo went on to say that he noticed “a triangular opening” on the UFO’s side. From here, a “greenish funnel of light emerged and swept the ground.” Given this didn’t result in the land being reduced to nothing like the Quantum Deconstructor from Destroy All Humans, I’m going to guess this was a funnel of light and not a funnel of complete and total annihilation—just a hunch.
With the forest and lake not reduced to ashes, Leo continued to watch as the UFO’s searchlight lit up the world below. Then, it fixated on Leo. As it did, a “bright yellow beam of light” was fired by the craft, which hit Leo and made him turn away.
This “beam of light” wasn’t a projectile, though. At least, I don’t think it was; Leo didn’t say if he was injured by it. So, if I had to guess, it was akin to a flashbang or high-powered flashlight. Otherwise, alien weaponry has no effect on humans, which means the science-fiction genre just got a whole lot lamer.
Okay, joking aside, I’ve heard some stories about UFOs and Fortean beings doing things like this. The first that comes to mind is the Mantis Man—a creature that’s been on my to-do list for half a decade now. According to some eyewitnesses, looking at it made their vision blurry; they said it was like the creature didn’t want to be seen.
This extends to creatures like Fleshgaits (which some of you may erroneously know as “Skinwalkers”). Some have claimed that seeing them in their regular form—or mid-transformation—will make their vision blur.
I also recall hearing that El Chupacabra can emit a sound that can render people unconscious. However, I heard about this as a child, and the lore of that cryptid isn’t something I want to touch upon in the middle of a write-up about a UFO sighting.
My main point is that being momentarily blinded by something like this isn’t a novelty. I’m sure there are numerous other examples out there, and I’m sure that it’d be smart to cite them. However, aside from the usual spiel about time constraints on my end, I also don’t have every story on standby to link at a moment’s notice. That’s something I need to do when Decemystery 2024 is done for instances like this. As it stands, though, you’ll need to take my word for it—especially on the UFO front.
Now, let’s get back on track. Once Leo was done being blinded by the light, ceased having been revved up like a deuce, and was no longer another runner in the night, he went back to looking at the UFO. Lucky for him, it didn’t choose to make his eyesight as good as mine. Instead, it’d decided to head north slowly. Eventually, it “shimmered in the atmosphere and changed into two disks.” After that, the disks “flew out of sight.”
Leo rounded his report off by saying that the disk “seemed to have a mist around it.” This “mist” prevented him from observing any additional details. I’m not sure what else he could’ve extrapolated unless it hid the aircraft’s height, length, width, diameter, and hydraulics.
Yes, I know Leo likely means windows and other panels, but let me have my fun.
Anyway, with that, Leo’s report concludes. As stated earlier, this only lasted a mere 30 seconds—which is coincidentally about as long as last year’s Finnish UFO sighting. That story (which I hyperlinked in the intro) lasted 20 seconds. Both are the shortest cases I’ve covered from NUFORC, too, with the average sighting lasting around a minute.
Random fun facts aside, there’s little else to say about this case. It’s definitely an odd one. While a few additional details would have helped, it’s easily the least frustrating NUFORC report I’ve gone over this month. That’s not a high bar to top, though, given the previous two were quite maddening.
I digress, though. With the story now over, I believe it’s about time to leap into the theories. So, come along; it’s time to speculate about what Leo saw that fateful September night.
Theories
1. Alien ships
I suppose that starting off with any other theory would be criminal. After all, it’s the one most would think of—and with good reason. The UFOs that Leo saw certainly sound like they’re of alien origin. Heck, they sport two of the most iconic shapes associated with UFOs: a boomerang and a disk.
But shapes and sizes only mean so much. So, what does this theory have going for it? Well, that’s a tricky question to answer. Given it’s a NUFORC report, we only have the word of the eyewitness to go on—and Leo didn’t provide contact information so he could be interviewed by anyone from NUFORC (which you can do). As such, we only have the word of a total stranger on the Internet to go on, which is a terrible thing to believe in blindly.
Nevertheless, it’s all we have, and I don’t want to dismiss everything right off the bat. After all, the theories are meant to be treated in an unbiased manner (though I’ve failed many times). So, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that Leo wasn’t making this up; what is working in the story’s favor?
Well, as I said above, everything about the story does sound alien. The two aircraft that Leo saw don’t sound manmade. While the stealth bomber (see below) has an appearance that vaguely resembles a boomerang, it still produces some noise. Additionally, I don’t believe they fly at such low altitudes—and I don’t believe Finland has anything like the stealth bomber shown above.
Even if Finland does have stealth bombers like the one pictured above (which I believe is a B-2 Spirit; don’t hold me to that because I know jack squat about airplanes), I doubt that the Finnish army would be flying so dangerously low unless the plane was coming in for a landing. If it was, though, Leo should’ve known there was a military base nearby—unless he wasn’t informed, which would be peculiar since he could be hurt if there were military exercises going on.
But, hey, let’s set that aside and say it was a stealth bomber. That doesn’t explain the disk-shaped UFO. There’s no aircraft that we, as a species, have made that resembles that. I don’t know of an existing aircraft that has a “triangular opening” that projects a “greenish funnel of light.”
The closest I can think of is what I said earlier: a helicopter’s searchlight. However, those aren’t green, nor are they projected from any openings on the helicopter. They’re also not shaped like disks, and they’re not prone to splitting in two before flying off into outer space. But I’m sure you know that if they could do this, NASA would need considerably less money to build stuff. They could just buy helicopters from Helicopters R’ Us.
These two aspects make it very hard to deny that what Leo saw was, at the very least, not something the general public knows. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any potential explanations, but it’s worth noting nonetheless.
Anyway, moving on from that, this theory’s not done. No, there are three other things that I wish to discuss. I’d considered talking about each of them during the main story, but as you’ll soon see, they were way too long to be included there.
The first relates to how Leo saw the boomerang-shaped UFO. If you remember, he described it as being black. I’ve made it evident that I don’t think of myself as the sharpest tool in the shed, but I genuinely wonder how he could’ve seen it. I wouldn’t imagine there’d be a lot of illumination that’d allow the aircraft to stand out.
Initially, I wondered if the Moon was nearly—if not entirely—full. However, according to Nine Planets, the Moon was a “waxing crescent,” and was a mere 4.15% illuminated. That isn’t exactly a floodlight in the sky.
That said, this could fall squarely on me since I’m not much of a stargazer. I did plenty of it as a child, but I never stopped to wonder how and why I could see certain objects that were so high up. I was more concerned with playing Kingdom Hearts and Pokémon.
If I had to guess, I’d say that the boomerang might have had some lights around that age. It’s a staple of many UFOs, and it makes the most sense. The lights would’ve made an outline of sorts, which would’ve revealed the shape of the aircraft. It would also stand to reason that the color would’ve been apparent in two ways. The lights could’ve shown it was black, and it likely would’ve blotted out any stars it crossed in front of.
Alternatively, if Leo was in an area where light on the ground was plentiful, it might’ve helped him to see the UFO. However, if I’m honest, I don’t know how far a street lamp’s light would extend. I also have to wonder if a handful of them would’ve helped him to make out the UFO. Then again, if starlight can help people navigate, I’m sure street lamps could’ve provided enough to help Leo discern a UFO passing by.
If I’m right about any of this, I wish Leo had included the details; it’d be nice to have a clearer picture for my obsessive brain—especially since he claimed the boomerang UFO looked like it was chasing the disk-shaped one. Yet, as far as we can tell, it never did so. But more on that later because I have a whole lot to say about it and then some.
The second thing I want to discuss is the light the disk-shaped UFO produced. If you remember, I mentioned in the intro that this story sounded like it was one sentence away from being an alien abduction report. The “funnel of light” is why.
When I first read about it, my immediate thought was that it was some kind of abduction beam and that Leo was going to see someone get yanked up into the UFO. Then, when he said it shined on him, I thought that he’d end his report by saying he’d lost time. I was more than a little surprised that neither happened; I was certain one of those things would happen.
Fortunately for Leo and anyone else who may have been nearby, nobody was abducted. However, it still fired something at Leo and momentarily blinded him. At least, it sounded like it did. For all I know, it shot a bunch of Silly String at Leo, but he didn’t realize it.
All jokes aside, this didn’t sound like it would turn into any ordinary abduction story. No, it sounded like it might have turned into the Araçariguama Incident, a rather notorious incident from Brazil that I’ve been wanting to cover for half a decade. If you can’t tell, I have a lot of stories that have been on the back burner. Gee, if only life didn’t throw me a curve ball in 2022!
And 2023.
Oh, and 2024.
Hey, can 2025 be different? Pretty please?
Anyway, if you’re not familiar with the Araçariguama Incident, let me give you a summary—and a content warning. This is a legitimately dark and grisly story. As such, if you’re squeamish, feel free to scroll from where the bold and underlined text begins to where it ends. It’s not the most necessary thing to know; it merely provides context to what I think are two similar-sounding events, okay? Now, let’s go!
A Summary of the Araçariguama Incident
As the name suggests, the incident occurred in Araçariguama, which is roughly 43 miles (70 kilometers) from São Paulo, Brazil. On March 4, 1946 (half a century before I was born!), João Prestes Filho returned home after a day of fishing with his friend—Salvador dos Santos.
Shortly after arriving back in his house, João noticed something outside. Upon investigating it, he was struck by a bright light. Although he tried to shield himself, he was set on fire and suffered burns so catastrophic to his body that he was effectively melting alive; his jaw eventually fell off because the tissue disintegrated, rendering him unable to speak.
Needless to say, João didn’t survive, and he died in a hospital of cardiac arrest. Personally, I’m shocked he didn’t die from shock. The man suffered third-degree burns on his entire body yet managed to live long enough to get from his house to the hospital. Maybe I don’t know enough about fire and medicine to understand how you can keep people alive after being set on fire by strange lights.
Theories abound as to what caused João’s violent death. Some thought ball lightning caused it, while others put forward the idea of Spontaneous Human Combustion, a supposed phenomenon wherein humans erupt into flames and burn to death. In some cases, victims are said to be reduced to ash. If you’re just getting into the supernatural, I recommend reading about SHC (as it’s abbreviated) and the explanations behind it. It’s fascinating stuff.
The most popular theory—at least in the supernatural department—is that a UFO tried to abduct João, but something went horribly awry, and instead of abducting him, it set him ablaze, and he died in unfathomable agony. This may seem a bit silly, but I recall a story about a man who claimed he was about to be abducted by aliens, but the beam couldn’t lift him off the ground because—and I swear to God this is true—he was too fat. I can’t remember the man’s name, but that was his explanation, and I think there was a witness to the event.
If you wish to learn more about the story in detail, I highly recommend you watch The Burning Man of Brazil by Bedtime Stories, which is a great YouTube channel. Alternatively, you can check out UFO Insight’s article on the case, which is also great.
Back to the Theory
The reason I brought this incredibly morbid case up is that I genuinely wondered if the UFO (the disk-shaped one, anyway) reported here was similar to the one that may have attempted to abduct João—or if it tried to use something similar. Maybe the intention wasn’t to abduct João but to make him look away while the UFO left the premises, but something malfunctioned, and it inadvertently killed him.
Now, is this likely? Well, that would depend on a few things. Of course, if you don’t believe in aliens, then no, it’s nonsensical. Heck, this entire theory is nonsensical. However, if you do, then there’s your opinion of alien abductions. Just because you believe in aliens doesn’t mean you believe aliens visit Earth so they can abduct you and perform experiments on you.
Personally, I’ve never been a believer in alien abductions. While I know that likely sounds bizarre, given I’m a firm believer that aliens have visited Earth, something that’s always bothered me is why they happen. I won’t go into much detail about my grievances because I’ll be covering an alien abduction story later this month, but I’ve never been thoroughly convinced about why aliens would abduct random people before dropping them off somewhere.
Then again, I guess you could say that the ghosts of frogs feel the same way when we dissect them. I digress, though; let’s get back on track.
Even though I don’t believe in alien abductions, I have to admit that the similarities between João’s case and Leo’s are bizarre. It may be a very small thing that’s been seen elsewhere—if not countless times before—but I can only name João’s case as the other time it’s occurred. So, hey, I thought it was worth bringing up.
Aside from the comparison to João’s case, the “funnel of light” is something I haven’t heard about in any other UFO report I’ve read—not in the way it was described here, anyway. Sure, I know about abduction beams and UFOs emitting light or a ray of light, but I’ve never heard of one like this. The beams are traditionally below the UFO (though the idea of an abduction beam from the front that functions like a vacuum cleaner was used in the remake of Destroy All Humans 2, so there’s that).
That makes the whole case more obtuse—and it’s hard to say if it lends more credence to it or makes it less believable. It’s one of those things that strikes me as so abnormal that it makes me question if I’m anywhere close to as well-versed in the realm of the supernatural and unknown as I think I am. I suppose that’s another thing I have to look into after I finish this year’s Decemystery.
Boy, that’s what it’s become, hasn’t it? I picked out stories that I thought would be a walk in the park, and all that’s happened is I’ve been left going, “Wow, I really need to brush up on my knowledge.” Funny how that works, isn’t it?
Anyway, with all of that said, the last thing I want to discuss in relation to this theory is easily the detail that stuck out to me the most: the UFOs were engaged in a chase. At least, Leo claimed they were; there was nothing that dictated they were outside of his word.
If ever there was a detail that would make or break a mystery, it would be this. Although I said we’d assume that Leo was telling the truth for the sake of the theory, I want to say one thing. The fact Leo wrote his report without ever elaborating on this chase, let alone how he made it sound like they weren’t engaged in one, is such a detriment to this story that it practically breaks it.
It’s one thing to forget details. That happens to everyone and can be forgiven. Human memory is imperfect; anyone who says otherwise is a liar. However, this is something that Leo wrote in the very first sentence. Unless the translation from Finnish to English got murky somewhere, I don’t know how he could gloss over it when the sentence was right in front of him.
That said, let’s still assume events transpired like Leo said they did. UFOs engaging in dogfights and chases aren’t unprecedented territory. The story I linked earlier about the dogfight over the Netherlands is proof of that.
There are also other incidents like it, too. In fact, I brought up two of them in the aforementioned write-up. They’re known as the 1561 Celestial Phenomenon Over Nuremberg and the 1566 Celestial Phenomenon Over Basel. In those incidents, UFOs were said to have engaged in aerial conflict over the skies of Nuremberg and Basel, respectively. I recommend reading the Wikipedia articles if you’re interested in learning about them because I don’t want to make this theory any longer than it already is. I’ll cover them one day, though.
Besides those three incidents, there are many more. However, it’s worth noting that they’re usually from ancient times, a time when trusting the word of a historian without a second thought would be very risky. While historians are often looked up to as reliable sources of information, many in the past not only had their own agenda but were prone to describing what are now commonly known phenomena very fantastically.
Allow me to give you an example. Let’s say you read about an incident from the Roman era about two large orbs fighting in the sky and causing havoc in the heavens above! From their conflict, death, destruction, and calamity were brought up on the citizens of the Roman Empire. When the conflict ended, the sky was reddened, and the air was unbreathable.
That flowery nonsense is my attempt at replicating the writing of a Roman historian describing a UFO battle. However, between you and me, it’s obviously a volcanic eruption. Don’t ask how I know that; it’s my secret.
My point is that many of the stories you could give Leo’s claim credibility are likely to be explainable as some sort of atmospheric phenomenon. Does that mean all of them are explainable? Well, I’d say the law of probability dictates no, but that’s beside the point. I’m not here to come through every UFO sighting from before Jesus was around to when the British practically ruled the planet.
Nevertheless, since there are plenty of other reports of UFOs chasing each other, it does lend some semblance of validation to Leo’s claim. However, without any details about how he knew the boomerang-shaped UFO was chasing the disk-shaped one, all we have to go on is his word—and his word was that the boomerang UFO flew westward before never being mentioned again.
It was also 9,400 feet (2.8 kilometers) higher than the disk-shaped UFO, but who am I to question the aviation genius of extraterrestrial life? They’re the ones who can traverse the universe while we’re stuck here arguing about when a meme is dead or not.
I suppose that, if I had to guess, Leo assumed the boomerang UFO was chasing the disk-shaped one because the former flew to where the latter came from. That or the disk splitting in two made him think it was trying to lure it away. Really, I could spitball ideas all day and come no closer to knowing what gave him this impression.
In fact, I don’t even think it sounds like the events ancient historians wrote about. Sure, their wording is significantly more elaborate, but this sounds like two separate UFOs in the same area. That’s unique and not something I’ve ever heard about, but it’s possible they were from the same alien race—or happened to cross paths. I mean, old friends bump into each other at supermarkets; maybe two alien friends found each other on the same planet!
I digress, though. As much as I want to sit here and speculate to my heart’s content, this theory has gone on for long enough—and has made it so the rest of the theories will be brisk. Thank God; I’m sick as of this writing and want to lie down.
Ultimately, your mileage on this theory’s going to depend on how much you’re willing to take Leo’s word on the whole chase aspect—in my eyes, anyway. Personally, I think that his exclusion of those details is a colossal detriment to his report, and it makes me question the veracity of everything he said.
However, you may think differently, and while I think it’s a bit naïve to do that, I understand it nonetheless. I can be quite harsh when it comes to information being left out, so I won’t can’t fault you if you think I’m out of line. So, if that’s the case, I get it.
Anyway, with that, it’s time to move on to the next theory. I swear that I had no intention of this theory being its own mini write-up. It was an accident; I’ll do better next time!
2. Interdimensional beings in their fancy alien ships
This theory shares practically all of the talking points as the previous one but with one blatantly obvious difference: the ships came from another dimension rather than an alien planet. I know that’s a real surprise, but I promise the shock will wear off in due time.
If we assume that this was the case, then it would help explain one of the core issues I have with the boomerang UFO: it seemingly appeared and disappeared without anyone other than Leo noticing it. I know that Artjärvi has a small population (as I said earlier, it had a population of 1,412 in 2010), but we don’t know the exact location where this all occurred. For all I know, there were others outside smoking or camping; I’m not familiar with Finland, so do forgive me if this is highly presumptuous.
Regardless, the boomerang UFO is something that greatly hamstrings this story because it appeared and disappeared without much of a mind being paid to it. Leo saw it; it flew west, and that was that. I kept going back to read the report to make sure I didn’t miss anything or forget a detail—or multiple details, but no. Here are Leo’s exact words for you to read:
I am interested in amateur Astronomy, was out looking at stars 09/15/2015, about midnight and I saw naked eye a black boomerang craft flying silently about 10,000 feet up, it moved to west and out of sight.
If this were some interdimensional aircraft, I could feasibly see it having phased out of our universe and back into its own. Why it was here is anyone’s guess, but maybe it wanted to observe beings from another universe the same way we’d undoubtedly like to do the same. I believe that curiosity is an innate quality of any form of intelligent life.
Personally, I’ll never understand why some think it’s outlandish for other beings to willingly visit our humble planet to see what we’re like. I’ve said numerous times this month that we research wild animals, so why is it crazy to think we’re of interest to aliens or beings from another dimension, even if it’s from a distance?
That said, I wish we knew how quickly the ship was moving. I didn’t bring this up in the previous theory, but we have no idea how fast it was flying. Judging by Leo’s wording, it vaguely sounds like it wasn’t slow. That would bring up many other questions about the entire “chase” he spoke about, like if the boomerang phasing out was what concluded the whole event—if it ever happened in the first place. However, I’ll save that for when we get to the next theory because I don’t want to inflate the theories more than they’ve already been inflated. I will say that it does drag this theory down like the previous one; that hasn’t changed.
There’s also the matter of why there were two UFOs in the area at the same time, yet they failed to interact with each other. I did remark on this earlier, but if they were interdimensional travelers, one would think they’d stay close together.
I also think they’d be careful not to do anything reckless (like emitting bright flashes of light at random people). I have to imagine that it takes a lot more energy and power to traverse dimensions than it does the galaxy. But, hey, I wouldn’t know. I’m anything but well-versed in this kind of stuff.
One other issue with the theory—and it does tie into the previous one a bit (even though I didn’t touch upon it all that much)—is that the UFOs left remarkably quickly despite the disk-shaped one having been looking for something. At least, I think it was looking for something; it sounded like it was. I find it utterly bewildering that the aircraft left after blinding Leo; I have no idea what it could have possibly been seeking, if it was seeking anything at all. Unless it was scanning Earth’s flora, it sounds like those at the helm of the UFO were troubled by someone spotting them, so they fled.
If the travelers were concerned by Leo seeing them, I have absolutely no idea why. That strikes me as such an innocuous thing. Even if they’re meant to remain as secretive as possible, one man in a remote part of the planet seems like the epitome of insignificant. On top of that, I feel like there are more efficient ways to conceal yourself than using an oversized flashlight or flashbang grenade. If you can traverse dimensions, surely you have the ability to use a cloaking device, right?
Oh well, I digress. I’m sure there are some who will read this write-up—and this theory—and think to themselves that it sounds like something out of a piece of science-fiction media. I believe that’s perfectly fair since you are dealing with something that’s more than a little fantastical.
However, I’d argue—and adamantly, at that—that many other UFO stories that I’ve covered also sound like they’re works of science fiction. Just look through the UFO/Aliens tag to see for yourself. You’ll be amazed at the sheer strangeness of the realm of UFOs.
Because of that, I feel obligated not to judge this theory too harshly. We’re already dealing with something that would require the beings piloting the ship to be significantly more advanced than us to have visited our planet.
So, aside from the theoretical nature of interstellar travel versus interdimensional travel, why should this be scoffed at while the previous theory isn’t immediately dismissed (the whole chase aspect notwithstanding)? Frankly, I wouldn’t label it as the most implausible and absurd thing to entertain. Besides, there are plenty of theories that aliens themselves are, in fact, interdimensional beings, so you could argue that this theory and the previous one are one and the same.
If that were the case, despite the numerous flaws both hold, they do have enough strength to hold their own—especially when it comes to my own innate biases about extraterrestrial life. That said, ignoring its flaws would be a callous thing to do, and the issues that plagued the previous theory are here, too. It just so happens that when I don’t have to repeat them, things sound a bit more positive. Isn’t that convenient? I sure think so!
Anyway, we’ve got one more theory to go over. I know there aren’t many theories, but I’ll explain why later. For now, let’s get into the one that’ll let me discuss a fair number of things I’ve been yearning to discuss (even while I’m sick).
3. A hoax
Right off the bat, I want to say that this theory has a fair bit going for it. Leo’s claim about a chase was the very first thing he spoke about, yet he never elaborated on why he thought that. He never discussed if the UFOs accelerated or made any strategic-looking maneuvers. By all accounts, the boomerang-shaped UFO flew westward at an unspecified speed and disappeared from sight. How it did so isn’t said; unless it flew behind a mountain or flew where there was a lack of illumination, it’s a mystery.
Meanwhile, the disk-shaped UFO flew in from an unspecified direction. Was it from the West? South? Northeast? Did it descend from the sky? We don’t know; all we’re told is it “suddenly appeared” over the forest. Some may argue that this means it deactivated a cloaking device, but if that’s the case, then why did they not reengage it after blinding Leo? Why leave with the cloaking device off before splitting your UFO in two?
Look, I understand that this is a lot more opinionated than it should be for this section; I try to remain unbiased. However, you have to realize that When you make a claim like this—about two UFOs chasing each other in the skies over wherever you are—you can’t just say it happened and not elaborate. That comes across more as you seeking attention than having witnessed something Fortean.
This is, to me, one of the most damaging aspects of this case. Like I said earlier, it practically breaks it. However, it’d be woefully unfair of me if I said that it was an automatic disqualifier and that it meant the story was fake. So, let’s continue onward.
Another point in this theory’s favor is that Leo used the imperial system instead of the metric system when he measured how high and far the UFOs were from him. As I said earlier, it’s possible Leo was an American living abroad—or from another nation that uses the imperial system. Alternatively, Leo could’ve converted the measurements since NUFORC is based out of the United States. Still, that’d be an odd decision since other reports have used the metric system, and it’s a small detail that sticks out like a sore thumb.
There’s also the jarring clinical feeling of Leo’s report. While it’s possible that his native language isn’t English, my friend Nea speaks English perfectly fine. While there are some words she struggles with when it comes to their definition, I never find the way she writes to feel clinical or robotic. If you’re lost about what I mean, here’s a sentence from Leo’s report:
The funnel focused on me for a moment, then a bright yellow beam of light shot from the craft and hit me, making me turn away.
In the past, I’ve mentioned how people who make up stories about encountering cryptids will go into way more detail than anyone could remember. When you’re in a state of panic, you won’t remember every little detail; you’re focused more on surviving than absorbing information around you.
However, in this case, Leo sounds like a robot; there’s absolutely nothing he’s saying that sounds comes across like it’s from a person who saw not one but two UFOs in the span of seconds, and one fired a “beam of light” at him. If I were writing about this, I would try to convey how terrifying and unreal it was, and likely how I was unable to sleep for days after because I was terrified that they’d come back for me.
Yet, in the report, Leo never makes note of this. He never discusses how he felt. He never addresses anything about himself. It’s like he’s detached from the event—an event that happened to him and, for all he knew, would’ve resulted in him dying if the UFO had fired a laser or plasma beam at him.
Now, I understand if this criticism comes across as mean or nitpicky. After all, not everyone is going to describe an array of details, and Leo did submit the report six months after the event. However, I’d argue that when you feel disinterested in what happened to you, especially when everything was as astonishing and unbelievable as it was, recounting your experience like you’re discussing seeing an earthworm while gardening. To me, that level of nonchalance is the last thing you should aim for. You saw a UFO. It fired a beam of light at you. Act like that’s what happened!
Okay, enough repetition; I apologize for that. To amend that, allow me to say that this complaint isn’t without its own issues. For starters, it’s perfectly possible that this is just how Leo speaks. There’s nothing wrong with that. Some people are naturally dry texters; not everyone is going to be brimming with bubbliness or enthusiasm. I know some people like this; their personalities are dry or don’t translate well through text.
Because of that, it would be incredibly unfair to say Leo’s apparent disinterest is a red flag. Heck, he could’ve been shy or embarrassed about sharing how he felt. Some people are very protective of their emotional state. I know I am; in the past, I’ve hidden my true feelings because I didn’t want my friends to worry about my at-the-time undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Even though Leo remained anonymous, it’s still possible he didn’t want strangers to read his story and judge him.
That isn’t unprecedented. The story from Finland that I covered last year featured that very concern. The lady who submitted the story—who I referred to as Sofia—ended her report with the following plea:
Cannot say why i think so, because i cannot say why here feels sometimes like so. Here is that kind a sounds sometimes etc. and please dont think im crazy, im very normal family mother just want to tell that.
I’d say it’s highly probable that Leo didn’t want to be judged, even if he was remaining anonymous. Granted, I’ve certainly judged him throughout the theories section, but I do so because I want to play the roles of prosecutor and defense attorney. What can I say? I like roleplaying; that’s why RPGs are my favorite genre of video games.
Anyway, there’s one other thing worth bringing up: Leo could have been in a state of shock or trauma. This could be an additional reason why he opted not to include many details, or it could be the sole reason. Either way, I’ve discussed in the past that shock can easily cause you to ignore many things. Couple that with any trauma Leo may have sustained (which would be understandable; he said a UFO fired upon him), and you have a recipe for not wanting to include any details.
That said, there are other things going against this theory. So, why stop now? Let’s continue going over its faults; it’ll help us remind ourselves that the cards aren’t completely stacked against Leo.
To start things off, I believe you can argue that Leo forgot the details for reasons outside of shock and trauma. I’ve said numerous times in the past that human memory is imperfect, and it’s possible that this is what happened here. If that’s the case, then I look like a colossal hypocrite for getting worked up over it.
Unfortunately, I’m only human and am prone to knee-jerk reactions like everyone else. In this case, when I’m left without details, I get irritated because I’d expect an eyewitness to provide more of them. However, common sense dictates either that they forgot those details or it slipped their mind. It’s one of the many shortcomings I have as a person, and I’ve done my best to fix them. Alas, they still rear their ugly head from time to time.
However, if Leo had forgotten to include the information (mainly about the whole chase aspect) not because of shock or trauma but because the incident had become fuzzy in his mind, then the only complaint I have is that he should have stated he’d forgotten. It would’ve helped greatly, but I can’t complain. I mean, what are the odds he would have expected a random person on the Internet to stumble across his story and decide to write about it years after he submitted it?
You know, by that logic, the fact I got so upset about his writing is really silly in hindsight. The same is true for the various other things I got annoyed about, too. Maybe I should take more breaks when I write before I have an aneurysm.
Speaking of that, I should mention that there’s also the issue of why Leo would’ve faked this report. This is, of course, the question I always ask when this theory pops up, and it’s especially glaring with this theory. Why? Well, yet again, I’ve said this plenty of times this month, but I feel it’s most accurate with NUFORC and the now-defunct website “About.” If you’re going to fake a UFO, cryptid, or ghost sighting, why would you do it on a website where you can’t receive any reactions or replies?
Now, granted, NUFORC does allow you to leave contact information so an investigator can ask you additional questions. Leo didn’t do that, though, and I understand why. I’m paranoid about giving out my contact information. It’s to the point that I’ve rarely given my friends my phone number. Some of my best friends don’t even have it, despite having known them for several years—or, in one case, over a decade.
Setting that aside, I believe it’s rather silly for Leo to make up a story and submit it to NUFORC rather than going to Reddit or 4chan to share his story. Or, heck, just submit the story to one of the dozens of YouTubers who read these “supposedly true stories.” Let’s Read, Darkness Prevails, and Corpse Husband are three that immediately come to mind. I mean, if you’re going to go to the trouble of making up a story, at least share it somewhere where people can hear it instead of a site where it’ll quickly be buried.
I’m sure there are many other little things I can latch onto, but I think you get the picture. Ultimately, the hoax theory has a considerable amount going for it and against it. Personally, I can’t really see a beneficial reason for Leo to have faked this story, but I fully acknowledge that it’s not always about reaping something and more about proving a point to someone. Some like to showcase to their friends or family members that websites and organizations such as NUFORC will accept anything—or so some will claim.
If that’s what Leo was going for, then he achieved his goal. However, without any way to contact him, and given his report is quite possibly one of the most fantastical and amazing UFO encounters I’ve ever read by sheer virtue of him being fired upon by the flying saucer, I would’ve expected him to either up the ante by adding onto the whole chase aspect.
But I digress. With all of that said and done, let’s move on to the meme theory before getting to my take. I also cannot believe that the theories for this write-up make up the vast majority of the word count; it’s unbelievable how much I dedicated to dissecting this story.
4. Filming for the latest Mission: Impossible movie
For Tom Cruise’s next stunt, he’ll cling to the side of a UFO from 10,000 feet in the air with zero safety nets because that man doesn’t fear death.
My Take
As wild as it may sound, given I was extremely critical of Leo’s report and how he didn’t include numerous details, I do believe he saw an alien spacecraft. I know how that may seem incredibly two-faced of me, but I cannot think of any rational explanation behind this. You may have noticed that, though, given there were only three theories—and there’s a reason for that.
You see, when it comes to a NUFORC report, I usually have the usual suspects lined up to use: a UFO, an interdimensional aircraft, a hoax, misidentification, an atmospheric phenomenon, and several other possible explanations. More often than not, I remove the ones that have no business being there because they’re too implausible or were outright debunked.
In the case of this story, though, I hit a weird problem. Namely, I had no idea how this could have been a case of misidentification or some type of atmospheric phenomenon. None of the details aligned, and, as a result, I couldn’t make the theories work.
Now, I’m sure that if I wasn’t sick and could think clearer, I might’ve found a way. However, all that comes to mind is the idea that it was a hallucination, and I don’t want to constantly fall back on the idea that someone dropped LSD, was exposed to carbon monoxide, or suffered from a mental illness. Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten older, but putting forth that idea has struck me as insensitive, especially when I can’t definitively prove that the circumstances surrounding the case point toward it.
Anyway, I merely wanted to address why this was lacking in theories. I could’ve thrown a bunch of stuff at the wall, but these write-ups are getting long, thanks to my desire to examine things more thoroughly. I don’t need them to be made longer through pointless speculation. But if you want them back next year, let me know, and I’ll deliver.
Now, with that out of the way, the reason I believe this to have been an alien ship rather than a hoax boils down to two reasons. The first is due to my own biases. I feel like this is to be expected, though, since this section is called “My Take.”
The second is that I can’t shake the feeling of making up a story that is absurd without posting it somewhere where you can see the reactions of others. The more I think about this case, the wilder and wilder it gets. Leo didn’t just see a UFO; he saw two of them in mere seconds. Not only that, the second one used some kind of beam and then fired a beam of light at him. That UFO then split in two, despite being made of metal (or so it appeared) as it departed the scene.
This is the kind of thing you’d undoubtedly want to post where people could respond with their bewilderment or skepticism; you’d want to start a conversation (or incite an argument, depending on what your motive is). Yet, Leo submitted it to a website that doesn’t allow for that.
If Leo’s motive was to prove to a friend, family member, colleague, acquaintance, or spouse that websites dedicated to the supernatural and unknown will post anything (I doubt they do, but I digress), then I suppose the idea of this being a hoax could be more viable. But if he wanted to do that, why wouldn’t he elaborate on the chase and the other fantastical elements? Surely, that would make his argument toward the person (or people) he was proving wrong stronger, right?
These two factors really make it hard for me to subscribe to the hoax theory. While I fully understand why some reading this will, it doesn’t resonate with me. It feels like it’s hamstrung by the age-old question of “why bother?” To me, if you’re going to go as far as Leo did when making up a story, don’t stop just short of full-blown silliness. Go the extra mile and prove to people that the website—whichever it may be—you’re submitting the story to had no quality standards.
As a side note, I have no idea how NUFORC handles reviewing reports, so it’s possible that Leo attempted to submit a fake report in the past but was denied. I’m not about to try myself when I have no interest in faking one. I do know that filling out a report form is extremely simple, though, and anyone can do it.
Anyway, I’ve gone on for long enough. In short, I think this was a UFO. Despite the numerous grievances I have with the lack of information, I cannot deny there may be a lot of stuff trauma that Leo suffered after his experience. And when that doubt exists, it’s hard for me to dismiss the story without having the opportunity to speak to the eyewitness myself.
Conclusion
This was an absolute behemoth of a write-up to do. I never expected it to become anywhere close to as long as it did, but I suppose that’s par for the course with Decemystery 2024. Everything that I expected to be a brisk walk in the park has become more thorough; I’ve scrutinized more than I likely should, but I’ve wanted to offer you, dear reader, the best possible write-up.
Whether or not that’s been achieved is up for debate; I’m writing this toward the end of October while sick, and I don’t think my mind is in a proper state to judge whether or not something is worthwhile. So, until you guys get to read this, I can only speculate. And after today, I think you’d understand why I’d be hesitant to do any speculating; I spent the better part of this entire article doing nothing but that.
That said, I would love to know what you guys think is the truth behind this story. Do you agree with my assessment? Or do you believe I was incorrect in overlooking so many theories and that one of the other explanations could’ve rationalized this entire incident? Let me know in the comments, and, as always, stay happy, stay healthy, and thank you for reading!
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