There is no doubt that in the previous century, the world was amazed by the strange aerial phenomena, flying saucers, Foo fighters and UFOs. In 2015, Metrocosm compiled 90,000 UFO sightings that have happened in the United States since 1905 and drew an impressively detailed interactive map (as shown below). Not all of the sightings gained media attention, but the Val Johnson incident left a strong mark on the history of UFO encounters . Marshall County Sheriff’s Deputy Val Johnson chased a strange ball of light that ended up with injuries and damage to his car.
At around 1:40 a.m. on August 27, 1979, 35-year-old Sheriff Val Johnson was in his Ford LTD cruiser, patrolling a state highway in northwest Minnesota. Suddenly, he noticed something strange that could be explained, according to Johnson.
He saw a ball of light, hovering a few feet above the ground, visible for miles from his car. He decided to investigate the matter, so he directed it. At first, he thought it was an aircraft with large lights from the nearby Air Force base in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which landed on the road. As the road was flat, he could see it, but he decided to get closer to check what it was.
“I noticed a very bright, bright light, 8 to 12 inches in diameter, 3 to 4 feet off the ground. The edges were well defined. I thought maybe a semi hit a deer, or maybe an aircraft with one of those big lights landed there,” Johnson said. At some point, bright light entered his car. It was so bright that he felt as if he had been hit by a heavy pillow in his face. According to official reports, it was the last thing he remembered as he lost consciousness for 39 minutes.
After regaining consciousness, he found his car in the ditch, positioned on its side in the north lane of the road. His engine was off, but his headlights were still on. He tried to contact his fellow officers by radio and said something had hit his car. One of the officers speculated that a small car had hit him. But Johnson said it wasn’t a vehicle. In addition, his car windshield was broken, some lights were also damaged and also both antennas were bent at 90 degrees. In addition, he had some bruises and felt a burning sensation on his face, especially around his eyes. The most shocking part of the story was that his wristwatch and car clock were 14 minutes slower.
One of the off-duty officers arrived at the scene and found Johnson leaning against the steering wheel. As the burning sensation in his face was so intense, he was immediately taken to the hospital, where doctors relieved his pain. Later, between 3 and 4 am, his testimony was recorded.
Johnson had no idea what had hit his car, but the mark left by that thing became great evidence for researchers. His car was investigated by Roland Wardell “a metallurgical engineer at Honeywell, glass specialist at Ford Motor Co., consultant on hyperspectral imaging at a Brainerd laboratory.” Additionally, UFO researcher Allen Hendry from the Center for UFO Studies visited him.
From an encounter with the ball of light to injuries, a damaged car and 14 lost minutes, his case was full of mysteries. Hendry could not find any specific explanation for his case. The pattern made by a crack in the windshield glass was “extremely unusual” according to a Ford glass expert.
“I saw a ball of light,” Johnson said. “I drove towards her, and suddenly she was in the car with me. It is inexplicable and will remain so. I am happy with my mental stability.”
According to experts, the most apt explanation for the damage to his car was “a highly charged electrical ‘thing’ with enough mass and momentum to create the effects.” However, the case was never resolved and the documents also disappeared in years. Johnson’s patrol car is still preserved and displayed at the Marshall County Museum with copies of his case documents.
