UFO And Alien Encounters Of A New Year Kind

By
Marcus Lowth
Published Date
December 30, 2019
Last Updated
July 17, 2020
Estimated Reading Time
10 min read
Posted in
Aliens, Encounters

In the much the same as we looked at UFO and alien encounters that have taken place throughout history around the Christmas period, it is very much the same around the New Year break. And while, even more so than Christmas, many of these incidents could very well be explained as fireworks and paper lanterns let loose into our skies as we celebrate the one passing year and welcome another, some incidents are truly intriguing.

While these events that have taken place over New Year’s Eves stretching back over half a century are not necessarily any more intriguing or important than other UFO and alien encounters, they are nevertheless, a demonstration that whatever is taking place here on Earth, no matter how life might “stop” for most of us, such bizarre and unusual happenings are bound not by such traditions, and so rumble on as they see fit.

In fact, as we have examined before, one of the earliest UFO encounters on the historic record in the United Kingdom took place during New Year’s celebrations in 1254 in Hertfordshire in St. Albans. One of the monks who witnessed a strange craft overhead would describe it as “like a kind of ship, large and elegantly shaped, and of a marvelous color”. It doesn’t take too much imagination to match this description to a modern-day equivalent of a “UFO”.

We will start, though, with perhaps the most anticipated New Year in recent memory – the end of 1999 and the start of the year 2000.

New Year’s Eve, Kansas City, Kansas, 1999

Perhaps one of the best New Year’s Eve UFO sightings took place in Kansas City, Kansas on the final evening of 1999, which would also be the final evening of the twentieth century. On that evening, at around 10 pm, the witness along with a friend was leaving a bar where they regularly played pool in a local league.

It was as they were walking down one of the main streets of the city when the witness happened to look upward. When he did so, a clear “V-formation” of objects was moving overhead. One of the objects was clearly the leader of the group while the others trailed behind, four each on either side. It was as he was studying these lights that he realized he wasn’t watching nine individual glowing objects, but the underside of a large triangular craft.

The more he focused on the object he could see the black outline of it. He wasn’t sure how near or far the object was, but he did mention in his report that this particular triangular object was “much smaller” than a very similar craft he had witnessed several years previously near McConnel Air Force Base.

The witness had remained silent so far, half in awe at the fascinating spectacle taking place overhead. However, just before the craft vanished behind one of the tall buildings of the city, he would call out to his friend to look above him.

“Look! There’s A UFO!”

Even when he called out, “Look! There’s a UFO!” his friend believed he was pulling his leg. By the time he had turned his attention skyward, the buildings were now blocking it from his view. He grabbed his friend by the arm and urged him to follow, to a space where they would be clear of the buildings currently blocking their view.

By the time they had moved beyond their obstructing view, the triangular craft was perfectly visible, moving slowly overhead. And what’s more, it was perfectly silent too. The witness would describe the object as “drifting, not flying”. His friend, now enthralled and fascinated by this silently, creeping triangular object would comment that it was likely “a stealth” (a secret military project).

This very well could be the case. Many researchers have suggested that UFOs could, in fact, be secret black budget projects of the world’s governments. In particular, it would appear, the black triangular craft.

However, what would fly against the notion that these strange triangular crafts – and certainly this one, with the nine underside lights – not being considered for stealth duty is that very reason. That the under-lights would work against the operating brief for such objects. Furthermore, such stealth vehicles, again for relatively obvious reasons, tend to operate at much higher altitudes and at much faster speeds.

The witness themselves would ask similar questions in his report. It was his closing remarks which were perhaps of most intrigue, though, when he would state that he couldn’t believe “how frequent these sightings are becoming”.

The Black Dog Of Cannock Chase Sighting, Early-January 1972

Just short of 30 years before the Millennium New Year celebrations to welcome 2000 an incident that would be at home in both paranormal and UFO circles would unfold in early January 1972 at Cannock Chase in England, an area synonymous with strange activity and black-eyed children, no less. According to an article by veteran UFO researcher, Nick Redfern titled Phantom Hounds of the Woods, the witness was motoring across Cannock Chance in the early evening.

As he negotiated the roads, his headlight picking out his route in the darkness, a “strange ball of glowing blue light” crashed to the ground just ahead of him. He would slam on the brakes immediately, bringing his vehicle to a halt while watching the sparks and glows of the aftermath of the crash.

He would start his vehicle once again and approach the scene cautiously. As he did so, however, he would notice a chilling, disturbing, and unusual sight. There in front of him close to the impact point was “the biggest bloody dog” he had ever seen. He would further describe the beast-like canine as black and muscular, with huge paws and pointed ears. Strangest of all, though, was the bright “yellow-tinged eyes”, which stared intently at the witness, seemingly through the windscreen of the vehicle.

This visual stand-off would continue for around 30 seconds before the huge dog turned and disappeared into the trees which lined the side of the road.

English folklore states that sighting this black, beast-like hound is a portent of bad luck to come. So when a close friend of the witness died in “an industrial accident in horrifying circumstances” a short time after the sighting, they couldn’t help but wonder if such an incident was the warning of the grizzly and sudden death.

Two Close Encounters From New Year, January 1992

Another New Years’ incident from England, this time in Devon, would unfold almost exactly 20 years later in early January 1992. And according to the researcher involved with the account, Malcolm Robinson, the family at the center of the incident had “numerous bizarre encounters” to their name. These would include many “strange entities and paranormal events”.

The main witness, the son of the family concerned, would awaken this particular evening to find “small, grey figures” in the room with him. This would happen regularly, often with a strange creature with large, black eyes looking directly down on him. On this night I question, his mother would later recall having an intense dream in which she “met aliens”.

As the family began to question the strange events of that night in early-January, they would eventually undergo hypnotic regression. The father of the family would reveal that he remembered seeing “alien creatures” in the home with large eyes. What’s more, these creatures appeared to emerge from a saucer-like craft that had landed nearby.

A similar account can be found in the files of Karla Turner. Although the location is not known, the account took place at roughly the same time as the incident above. The witness in this instance would awaken one night and noticed a “bluish light” hovering near the ceiling. Although he couldn’t recall any details, he was aware of two other people in the room with him.

The next thing he would recall is “looking down” at the house from inside some kind of vehicle. He was in a seat which appeared to come out of the wall, while next to him, someone stood. He would next recall standing in a “loading bay” where “hybrid looking humanoids” were visible. Then, he was back in his home.

Bizarre New Year Incidents Of The Early-1980s

In early January 1980 in the Kastenga Karelia region of Russia in the (then) Soviet Union, two forest rangers were setting wolf traps in the woodland of the surrounding area. As they went about their business, however, a “luminous cylinder-shaped object” drifted to the ground near to them. As they watched, half in anticipation and half with a sense of nervousness, a “red beam of light” lurched forward from the craft. It would strike both men temporarily blinding them.

One of the men would sense a tugging at this belt. When he looked down he could see a “short humanoid with spindly arms”. Even more alarming it had a “pale face without eyes or mouth”. The man tried to push the creature away, but it would fire another red beam toward him. This caused paralysis once more. The next thing the men realized, the creatures were gone, and the craft was heading toward the sky and disappearing out of sight. The incident comes to us courtesy of Volume 37, number 4 version of Flying Saucer Review.

Several years later in New Year 1984 in the Navalmoral De La Mata district of Spain, a truck driver would report the sudden appearance of a “tall transparent woman” in the middle of the road he was driving along. He would fail to stop in time and would drive “right through” it. When the truck stopped, he would look behind him. The strange figure was still standing exactly where it was moments earlier.

Several days later in Massachusetts, an anonymous witness would awaken to find he was paralyzed. What’s more, a “thin beam of green light” shined directly into his eye. Behind the beam was a humanoid figure holding a device. The witness had the impression that the strange entity was “reading his mind”.

Alien Abduction In The Mersey Valley, New Year, 1983

The previous New Year, in the opening days of January 1983 in Cadishead in England, a young man was riding his motorcycle along the Mersey river at around 9 pm one evening. According to the report, which appears in the book Mysteries of the Mersey Valley by Jenny Randles and Peter Hough, he would bring the bike to a stop so that he could relieve himself in the quiet shadows before returning to the parked motorcycle.

However, before he could reach it, he could see two strange humanoid figures in dark clothing looking at it. They each had a “grotesque smile” and appeared to be twins. Each also wore a strange “white collar” around the neck. The witness would call out to the “men” to stand back from his bike.

The next thing he knew, some time had passed. He was walking with one of the men on each side. They appeared to be headed toward an object. It had the appearance of “an upturned water tank mounted on girder-like legs”. He noticed a strange red symbol along the side of the object. The next thing he realized, he was standing alone once again, the object rising and disappearing into the night sky.

It would appear very obvious that some kind of abduction encounter had taken place.

Incidents And Sightings Of More Recent New Years

There are many sightings on record having taken place over New Years’ periods in recent years. And, in part due to the huge number of mobile phones available and recording at any one time, many of these incidents have pictures and even footage to back up the claims.

One that doesn’t, at least to the best of our knowledge, took place on New Year’s Eve 2016 going into 2017 over Subbington in Hampshire in the United Kingdom. In fact, strange purple and red lights were witnessed by multiple people on multiple occasions in the weeks leading up to New Year’s Eve. The light would appear and remain hovering in the sky for several minutes before disappearing.

The following day on New Year’s Day 2017, a resident of Warsaw, Poland would capture around 90 seconds of footage. The video shows a glowing, circular object hovering over the Kampinowska Forest at around 5 pm. You can see that footage below.

On the same date but on the other side of the world in California, another video would surface. It clearly shows three lights in a triangular formation. What’s more, it appears that the lights are part of a larger, solid craft. You can view that footage below.

The following day, back across the Atlantic in the United Kingdom, came another UFO encounter.

The Cole Valley Road Incident, New Year’s Day Night, 2017

The following account entered the public arena courtesy of researcher Dave Hodrien. It would take place in the early hours of the day after New Year’s Day 2017 in Yardley Wood, Birmingham in the United Kingdom. It was a little after midnight following the first day of the year when the witness, Nigel, was stood outside his home on Cole Valley Road. He was watching the skies noting how bright the stars and moon were on a dry, crisp winter night.

It was as he was doing so that he noticed a glowing object moving rather quickly through the darkness of the night sky. As it became larger, and indeed closer, he could see how it was a “tubular” or “cylindrical” shape. The side of the craft appeared to have around half a dozen “square-shaped panels or windows”, each of which glowed an “orange-reddish” color. These windows appeared to be evenly spaced and so almost certainly the product of intelligent design.

Nigel would later estimate that the object was at an altitude of between 300 to 400 feet. And was approximately the same size as a “cruise liner aircraft”. It would continue on its way in a straight line before turning suddenly and then heading into the distance. Within around 15 seconds it was no longer visible.

The witness would dismiss any notion that what he had witnessed was paper lanterns. Not least due to the even spacing of these glows. And the sudden turn and acceleration of the object before it disappeared. The witness was, however, equally certain that what he had seen that evening was “something extremely unusual”.

Human Activities And Traditions Of Little Consequence To Alien Visitors?

As simplistic an idea as it might be, might the dramatically increased use of fireworks (gunpowder, after all) by much of the western world during the respective December 31sts that have occurred, even since the beginning of the modern UFO era, be of interest and/or concern to such potentially cosmic visitors?

After all, while such a notion is admittedly very simplistic and almost bordering on ignorance, and with no real signs of particular patterns to such new year’s sightings, the fact is, we don’t know what these strange crafts, orbs, and glowing objects are? Or how they arrive here? Or why? With that in mind, then, perhaps all considerations should remain open.

Or might it be, which is certainly more likely and as we mentioned in our opening, that everything short of all-out war taking place here on Earth is of little-to-no consequence to the intelligence behind these mysterious aerial vehicles? Indeed, while it is hard for us to collectively imagine so (at least fully), might this intelligence be in a drastically different state than we currently understand it? We might find, the more we study, research, and examine such incidents and claims, that extraterrestrial life and intelligence is a lot more “alien” to us than we currently think. Indeed, perhaps it is just the potentially drastically different forms of intelligence that is the hurdle preventing the much-anticipated meetings between “their” leasers and “ours”.

What is likely very certain is these sightings will continue well into next year. And the many years after it as UFO encounters show no sign of slowing down or decreasing. Nor does the steadily increasing awareness and interest in the subject from those currently “outside” of UFO circles.

Check out the video below. Some of the most interesting UFO sightings on record

Marcus Lowth

Marcus Lowth is a writer with a love for UFOs, aliens, and the Ancient Astronaut Theory, to the paranormal, general conspiracies, and unsolved mysteries. He has been writing and researching with over 20 years of experience.

Marcus has been Editor-in-Chief for several years due to his excellent knowledge in these fields. Marcus also regularly appears as an expert on radio talk shows including Troubled Minds and Unexplained Radio discussing these topics.

Read Marcus' full bio.

You can contact Marcus via email.

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