In the Driving Seat

An Interrupted Journey

While it is common for aliens to halt cars, it is unusual for them to actually get in and start driving them. Nevertheless, this was exactly what happened during a bizarre close encounter in Idaho on the evening of November 2 1967.

The witnesses were two young Navajo Indians: Will Begay and Guy Tossie. The pair were driving down Highway 26 near Ririe they saw a domed disc-shaped craft materialise in front of them in a burst of light.

The craft was 8 feet in diameter with a transparent cupola on top. It was ringed by a row of dazzling green and orange lights. Inside the cupola sat two small humanoids. The disc silently hovered above the road, blocking the way. Then the cupola swung open and one of the humanoids levitated out towards the car.

The entity was 3.5 feet tall. It wore a tight jumpsuit and a large backpack. It had a wrinkled oval face with round pupil-less eyes, pointed ears, and a small slit-like mouth. The little humanoid opened the driver's door and slid in behind the steering wheel. Begay and Tossie hastily slid over to the passenger side. Then the car began moving again...

The Language of the Birds

Whether towed by the disc or driven by the entity, the car veered off the road into a field of wheat. When it coasted to a halt, Tossie - who was nearest the passenger door - leapt out and ran for his life.

Begay was too panic stricken to move. As he sat trembling, the entity turned to him and began chirping incomprehensibly "like a bird" in a high fluting voice.

Meanwhile, the other humanoid emerged from the saucer and shone a bright light after the fleeing Tossie. However, it seemed to think better of pursuing him. The first entity exited the car, then both beings floated back into their craft and departed.

In the meantime, Tossie had roused the occupants of the nearest farmhouse and persuaded them to come to Begay's aid. They found him sitting motionless in the car with the engine still running and the lights on.

The witnesses reported the incident to the town sheriff, who made enquiries among the local farmers. Some of them claimed to have seen strange lights in the sky on the night in question, while others said their cattle had panicked for no apparent reason.

The UFO group NICAP also carried out their own investigation. They found another witness who had encountered similar entities on the same night, but the man refused to go public with his experience.

Sources

Alan Baker: Encyclopedia of Alien Encounters, pp205-206.