by Charles Lear
A common element of UFO reports is that cars or other vehicles cease functioning during the sighting and often restart on their own after the UFO’s departure. Many researchers have speculated that this is an effect of electromagnetism, possibly related to an advanced system of propulsion. This seems to be a reasonable hypothesis and one that could be tested. All one would need would be a car and a source of electromagnetism. So, the question is, have there been any experiments done in laboratories, and have the results been published in a peer reviewed format?
The case that first brought attention to this aspect of the phenomenon was the 1957 incident involving a series of extraordinary encounters in and around the small farming community of Levelland, Texas. Patrolman Abraham John Fowler was working the evening shift at the Levelland Police Department on the night of November 2, when the first of what would be a series of unusual calls came in.
Just before 11:00 p.m., a farm worker, Pedro Saucedo, called to report a very strange encounter that left him and his co-worker, Joe Salaz, shaken and mystified. According to Saucedo, they were in his pickup truck on their way to a farm ten miles northwest of Levelland. At 10:30 p.m., they turned off Route 116 (now Route 114), four miles west of Levelland, onto a side road. Off to their right, in a field, they saw a bright, blue flash, which drew their attention. The source of the light was a cigar or torpedo-shaped object around 200 feet long. As they watched, the object, glowing blue-green, lifted up and came towards the truck. As it did so, its color changed to bright yellow-white. Saucedo, thinking there was going to be a collision, jumped out and hit the dirt. Salaz remained inside and, fortunately for him, the object went over the truck. As the object passed over, the truck’s engine stalled, and the headlights went out.