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Photo shot by Chief Gerald Buchert in Mantua, Ohio.

April 17, 1966...

    Deputy Dale Spaur and Deputy Barney Neff at 5:00 AM responded to a call. The call was for an abandoned vehicle on route 224(2). The Investigation of the vehicle concluded an abandoned vehicle full of radio equipment with a lighting bolt inside a triangle reading "seven steps to hell" stenciled on the side.(1)  

 

"If that thing landed in my backyard, I wouldn't tell a soul." Jackelyne Neff on behalf of her husband Deputy Barney Neff.(1)

image1

  “I always look behind me so no one can come up behind me." That is when Deputy Spaur saw what he described as a saucer 40 feet wide and 18 feet high.(3) The saucer flew vertically from roughly treetop height to hover above the two. Silent except for a low hum "Like an overloaded transformer." the craft bathed the whole area in a bright white light.   

   Rushing to find any cover they could Spaur hid in his cruiser. There he radioed in the bizarre experience he was experiencing. Back at the station Sergeant Schoenfelt advised Spaur to give chase while they scrambled a photo unit.(2) Thus began the hour and a half police chase that would forever change the lives of 5 men.

Meanwhile in Mantua Ohio Police Chief Gerald Buchert was snapping a very important picture. Buchert stated the craft looked like "Two Table Saucers put together"(4). 

  

At 5:04 am Police Chief Buchert witnessed a spherical bright white light off his front porch(5). The Object seemed spherical while standing still and elongated as it moved. 

Official Explanations

ORE UNDERSTANDING

   An Extremely interesting sighting; One of my absolute favorites. I Chose this as my first research assignment for many reasons. The amount of respected individuals, the immense size, the government reaction, and of course the photo.

   This UFO was witnessed by four police officers and a police chief. One officer is rare enough in sightings five is unheard of. Police are respected individuals in the community; Trusted to have good judgement and withhold laws. When a police officer is involved in a sighting it lends credence to the story. especially when they are from different counties, states even.

   A sighting that crosses state lines, seen by such a large number of people is exciting. Along the 86 mile route numerous people were calling in reporting what they were seeing. 

   Dale Spaur stuck by his story even after the loss of his job and family, the meaning of that is up to debate. He had nothing to lose at that point, the story got away from him and he was left with bullshit; Or, He would stick by the truth no matter what the consequences. the later of the two kind of embodies the spirit of our justice system. Sticking by your story no matter who you talk to or the consequences deserves at least a passing mention even though it hardly determines truth. 

   The first oddity to the whole sighting is the car. Initially the car was unassuming: Only worth mentioning to set the reason for Dale and Barney being out on that County Road. Until October 9, 1966 when John De Groot wrote about the car being full of radio equipment with an interesting insignia on the side. 

    The 7th army during WWII had a similar patch. The 

Players

Lt Col Hector Quintanilla jr

Lt Col Hector Quintanilla jr

Lt Col Hector Quintanilla jr

source:http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/mb50117d0f.jpg

Chief officer of Project Blue Book from '63 until '70. Staunchly believed to be a hard skeptic to the downfall of Project Blue Book. Quintanilla in a manuscript posthumously published stated "Intelligent life in other planets of the Universe is a possibility, however, the hypothesis that we have been visited by flying saucers is not supported by fact."(~)

J. Allen Hynek

Lt Col Hector Quintanilla jr

Lt Col Hector Quintanilla jr

source:https://i1.wp.com/www.dailygrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/allen-hynek.jpg?resize=1200%2

A hard debunker; J allen Hynek was a astrophysicist before becoming a ufologist. A skeptic tasked with debunking sightings for the Air-Force with Project Sign, Project Grudge, and Project Blue Book. Through his many years working with the Air Force Hynek changed his views on UFOs. After his Work with the Air Force Hynek founded CUFOS (Center for UFO Studies). 

Lt Col Hector Quintanilla jr

Deputy Dale Spaur

Deputy Wilbur "Barney" Neff

Officer Frank Panzanella

Officer Wayne Housto

Chief Gerald Buchert

Bibliography

1

De Groot, John. “He Chased a Flying Saucer, Now His Life Is Shattered.” The Plain Dealer, 9 Oct. 1966, pp. 8-A.


2

Hall, Richard. “Portage County Ohio UFO Chase.” NICAP.ORG, 0AD.

3

Plain Dealer, GREAT ER CLEVELAND FINAL ed., 18 Apr. 1966, p. 14. NewsBank: America's Historical Newspapers,

4

Plain Dealer, GREAT ER CLEVELAND FINAL ed., 23 Apr. 1966, p. 38. NewsBank: America's Historical Newspapers, 

5

United States Air Force. Project Blue Book. April 17, 1966

~

pg. 109

Quintanilla, Hector. UFOs, An Air Force Dilemma. 1974.

Research compiled by Kyle Beck