Podcast UFO

Filmmaker and investigator James Fox returns for an in-depth discussion of his latest release, Moment of Contact: New Revelations of Alien Encounters. The conversation revisits the 1996 Varginha, Brazil incident—often called “Brazil’s Roswell”—and examines new testimony that has emerged since the film’s premiere. Fox shares updates from recent travels to Brazil, including additional witness accounts, hospital testimony, and details involving alleged creature encounters and military involvement. The discussion also broadens to government secrecy, whistleblowers, crash-retrieval programs, and why the Varginha case remains one of the most complex and controversial UFO investigations on record.SHOW NOTES

by UFO History Buff & Author, Charles Lear ~ This past week, I found myself in the position of having two co-workers who are UFO witnesses and decided to take advantage of this and have them tell their stories for this blog.The first story is that of Ilya Vett, 54, who has been with the organization for over three years, and he first told it to me not long after I met him. He grew up in the area of New Paltz, New York, which is near Pine Bush and the Hudson Valley. Both of those areas are notorious for UFO flaps in the 1980s (Ilya and I went to the 2022 Pine Bush UFO Fair where I met up with Martin), which is when Ilya said he had his sighting. Ilya also told me that his wife, prior to their marriage, had a sighting of a UFO with her family while they were driving. According to him, when they got home, it was over their house.As for Ilya’s story, he recorded it for me on his own time not prompted by any questions from me. According to him, he and some friends were riding their bikes on Prospect Street in New Paltz sometime in the fall (school had started) “in the early 80s.” It was dark, and they were heading north towards Henry W. Dubois Drive. The area was undeveloped at the time, and there were “a lot of trees” on both sides of the road. They heard what Ilya indicated through vocalizations was a combination of a whoosh and a hum, though he settled on it not being “distinct.” Read more →

Martin Willis with UFO-Jack co-hosting react to the newly released Steven Spielberg Disclosure Day teaser, which Martin says “gave me the willies” and immediately compelled a discussion. They cue up the teaser and then break down its most striking lines—“If you found out we weren’t alone…,” “People have a right to know the truth,” “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you… so I’m gonna show you,” and the nun’s reflection on why a vast universe would exist “yet save it only for us.” Martin and Jack highlight how the teaser leans into suspense and emotion, avoids showing aliens or craft, and uses the loaded concept of “full disclosure… to the whole world… all at once” to tap directly into long-running UFO community themes. They also point out imagery suggesting mass attention, faith and religious reactions, hints of telepathy/psionics and unconventional communication, and a conspicuous absence of government officials—while agreeing the teaser’s huge view count signals mainstream interest and could help “normies” engage with the topic, even if it doesn’t produce real-world disclosure. Teaser/Trailer HERE!

In last week’s blog, we looked at the beginning of the modern crop circle phenomenon that first got the attention of the media and UFO researchers in 198o. This was described in the 1986 report compiled by Paul Fuller and Jenny Randles (written by Randles) for the British UFO Research Association titled Mystery of the Circles. According to Randles, the idea that UFOs had something to do with the mystery came from the fact that the first circles appeared in the West Country in the area of Warminster, which had become famous in the 60’s as a UFO hotspot. When we left off, that idea was falling out of favor with researchers, particularly Ian Mrzyglod of the newly formed organization, PROBE, who is quoted from the March 1982, Vol. 2, No. 4, PROBE Report: “…even to suggest that the flattened circles were UFO landing nests is wildly speculative wishful thinking, without any foundation.” After a lull in attention in 1982, things picked up after eight sets of five circles appeared that were made up of one large circle surrounded by four smaller circles at equidistant locations. Prior to this, there had been only single circles or two or three in a row.Playing a large part in the media attention was the fact that the circles appeared in the summer, often called the silly season due to the fact that stories of a less-than-serious nature are used as filler in the midst of what is traditionally a slow news period. And, it did get silly. One example presented by Randles is Daily Express columnist Jean Rook being sent to one of the sites “to come up with a lovely, poetic ode to ‘E.T.,’” the titular alien from the movie. According to Randles, Rook “found physical evidence of his presence in the midst of one of the rings – a poppy.”Randles emphasizes that “serious UFO investigators refused to get involved” and notes that she, herself, refused to appear on BBC and ITV television, even though she had a new book to promote, The Pennine UFO Mystery. Read more →

Within UFOlogy, there are several areas of specialization, such as abductions, landing traces, humanoids, contactees, military encounters, etc. They often have their own specialized literature put out by individual researchers or organizations, and many have come and gone in terms of popular fascination and press coverage. One aspect that has fallen by the wayside is crop circle research, also known as “cereology.” Its early history, and the reasons for it falling out of favor with the press, and even among UFOlogists, is summed up neatly in the 1986 report, Mystery of the Circles, “compiled by” by Paul Fuller and Jenny Randles (Randles is the writer) for the British UFO Association. Of course, their report didn’t put an immediate end to the phenomenon or the activity of researcher/investigators who were focused on it, but it did presage the eventual waning of interest to where very few in the community continue to consider it seriously as having anything to do with UFOs.According to Randles, mystery circles in the British West Country first started getting media attention in August of 1980, but “persistent local rumors” of them appearing in oat, barley, and wheat fields throughout Wiltshire and Hampshire goes back to at least 40 years before that. As of the release of the report, mysterious circles had shown up in fields between May and August for six successive years. Randles points out that the reason BUFORA became involved was because of the appearance of circles in the area of Warminster, which was notorious for a UFO flap in the 1960’s involving an object known as “The Warminster Thing.” She explains that this “created a definite hype which sees these marks regarded as ground traces left by a landing, or hovering, spacecraft.” Read more →

In this in-depth episode of Podcast UFO, host Martin Willis is joined by Len Filppu, a lifelong experiencer whose 1967 Brockport, New York UFO sighting became a pivotal moment that reshaped his understanding of reality, consciousness, and the unexplained. Len recounts witnessing a low-flying, fiery orange object, accompanied by a smaller white orb, moving silently across the sky—an event corroborated by multiple police officers and dozens of civilian witnesses across western New York. The sighting later inspired the animated short documentary Psychedelic in the Sky, which explores not only the event itself, but the deeper psychological and spiritual impact it had on those involved. Beyond the UFO encounter, Len discusses a series of profound anomalous experiences, including a verified poltergeist incident, altered states of consciousness, and how stigma and ridicule once silenced witnesses for decades. Together, Martin and Len examine how public perception of UFOs has evolved—from mockery in the 1960s to serious scientific and academic inquiry today.

In this special round-robin episode, Podcast UFO host Martin Willis is joined by an exceptional panel to review one of the most consequential years in modern UFO/UAP history. Filmmaker Dean Alioto, Surprise guest, Matt Ford of The Good Trouble Show, UFO Jack, and Allie & Justin, hosts of UAP Society’s UAP News Show, come together to discuss the major strides, controversies, and revelations that shaped the UAP conversation throughout 202 controversies, and revelations that shaped the UAP conversation throughout 2025. Topics covered include: Congressional hearings, whistleblowers, and renewed legislative efforts surrounding UAP disclosure Scientific re-evaluation of historical and modern UAP data Increased civilian and military reporting, including USOs The growing role of academia and independent research groups Media, documentaries, and the shifting public perception of UFOs Where the UAP conversation stands heading into 2026 This wide-ranging discussion brings multiple perspectives together—media, research, filmmaking, and analysis—to assess how far the subject has progressed and what unanswered questions remain. Whether you follow UFOs from a scientific, political, or cultural standpoint, this episode provides a comprehensive look at why 2025 may be remembered as a turning point in UAP history.YouTube Video

Retired law enforcement officers Dave Rich and Marianne Robb join host Martin Willis for a wide-ranging conversation on why first responders can be uniquely strong UAP/UFO witnesses—and why the professional fallout after reporting can be just as traumatic as the encounter itself. They break down how academy/scenario-based training shapes observation under stress, then pivot into major police-involved cases including the multi-agency “Lumberton” triangle flap (four nights of sightings across multiple counties), RCMP officer Jim Blackwood (flashlight interaction), Lonnie Zamora (Socorro), and Val Johnson (1979)—including the physical damage to his patrol car and the long-term consequences for witnesses who speak publicly. The discussion also highlights the mission of UAPD (UAP-PD): providing a confidential, “safe zone” for active and retired first responders to share UAP/paranormal/cryptid experiences without fear of ridicule or career impact. Dave recounts the 2017 incident that led to UAPD’s formation—an unexplained 911 call from an empty school, follow-up investigation steps (video, phone/line checks, audio analysis), and the pressure he faced afterward to stay silent. If you’re a first responder with an experience you’ve kept to yourself, you are not alone—and support exists.SHOW NOTES

by UFO History Buff & Author, Charles Lear ~ In the course of researching UFO cases in Spanish speaking countries, one is bound to run into Scott Corrales and Inexplicata: The Journal of Hispanic UFOlogy. It exists today as a website, but in the fall of 1998, Corrales put out the first print version. In issue number 3, put out in the spring of 1999, Corrales celebrates the public reception of the first two issues and notes that there were 1800 visitors to the inexplicata.com website. In that issue is an article by Javier Garcia Blanco headlined “Roadside Encounters: UFOs, Aliens and Missing Time,” that Corrales promises, “does for driving what Spielberg’s Jaws did for swimming: you won’t want to get behind the wheel!” Blanco is credited with being the editor (along with Angel Briongos Martinez) of the Spain-based magazine Declasificado and the director of LACIP.The first case Blanco goes into is that of “veteran radio personality” Pedro Mateo and his wife, Gloria Jiménez. According to him, Mateo described what he said happened to him and his wife on June 26, 1977, after explaining, “I have it etched upon my mind because we were flying to Dusseldorf that day, and most of what happens to me I write in a notebook.” He said that after leaving Zaragoza at around 5:00 a.m., they were just past the town of Los Garrigues after sunrise when they saw a disk-shaped object off in the distance. He wasn’t “overly concerned” at that point, but got scared when it proceeded to move quickly and silently towards them. Read more →

Interview with Chris & Sean O'Leary in a first-of-its-kind account of a family that reports nearly 70 years of repeated alien encounters. Their experiences began in 1959 when their mother was allegedly taken in broad daylight by a silent triangular craft. What followed were decades of abductions involving underground installations, medical procedures, Mantis beings, and the revelation of a hybrid child created through non-human intervention. As a child, one sibling was reportedly taken alongside the mother and later alone, guided through craft interiors and operating rooms. In the 1970s, a daytime landing in the family’s backyard allegedly resulted in the entire family being taken to an underground facility with hundreds of other abductees present. One brother later became a police officer and describes a unique relationship with the Greys, including telekinetic training and an agreement allowing voluntary cooperation without paralysis—an agreement he says was honored until 2023. He is also believed to be the first police officer to ever confront a Grey at point-blank range with his service weapon. Everything changed on August 19, 1996, when a saucer reportedly materialized above the home in broad daylight during the return of the police officer from an abduction. Multiple witnesses observed the event, and due to the timing, memory suppression allegedly failed—resulting in sudden shared recall across multiple family members without hypnosis.SHOW NOTES