Betty Jean Klem of Jamestown, New York had a very unusual experience at Presque Isle State Park on Sunday, July 31, 1966. Her boyfriend's car became stuck in the sand off of Beach 6 where they waited for help till after sunset. "We saw a star move. It got brighter. It would move fast, then dim. You could see it come down. It was metallic, sort of silvery. It landed between two trees. It came straight down. The car vibrated," said Klem in a report published in the Erie Morning News on August 1, 1966.
Klem also reported seeing a dark, featureless creature and hearing something walking on the roof of the car.
Betty's boyfriend, Douglas Tibbets, of Greenhurst, New York, witnessed the entire episode from the front seat of his car. He related his account to Peninsula Patrolmen Ralph E. Clark and Robert Loeb, Jr. when the officers responded to Tibbets and Klem's call for help.
"Air Force Launches Probe of Erie UFO." ran in the Erie Morning News on August 2. "Officials would not comment on the investigation except to say that all findings can be released only by the Secretary of the Air Force." The article went on to say "A test for radiation was made of the ground surface in the area of Beach 6 where the craft was said to have landed. But no sign of radiation was found by Erie County Civil Defense workers."
The Erie Daily Times reported that "Major William S. Hall, of Youngstown, went to the scene of the occurrences near Beach Six, where strange imprints were found in the sand in the morning hours after the events of the preceding night. The officer took plaster casts of some of the 'tracks.
"Five members of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena joined in the investigation of reported landing of an unidentified flying object Sunday night on Beach 6 of Presque Isle State Park," reported Dick Ramsey in the Erie Morning News on August 3. The five members who came to Erie were Richard Hobbs, Joseph McGuire, James Reed, Jeffery Gow and James Sipprell.
In a separate report the Erie Daily Times reported that eight others had seen a UFO the night before the July 31st sighting at Presque Isle State Park between 8 p.m. and midnight. They included:
Stephanie Lupo
Helene Roche
Alain Orcel
Charoly Mango
Sue Karle
Linda Henderson
Janice Dickey
Jane Moran
Two girls also came forward and stated they had seen a UFO three months earlier. "Cheryl Coffi, who lived at the light house at Presque Isle State Park, told of the incident. She said, 'This probably has no connection with what happened last night.'"
Two police officers reported that they had watched a UFO for two hours before the sun rose on August 3. Lawrence Park patrolman William Rutledge spotted the UFO around 4:45 a.m. Wesleyville patrolman Donald Peck also saw the object, as reported the same day in the Erie Daily Times. A rash of sightings were reported in the Times the next day.
The headline in the Erie Morning News on August 5, declared, "Peninsula Ruled Safe After UFO Investigation."
There was a follow-up published in the Erie Morning News on August 12, 1966, which stated, "Monster A Bear? Park Chief Says No." Reporter Dick Ramsey wrote, "The Air Force report was released by the Air Force Office of Information at the Pentagon. Information officers said it is the final report on the alleged Peninsula sighting unless significantly new information concerning the sighting is supplied to the Air Force."
A short video about the event can be found here:
https://youtu.be/UOzqg5iOEVA
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| The car at the landing site of the UFO Sightings at Presque Isle State Park. |
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| The purported Alien's footprint. |
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| The purported Alien's footprint. |
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| The purported Alien's footprint. |
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| Location of the landing site in relation of the car. The car was parked where the sticks are sticking out of the sand. On the left is the path going into the tree line where the craft supposedly landed. |
