Costa Rica: Squad Car Paralyzed by a "Flying Saucer"
In the early morning hours of January 17, 1977, two officers attached to the radio patrol car unit of the city of San José, Costa Rica, claimed having witnessed "a large luminous object that gave off beams of light of every conceivable color, and hovered over our cruiser for a few seconds."
Elias Sibaja, who was at the wheel of the squad car, said that the incident occurred at 1:35 local time as he drove along the road leading through the Desamparados sector, some three kilometers from the city center. In a report forwarded to Colonel Mariano Donato, director of the radio patrol car unit, Sibaja said that the unidentified flying object approached the unit that he and a companion were riding. The object stopped abruptly over the vehicle and the lights went out.
"We saw the artifact heading toward us," Sibaja explained. "It was luminous with multi-colored lights. The craft hovered over our unit for some seconds while we remained motionless, stunned by what we were seeing. The object suddenly turned around, headed west, and receded slowly until it lost itself in space. It was then that the light was restored to our cruiser and we were able to start it up again."
Sibaja explained that he contacted the dispatch immediately as well as other squad cars. To his surprise, he learned that fellow officers had also witnessed the same thing.
Moreover, some taxicab drivers working in other parts of the city reported seeing a strange body that gave off intense light and resembled a "flying saucer"
There is no answer for what was seen by these people. For patrolman Elías Sibaja, one thing is clear. Ever since that day, he was convinced that UFOs are real.
While the UFO had numerous witnesses, authorities were not unduly impressed and the report received a cold welcome. An official spokesman for the security forces - unnamed - argued that what had really happened was that all those people had seen either an airliner or a hot air balloon released during festivities. Such a statement does not merit further comment.
[Translation © 2023 S. Corrales, IHU. Source: Contactos Extraterrestres No.7 (1979)]