This day in UFO History: The UFO Chase Story in Portage County, Ohio

On April 17, 1966, exactly 50 years ago, the dramatic encounters experienced by police officers with low-level structured UFO took place. Ohio officers saw the object appeared from ground level, bathing near Ravenna about 5:00 AM. As soon as the sergeant finds out the existence of the object, he ordered his team to chase it. Just like the pursuit of the cat and mouse, they chase it eighty-five miles across the border into Pennsylvania. On Route 224, Deputy Wilbur ‘Barney’ Neff and Deputy Sheriff Dale Spaur had left their scout car to determine the abandoned automobile. According to Spaur, the sighting looked behind him. When he looked back, he saw this thing. When it came up, it started moving toward them.

Barney was still watching the car as it came over the trees. The object was kept on getting brighter. It sounded like a hum as in the case of the transformer being loaded. Sergeant Schoenfelt told his team to follow and retain the object under observation while taking photos of the scene. On Route 183Neff and Spear turned south, then on Route 224, they turned back east which placed the object to their right and left window afterward.

Spaur and Neff saw the mysterious object in silhouette as the sky became brighter with predawn light. As the chase continued, the object started transforming into a metallic appearance. Police cars were trying to catch up with them as Spaur kept up a running conversation with them. Once they made a wrong turn, the object stopped, then came back to their position. Shortly afterward, it passed by on a sheriff’s cruiser in hot pursuit. According to Spaur, when the four officers watched and stood the UFO, there was radio traffic about jets scrambled to chase the mysterious object, and could see these planes coming in.

The Air Force believed that the strange object had been seen. Under pressure from Ohio officials, chief of PROJECT BLUE BOOK, Major Hector Quintanilla had a confrontation with the witnesses, and he refused to alter the identification, even though it pointed out to him that they had seen the object apart from Venus. William B. Weitzel conducted a further investigation obtaining signed statements, taped interviews, sketches, and all relevant data which assembled in a massive report that was made available to investigators.