When Police Chased a Star

On April 17, 1966, Ohio police officers began a pursuit they’d never forget—and that the Air Force would never adequately explain. Their chase of a UFO across state lines would expose the inadequacy of official investigations and help transform a skeptic into a believer.

The Beginning

How it started:

• 5:00 AM
• Routine patrol
• Deputies Spaur and Neff
• Abandoned car call
• Something in sky

The Object

What they saw:

• Brilliant light
• Rising from woods
• 40 feet wide
• Disc-shaped
• Metallic appearance

The Decision

They chose to follow:

• Object moved
• Curiosity drove them
• Professional duty
• Called dispatch
• Chase began

The Speed

How fast:

• Up to 105 mph
• Sustained pursuit
• Object stayed ahead
• Effortlessly
• For 30 minutes

The Distance

How far:

• 86 miles total
• Across Ohio
• Into Pennsylvania
• Multiple counties
• Extended chase

Other Officers

Who joined:

• Wayne Huston
• East Palestine PD
• Frank Panzanella
• Conway PA
• Independent witnesses

The Radio Log

Documentation:

• Real-time reporting
• Professional communication
• Recorded
• Preserved
• Evidence

The Conclusion

How it ended:

• Conway, Pennsylvania
• Object stopped
• Hovered
• Then rose rapidly
• Disappeared

Project Blue Book

Official response:

• Investigated
• Venus blamed
• Also satellite
• Combined explanation
• Absurd

The Absurdity

Why ridiculous:

• Venus doesn’t move
• Can’t chase Venus
• At 105 mph
• For 86 miles
• Obviously wrong

Deputy Spaur

The aftermath:

• Life destroyed
• Marriage ended
• Career finished
• Depression
• Broken man

The Cost

What happened:

• Ridicule endured
• Credibility attacked
• Mental health suffered
• All for truth
• Punished

Hynek’s Role

The investigator:

• Gave Venus explanation
• Later regretted it
• Knew it was wrong
• Followed orders
• Changed eventually

Hynek’s Transformation

What happened:

• This case bothered him
• Started questioning
• Blue Book inadequate
• Became believer
• Famous reversal

Close Encounters Influence

Cultural impact:

• Spielberg’s movie
• Inspired by this case
• Opening scene
• Police chase UFO
• Famous sequence

The Lesson

What it taught:

• Government lies
• Witnesses punished
• Truth suppressed
• Careers destroyed
• System broken

Historical Importance

Why remembered:

• Well-documented
• Multiple witnesses
• Official absurdity
• Changed Hynek
• Watershed case

Significance

Four police officers on documented radio pursuit of a UFO destroyed by an obviously false official explanation.

Legacy

The Ohio UFO chase exposed the bankruptcy of official UFO investigation—when the Air Force claimed trained police officers chased Venus, everyone knew the cover-up was real.