The unexplained phenomena that captivated a small Minnesota town in June 1983 began with a routine journey home. Mike Jonas, a 19-year-old resident, was traveling back from his sister's farm on his three-wheeler when he noticed something unusual in the night sky following him. What started as a distant light soon became an unmistakable presence, maintaining a consistent distance behind him and executing movements impossible for conventional aircraft. The object tracked him with precision, even making a perfect 90-degree turn at an intersection to continue its pursuit.

Upon reaching home, Mike convinced his mother Marcy to witness the strange object hovering over nearby pine trees. They observed it dimming and brightening while suspended approximately 200-300 yards from their house. Through binoculars, Mike described seeing a craft approximately 12 feet across with a flat bottom edge, shaped like an inverted soup bowl with a bright white light centered along the bottom section. Despite the extraordinary nature of the encounter, Mike didn't sense any malicious intent from the object, believing it had been attracted by the sound of his three-wheeler rather than targeting him specifically.

Key Takeaways

Mike Jonas experienced being followed by an unidentified flying object that demonstrated impossible maneuvers for conventional aircraft while he rode his three-wheeler home.
The object appeared approximately 12 feet across with a distinctive shape and lighting pattern that Mike and his mother Marcy observed hovering near their home.
The encounter lasted several hours with the object remaining visible until at least midnight, leaving Mike convinced he had witnessed something truly unexplainable.

Mike Jonas's Unsettling Night Visitation

Night Ride Takes Unexpected Turn

On June 8, 1983, around 10:15 PM, 19-year-old Mike Jonas was traveling home on his three-wheeler after finishing chores at his sister and brother-in-law's farm in Bell Creek, Minnesota. The five-mile journey was a regular route for him, typically taking him east and then south along the edge of ditches to avoid regular traffic. What began as a normal ride home quickly transformed into something extraordinary.

Mysterious Aerial Follower

About three miles from his home, Mike noticed something unusual in the night sky—a light behind him that he initially dismissed. "I didn't think it was moving," Mike explained, but as he ascended a hill, he realized the object was drawing closer, approximately 100 yards away. Despite traveling through hilly terrain with curved roads and tree-lined fields, the light persistently followed him. When Mike turned south at a crossroad, the object paused, then made a perfect 90-degree turn to track him from his right side.

Mike realized this couldn't be a conventional aircraft:

The movements were too smooth for a helicopter or plane
It maintained perfect tracking regardless of terrain
It appeared to respond directly to his actions

Frightened, he accelerated to 55 miles per hour. "I don't know what would have happened if my three-wheeler had quit," he later admitted.

Encounter Near Bell Creek

As Mike approached his home, he attempted to evade the object by turning off his lights and driving in darkness to his front lawn. The mysterious craft continued its pursuit. Upon stopping his engine, Mike finally heard the object—a low, wavering hum "like an electric motor after it's turned off." When his three-wheeler stopped, so did the object, which merely swayed slightly when a car passed by.

Mike rushed inside to get his mother, Marcy, who had been waiting up for him. Together, they observed the object hovering over pine trees 200-300 yards from their house. Marcy described it as "plain as day" with lights that would "dim out and get bright."

Using binoculars from his upstairs window, Mike observed these details:

Size: Approximately 12 feet across, "about the size of a car"
Shape: Like an inverted soup bowl with a flat bottom edge
Height: About three feet or more at its highest point
Features: A bright white light centered in a foot-high section across the bottom

The object remained visible until at least midnight, as confirmed by Marcy when she awoke and checked outside. By morning, it had vanished. Mike speculated the craft was attracted by his three-wheeler's sound, saying, "I didn't have the feeling it was spying." The experience left him vigilant: "I'll always be looking," he said, though he added firmly, "but I won't go alone."

Analysis of the Unusual Aerial Phenomenon

Physical Features and Movement Patterns

The object observed by Mike Jonas displayed several distinctive characteristics. It was approximately 12 feet across with a flat bottom and shaped like an inverted soup bowl, rising about three feet at its highest point. Mike estimated it was roughly the size of an automobile. The craft featured a bright white light centered in a foot-high section across the bottom, which appeared "red hot" when viewed through binoculars.

The phenomenon demonstrated remarkable maneuverability that defied conventional aircraft capabilities. It executed perfect 90-degree turns and maintained consistent altitude with unusual precision. The object moved with exceptional smoothness, suggesting sophisticated control mechanisms. When Mike accelerated to 55 miles per hour, the object matched his pace without difficulty.

Most notably, the craft produced a distinctive sound described as a "low hum like an electric motor after it's turned off and just before it stops" - slightly wavering and relatively quiet. This auditory signature was only detectable when Mike's three-wheeler engine was off.

Theories About the Unidentified Object

The craft's movement patterns eliminated conventional aircraft as possibilities. No helicopter or airplane could perform the precise tracking and sharp turns witnessed by Mike. The object maintained perfect positioning - always behind him, never ahead - suggesting intelligent control or advanced guidance systems.

Mike believed the phenomenon was responding to auditory stimuli, specifically tracking the sound of his three-wheeler. This theory was supported by the object's behavior when he stopped his vehicle - it also stopped, swaying slightly but maintaining its position. Interestingly, it remained unresponsive to other vehicles passing by.

The perfect hovering capability, absence of visible propulsion, and unusual shape don't align with any known aircraft of the early 1980s. After examining it through binoculars, Mike became convinced he was observing a genuine UFO, though he didn't speculate about its origins or purpose.

Mike's Thoughts Following the Incident

The experience left a profound impression on Mike. He expressed no sense of being specifically targeted, stating: "I didn't have the feeling it was spying; it didn't have anything to do with me after I stopped." This suggests he believed the encounter was random rather than personally directed.

Despite this rationalization, the incident clearly affected his future behavior. Mike stated firmly that he would continue sky-watching on clear nights, but emphasized, "I won't go alone." This indicates a lingering caution and perhaps an expectation of potential future sightings.

His mother, who witnessed the object hovering over the pine trees, shared Mike's fascination. Both expressed regret about not calling additional witnesses, acknowledging they "should have" sought further confirmation. The encounter appears to have transformed Mike into a more vigilant observer of the skies, forever changing his perspective on unexplained aerial phenomena.

Marcy Jonas's Involvement

Marcy Jonas played a crucial role in confirming her son Mike's unusual experience on June 8, 1983. As Mike's mother, she became the second witness to the unidentified object that had followed her 19-year-old son home that night.

Verifying the Sighting

Marcy was in bed but still awake when Mike returned home around 10:15 PM. She noticed he was driving unusually fast before his three-wheeler abruptly stopped outside. Initially concerned he might have crashed, she was relieved when he ran into the house.

Though tired, Marcy initially dismissed Mike's excited claims about something following him. However, when he insisted she come outside to see "something spooky," she decided to accompany him. Together, they observed an object hovering approximately 200-300 yards from their home, positioned above the pine trees.

The object was clearly visible to both of them. Marcy later remarked, "We could see it plain as day. It would dim out and get bright." They contemplated calling additional witnesses but decided against it due to the late hour—a decision they later regretted.

Response to the Aerial Phenomenon

After spending some time observing the object with Mike, Marcy returned to bed while her son continued monitoring it. From her bedroom, she could hear Mike moving around upstairs, using binoculars to study the object before finally closing his window shades.

When Marcy awoke around midnight and looked outside again, she confirmed the object was still present in the same location. "It was still there," she stated. By morning, however, the mysterious craft had disappeared.

Unlike Mike, who described the object in detail as approximately 12 feet across with a flat bottom edge shaped like an inverted soup bowl, Marcy didn't provide specific physical descriptions. The mother and son chose not to wake Don Jonas, Mike's father, who was already asleep during the incident.

CW's Strange Nighttime Experience

Mysterious Light Disturbance in Newcastle

In late spring of 1994, a man identified only as CW experienced an unsettling incident in his West Denton home in Newcastle upon Tyne. The encounter began when CW found himself unable to sleep due to an outdoor security light repeatedly activating. The light, operating on a passive infrared system, was flashing on and off at precise 20-second intervals, which struck CW as unusual.

The security system was set to its most sensitive setting to detect minimal movement in the backyard, which connected to CW's business storage area. After watching this pattern continue for several minutes without explanation, CW began feeling increasingly uneasy. The rhythmic timing of the light activations seemed too regular to be caused by normal environmental factors.

Encounter with a Non-Human Entity

As CW's unease grew, he sensed another presence in the bedroom. When he looked around, he spotted what he described as a small, child-like creature standing approximately 2-3 feet from the end of his bed. The entity remained completely still while making direct eye contact with CW.

The creature had several distinctive features:

Large, black, glassy oval-shaped eyes
A notably small mouth
A head that appeared disproportionately heavy for its body

CW reported that he checked himself to ensure he wasn't dreaming. Though initially more surprised than frightened, his discomfort grew as the encounter continued. He sensed that the entity was equally concerned about the situation, as if it felt trapped by CW's gaze.

When CW attempted to wake his wife to witness the strange visitor, he found her unusually difficult to rouse. Despite calling to her and physically trying to wake her, she remained completely unconscious—a circumstance that heightened CW's anxiety. In the brief moment when CW looked away from the entity while trying to wake his wife, the creature appeared to vanish from its position.

Exploring Media Coverage and Investigation

Media Recognition

The unusual sighting in Minnesota garnered significant attention in 1983 when mainstream news outlets picked up the story. A local newspaper, the Republican Eagle, featured Mike Jonas's encounter prominently, bringing regional visibility to what might otherwise have remained an obscure personal experience. The incident stood out because it featured physical evidence—multiple witnesses and observable phenomena—rather than just one person's claim. This credibility factor made it newsworthy even during a time when such reports often faced ridicule.

Journalistic Documentation

Reporter Flora Murphy conducted an in-depth interview with Mike Jonas about his experience, documenting his claims in detail for the Republican Eagle. The article presented a comprehensive account of the events on June 8, 1983, including precise times, locations, and descriptions of what both Mike and his mother witnessed. Mike described to Murphy how the object appeared to track his three-wheeler, demonstrating intelligent movement by making perfect 90-degree turns and following his vehicle regardless of speed or direction changes.

Murphy also interviewed Mike's mother, Marcy, who corroborated key portions of the story, confirming she had also observed the strange object hovering over nearby pine trees approximately 200-300 yards from their house. This journalistic approach, featuring multiple witness testimonies and detailed descriptions, gave the account more credibility than typical reports of unexplained phenomena.

Dave Newton, another writer and editor, documented a similar case from Newcastle upon Tyne, England, involving a witness identified only as "CW" who reported an encounter with what appeared to be a non-human entity in 1994. Newton's interview presented a different type of unexplained phenomenon, expanding the journalistic record beyond simple aerial sightings.

Concluding Thoughts

UFO encounters often leave witnesses feeling both fascinated and unsettled. The Minnesota case from 1983 demonstrates how these experiences can unfold unexpectedly during routine activities. Mike Jonas, just 19 at the time, encountered something truly perplexing while riding his three-wheeler home one night - an object that tracked him with impossible precision and movements no conventional aircraft could achieve.

The physical description Jonas provided - approximately 12 feet across with a flat bottom like an "inverted soup bowl" - fits consistently with many other reported sightings. What makes his account particularly compelling is the multiple witnesses; his mother also observed the strange craft hovering near their home. Their decision not to wake others or call for additional witnesses is a common regret among those who experience these phenomena.

Similarly, the 1994 encounter in Newcastle upon Tyne reveals the deeply personal impact these experiences have. The witness found himself in a state of paralysis - unable to wake his wife while confronted with a small entity with distinctive large, black oval eyes. The mutual apprehension described between witness and entity suggests a complex interaction rather than simple observation.

Both cases share interesting commonalities:

Initial mundane circumstances (traveling home, being awakened by a light)
Overwhelming sense of being monitored or tracked
Physical descriptions consistent with wider UFO reporting patterns
Feelings of uncertainty mixed with fascination

These accounts, while impossible to verify conclusively, deserve consideration in our understanding of unexplained phenomena. The witnesses appear credible, with no obvious motivation to fabricate such detailed and emotionally complex stories. Their experiences continue to challenge conventional explanations and remind us that much remains unknown about our world.

Terrified Teen Stalked by UFO: The 1983 Mike Jonas Encounter in Minnesota