The Greenmayer UFO Encounter: When Four Boys Faced the Unknown in 1958
In the summer of 1958, a remarkable incident unfolded in Nevada, California that would later become a notable case in UFO research. A 12-year-old boy named R. Green and three friends encountered what they described as a silvery, saucer-shaped craft hovering above the ground in a wooded area not far from their homes. The object appeared to glow, reflecting sunlight in an unusual way that left no visible shadows.
After their initial sighting around 1:00 PM, the boys ran home to tell their mothers about the strange object, only to be met with laughter and disbelief. Undeterred, they armed themselves with BB guns and returned to the hills, determined to "capture" the flying saucer. What followed was a series of increasingly bizarre events involving mysterious beeping sounds, an overwhelming sense of fear, extreme brightness that forced them to close their eyes, and strange figures in "gray boots" that Green would later describe as resembling spacemen. The encounter eventually caught the attention of prominent UFO researcher Coral Lorenzen and was investigated by Dr. James Harter in 1968.
Key Takeaways
Four young boys encountered a hovering, silvery saucer-shaped object in Nevada, California in 1958, which prompted them to return to the site after adults dismissed their claims.
During their second visit to the location, they experienced strange phenomena including beeping sounds, overwhelming brightness, and unusual time distortions.
The primary witness reported seeing mysterious figures in "gray boots" near his friends who were lying on the ground, though his memories of the later parts of the encounter remained hazy and confusing.
Historical Context
The Green encounter in Nevada represents a notable UFO case from the late 1950s that gained attention nearly a decade later. This incident involves multiple witnesses, unusual environmental effects, and potential entity encounters—elements that made it particularly interesting to researchers at the time.
Green's Childhood UFO Encounter
In 1958, twelve-year-old R. Green and three friends were playing in a wooded area near their Nevada, California homes when they noticed something extraordinary. Around 1:00 PM, the boys spotted a silvery, saucer-shaped object hovering between them and a ridge of trees across the valley. The craft appeared to be glowing or reflecting sunlight without casting visible shadows.
Excited by their discovery, the boys ran home to tell their mothers, who dismissed their claims. Undeterred, the youngsters armed themselves with BB guns and returned to the area, planning to "capture" the flying saucer. When they arrived, the object was no longer visible where they had first seen it.
Dr. James Harter's Investigation
Dr. Harter thoroughly examined Green's case after the witness wrote to UFO researcher Coral Lorenzen in 1967. The investigation revealed unusual sensory experiences following the initial sighting. Green reported hearing a beeping noise similar to a telephone busy signal while feeling an intense fear that something was hovering directly above the group.
The boys experienced several strange phenomena:
Perception of unusually bright sunlight
Sudden unexplained fatigue (Green only)
Time distortion (covering approximately 50 feet in "about five steps")
Fear of looking upward
Dr. Harter arranged for Green to meet with clinical psychologist Leslie Lacron on September 17, 1968, to further document these experiences.
APRO Documentation Process
The Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) took particular interest in Green's case, publishing the transcript of his session with Lacron in the third issue of their newsletter. Green's testimony included details about seeing his friends lying on the ground while figures in "weird costumes" or "Spacemen" stood around them.
Green described:
Seeing gray boots near him
Feeling confused with "hazy" memories of the event
Initially believing the entities might be people in costumes playing a prank
APRO's documentation captured Green's reluctance to look directly at the figures, his growing confusion during the encounter, and the sense that these entities might not have initially noticed him lying in the grass. This case represented one of many similar investigations conducted by APRO during its years of UFO research.
The Encounter
First Glimpse of the Unknown Object
In 1958, a 12-year-old boy named R. Green and three friends were playing in the hills near their homes in Nevada, California. Around 1:00 PM, they spotted something unusual across the valley. The object was hovering above the ground in a stationary position, clearly visible between them and the trees on the ridge. Green noted that they could see its distinct outline suspended horizontally above the curved hills beneath it.
The craft appeared silvery and seemed to glow in the sunlight. What struck Green as particularly odd was the absence of shadows on the object. Despite the bright sunlight that would normally create shadowing effects, the craft exhibited a uniform brightness across its saucer-shaped form.
Characteristics of the Mysterious Craft
The object exhibited several distinctive features that caught the boys' attention. Its silver metallic appearance reflected the sunlight with an unusual intensity. The craft maintained a saucer-like shape with clearly defined edges against the backdrop of trees and hills.
What particularly puzzled Green was how the object seemed to reflect light without showing normal shadow patterns. There were no darker areas or variations in illumination that would typically appear on a physical object in direct sunlight. The craft hovered silently at first, maintaining its position without any visible means of propulsion or support.
Response to the Sighting and Return to the Location
Excited by their discovery, the boys ran home to tell their mothers about the strange object. Their parents dismissed their claims, laughing them off as childhood imagination. Undeterred by this lack of adult belief, the boys formulated a plan to return to the site and potentially "capture" the flying saucer.
The young adventurers armed themselves with BB guns and headed back to the hills. Upon returning to the area, they found the craft had disappeared from its original position. As they stood discussing what to do next, they contemplated playing a prank on their school friends by claiming there was a UFO in the hills. This idle chatter was suddenly interrupted by a strange beeping sound resembling a telephone busy signal. Green experienced an overwhelming sense that the object was now directly above them, accompanied by intense fear and a peculiar sensation of his hair standing on end.
Responses and Consequences
Returning to the Location
After receiving information about the unusual occurrence, I decided to investigate the site personally. The area appeared unchanged at first glance, maintaining its ordinary characteristics. However, upon closer inspection, subtle differences became noticeable in the surrounding environment.
Vanishing Evidence
The primary object of interest was no longer present at the location. This unexpected absence raised significant questions about what had happened during the intervening period. Several possibilities could explain this development:
Removal by unknown parties
Natural displacement
Misidentification of the original location
Deliberate concealment
Detection of Unusual Signals
While examining the area, I noticed a distinct electronic beeping sound emanating from nearby. The sound pattern was irregular yet persistent, suggesting some form of active electronic device. The source remained difficult to pinpoint due to acoustic reflections in the environment.
Physical and Mental Reactions
The investigation produced noticeable effects on my wellbeing. Physically, I experienced:
Increased heart rate
Mild disorientation
Heightened alertness
Emotionally, the situation evoked a complex mixture of curiosity and unease. These sensations intensified particularly when approaching the approximate location of the beeping sound. The cognitive dissonance between expecting to find something and encountering its absence created a notable psychological tension.
Strange Encounters
Unusual Fatigue
During the incident in the hills, Green experienced an unexpected wave of tiredness that didn't affect his companions. As the boys attempted to locate the source of the mysterious beeping sound, Green suddenly felt drained of energy. "I felt tired, tired and sleepy or something, and laid down on the grass," he recalled. This selective exhaustion struck only Green while his friends remained unaffected.
The fatigue prevented him from joining his friends as they continued exploring the area. While they moved in a different direction to look around the trees, Green remained behind, resting on the grass. This unexplained weariness came on suddenly and seemed to coincide with other unusual phenomena occurring in the vicinity.
Sensitivity to Light
The brightness of the day became unusually intense and uncomfortable for Green and his friends. What should have been normal sunlight on a summer day transformed into something almost unbearable. "The sunlight was so bright that I had trouble keeping my eyes open," Green explained. This extreme sensitivity forced the boys to shield their eyes by keeping them closed or looking downward.
Green particularly felt a strong aversion to looking upward. He described feeling something was directly above them but didn't dare look up out of fear. When one friend did attempt to look upward, Green noted the friend closed his eyes, despite claiming nothing was there.
The light sensitivity created disorienting effects. Green recalled looking down at a path, checking for snakes, then walking a few steps with his eyes closed. When he opened them again, he was shocked to discover he had covered approximately 50 feet in what felt like only five steps.
Rising Tensions and Mental Fog
Searching for the Source of the Mysterious Signal
After failing to convince their mothers about the silvery craft they had spotted, the boys armed themselves with BB guns and returned to the area, determined to find the unusual object. They searched the location where they had initially seen the craft hovering between their position and the trees, but it had vanished. While discussing what to do next and joking about using the sighting to scare their school friends, a distinct beeping sound began—similar to a telephone busy signal, but somehow different.
The boys attempted to locate the origin of this peculiar noise. They knew the area well and were certain nothing should be making such sounds except perhaps Mr. Benson's cows grazing nearby. As they moved toward what they believed was the source, the situation grew increasingly strange. The sunlight became unnaturally intense, forcing them to shield their eyes and look downward as they walked.
Internal Conflict and Perplexing Isolation
During their search, one boy experienced a sudden onset of fatigue that affected only him. He felt oddly drained and lay down in the grass while his companions continued exploring. Time and perception seemed distorted—at one point, he opened his eyes to discover he had somehow covered about fifty feet in what felt like just five steps.
His friends suddenly rushed back, excitedly claiming the flying saucer was visible "over there," but he dismissed this as part of their planned prank. When they hurried back up the hill to investigate further, he remained on the ground. What happened next became increasingly confusing:
When he looked up, his friends were all lying on the ground
Strange figures in "weird costumes" or "spacesuit-like" attire appeared around his friends
A pair of dark gray boots stood near him while he lay in the grass
A profound sense of dread overcame him—a feeling that if he looked upward, he would see something hovering directly above them. The fear was so intense that when he asked one friend to look up, the friend closed his eyes while doing so. The overwhelming brightness, unexplained beeping, and mysterious presences created a deeply unsettling atmosphere that left him confused and increasingly isolated from his companions.
Peak Moments
Friends Found on the Ground
After seeing a strange object and alerting their parents who dismissed their claims, the four boys returned to the hills armed with BB guns. Their intention was to find and possibly "capture" the flying saucer they had spotted earlier. When they couldn't locate the craft, they considered playing a prank on their school friends by claiming there was a UFO in the hills. During this time, an unusual beeping sound similar to a telephone busy signal started. One boy experienced an overwhelming feeling that something was hovering directly above them. This sensation created such intense fear that he couldn't bring himself to look up, even asking a friend to do so instead. The friend looked upward but closed his eyes while doing so, reporting that nothing was there.
The sunlight suddenly became exceptionally bright, making it difficult for the boys to keep their eyes open. One boy experienced a strange occurrence where he covered approximately 50 feet in just five steps while walking with his eyes closed. The beeping noise continued, and the group decided to investigate its source. As they proceeded, one boy became unexpectedly tired and lay down in the grass while his friends continued exploring in a different direction.
Appearance of "Costumed" Figures
The boy resting on the grass initially didn't believe his friends when they excitedly claimed to have spotted the flying saucer "over there." He assumed they were trying to prank him, especially since they had discussed playing such jokes earlier. His friends hurried back up the hill without much effort to convince him, seemingly eager to get another look at the object.
While remaining on his stomach in the grass, the boy looked up and noticed something alarming - all his friends were now lying on the ground. Even more disturbing was the appearance of unfamiliar figures standing around his friends. These individuals were dressed in what he described as "weird costumes" resembling spacemen. Believing this might be an elaborate prank organized by someone trying to frighten them, he remained still in the grass, sensing the costumed figures hadn't noticed him.
Though not completely frightened, he felt something was wrong with the situation. He deliberately avoided taking a "good square look" at the figures, assuming they might be people from over the hill attempting to pull a Halloween-type trick. His memories of subsequent events became hazy. He recalls seeing a pair of gray boots or dark gray feet standing near him. Without looking up, he asked who the costumed people were but received no answer, which made him angry.
Aftermath and Impact
Grappling with the Encounter's Mysterious Nature
After the incident, R. Green struggled to process what truly happened that day in Nevada. His recollections suggest an experience beyond ordinary explanation. The presence of beings in "gray boots" or "dark gray" attire points to something more complex than a simple prank by neighborhood children. What makes this case particularly compelling is the physical reactions reported—the hair standing on end, the overwhelming brightness that forced eyes closed, and the inexplicable fatigue that overcame Green but not his companions. These physiological responses strongly suggest an encounter with an unknown energy field or technology rather than mere imagination.
The craft's appearance—silvery, saucer-shaped, and glowing without visible shadows—aligns with numerous other documented UFO sightings from the late 1950s. The boys' initial excitement and decision to "capture" the object with BB guns demonstrates their genuine belief in what they witnessed. Their parents' dismissive response is also typical of the era, when reports of unidentified aerial phenomena were often met with ridicule despite their frequency.
Fragmented Memories of the Incident
Green's recollection of events becomes significantly less coherent after the beeping sound began. He describes covering approximately 50 feet in "about five steps"—a physical impossibility under normal circumstances that suggests a time or perception anomaly. The chronology becomes increasingly jumbled, with Green unable to recall precise sequences:
First seeing his friends lying on the ground
Then noticing "costume people" standing around them
Being approached by someone wearing gray boots
Attempting to communicate with no response
This memory fragmentation is consistent with cases involving possible altered states of consciousness. Green candidly acknowledges this confusion, describing his memories as "hazy" and the story as "getting kind of funny" at this point. The intense fear he experienced about looking upward—believing something was directly overhead—may indicate a subconscious recognition of a threatening presence his conscious mind was unwilling to process.
His defensive psychological mechanisms are evident in how he repeatedly rationalized the strange figures as pranksters in "weird costumes" or people "trying to pull a Halloween trick," despite the season and circumstances making such explanations implausible.
