In the quiet village of Buchanan, Finland, on New Year's Eve 1972, a chilling encounter unfolded that would later become one of the most discussed unexplained phenomena of the region. Two young women, Rita Kehu and Circa Buchanan, experienced a series of inexplicable events while walking along a country road. What began as a simple journey to a New Year's party transformed into a terrifying ordeal involving mysterious red lights, an unseen force, and a strange alteration of their surroundings.

Years later, in 2009, another puzzling incident emerged when Colin Foster captured what appears to be a semi-transparent figure while photographing the North Yorkshire Moors in England. The digital image shows an unexplainable presence standing in a snow-covered field. Both incidents remain unsolved, joining the growing collection of reports worldwide describing encounters with transparent or semi-transparent entities that seem to defy conventional explanation.

Key Takeaways

Unexplained phenomena in Finland involved mysterious lights and an invisible force that physically affected the witnesses.
Witnesses reported experiencing altered states of reality, including time distortion and sensory changes.
Photographic evidence from the Yorkshire Moors shows what appears to be a semi-transparent entity, adding to similar worldwide reports.

The Encounter at Vitelli

Kehu and Buchanan's New Year's Eve Experience

On December 31, 1972, between 7:10 and 7:20 PM, two young women found themselves walking along a country road in Vitelli, Finland. Rita Kehu, 21, and Circa Buchanan, 22, had left their cottage hoping to hitchhike to a New Year's Eve celebration. The evening was quiet and ordinary until something extraordinary began to unfold around them.

Mysterious Aerial Phenomena

As they walked, Rita spotted an unusual red flashing light in the sky that appeared larger than the moon. The women continued their journey, somewhat puzzled but undeterred. Shortly after, a second red light materialized—this one approximately the size of a tennis ball. This smaller object hovered silently before rising about two meters into the air and then moving rapidly toward them, fading in and out as it approached. When a car's headlights appeared down the road, the mysterious orb seemed to retreat, vanishing from sight.

Unseen Force and Altered Reality

The situation took a frightening turn when an invisible force suddenly grabbed Rita, pulling her away from Circa and throwing her roughly three meters onto the road. While lying there, Rita discerned a vague black shape standing approximately 6.5 feet tall, hovering about a meter above the ground. Near the top of this entity, she noticed an egg-sized light.

Rita described feeling trapped in what seemed like a force field where:

All sound disappeared completely
She couldn't speak or scream
Breathing became extremely difficult
The environment felt like a vacuum

After several minutes of struggle, Rita managed to break free from the invisible constraints. Meanwhile, Circa watched in horror as the tennis ball-sized red light returned, rapidly approaching her right shoulder. Both women fled toward a nearby farmhouse, experiencing strange phenomena as they ran:

The landscape around them seemed to transform into an empty, cold, silent space
Running became extraordinarily difficult, as if time itself had slowed
They felt unusual sensations, with Circa noting heat on her back as the object pursued her

Only after crossing through the property's fence did the red light drift away. When they reached safety inside the farmhouse, both women discovered they were covered in mud. Rita's shoes had mysteriously disappeared, and her feet were badly bruised—whether from being thrown or during their desperate flight across the field, she couldn't determine.

The Aftermath of the Unusual Occurrence

Impact on Those Involved

The events of December 31, 1972, left Rita Kehu and Circa Buchanan deeply affected. Rita suffered physical injuries, evident by her missing shoes and feet that were "black and blue." The exact cause remained unclear—possibly from being thrown onto the road or during their desperate run across the field. Both women found themselves completely covered in mud when they finally reached safety.

Beyond the physical marks, they experienced profound sensory disturbances during the encounter. Rita described feeling trapped in what seemed like a "force field" where sound disappeared completely. She struggled to breathe, speak, or scream, as if caught in a vacuum. This temporary inability to control basic functions likely caused significant distress.

The psychological impact cannot be understated. The inexplicable nature of being attacked by an invisible force, seeing strange lights, and perceiving a tall dark figure would naturally cause lasting trauma.

Journey to Safety

The women's escape to the farmhouse emerged as a crucial turning point in their experience. After Rita managed to break free from whatever held her, she ran screaming toward the nearby property with Circa following close behind. The red orb of light pursued Circa, who reported feeling heat on her back during the chase.

What made their flight particularly remarkable was the environmental distortion they both perceived. The familiar Finnish countryside seemed to transform into what they described as a cold, empty landscape devoid of sound. Movement itself became extraordinarily difficult, as if time had slowed around them.

The strange phenomenon appeared to respect boundaries. Upon crossing through the property's fence, the red light drifted away, suggesting some limitation to its range or influence. The farmhouse owner promptly allowed them inside, providing immediate refuge from their ordeal.

This experience shares similarities with other reports of space-time distortion during anomalous encounters, where witnesses describe altered perceptions of their environment and difficulty with normal movement.

Colin Foster's Unusual Sighting

The North Yorkshire Moors Mystery

Colin Foster, a visitor to the North Yorkshire Moors, had an extraordinary experience during his trip in January 2009. While exploring the remote and snow-covered landscapes with his girlfriend, Foster took hundreds of photographs documenting their journey through this isolated region of northern England. The couple enjoyed their time in the desolate yet beautiful moors, unaware that one of their photographs would later capture something unexplainable.

The incident only came to light after they returned to their home in the Midlands. While reviewing the digital images on his computer approximately a week after their trip, Foster's girlfriend noticed something unusual in one particular photograph. She immediately drew his attention to a strange anomaly that appeared in the snow-covered field image.

Analysis of the Photographic Evidence

The photograph in question, taken on January 19, 2009, shows a snow-covered field on an overcast day in the North Yorkshire Moors. What makes this image remarkable is the presence of a semi-transparent figure standing in front of a fence line. The figure appears to have a humanoid shape and stands approximately 6.5 feet tall based on comparison with surrounding objects.

When first examining the image, several explanations seem possible:

Double exposure - Though typically unlikely with digital cameras
Physical cutout - Ruled out due to the figure's transparent nature
Digital manipulation - Less probable as Foster provided his real name and a photo of himself as authentication

The figure bears similarities to reports of what some paranormal researchers call "glimmer men" - transparent or semi-transparent entities that have been documented in various locations worldwide. These beings are characterized by their predator-like appearance and ability to blend partially with their surroundings.

Foster shared his discovery with the Birmingham UFO Group, where it was published in their interactive magazine "UFO World" in March 2009. The image left Foster's friends and family "scratching their heads in awe," as he described in his correspondence with the publication.

Investigating the Transparent Entity Phenomenon

Reports of Semi-Visible Beings

The December 1972 incident in Buchanan, Finland presents a compelling case of unexplained phenomena. Two young women, walking along a country road between 7:10 and 7:20 PM, encountered strange aerial lights followed by an invisible force. The force physically separated the women, throwing one approximately three meters onto the road.

One witness described seeing a vague black shape standing about six and a half feet tall, hovering slightly above the ground. This entity created what she described as a "force field" effect—sound disappeared, breathing became difficult, and she temporarily lost her ability to speak. Both women reported experiencing a strange transformation of their surroundings while fleeing, describing it as an empty, silent landscape where movement became unusually difficult.

The women eventually reached safety, but discovered unusual physical effects afterward. One woman's shoes were missing, and both were inexplicably covered in mud despite having no memory of falling.

The Glimmer Man Theory

In January 2009, a similar case emerged when Colin Foster photographed what appears to be a semi-transparent humanoid figure while visiting the North Yorkshire Moors in England. The entity was not visible to Foster or his companion when taking the photograph but was discovered later during review.

This image raises significant questions about the nature of these entities. Several explanations have been considered:

Double exposure: Unlikely due to the use of a digital camera
Physical cutout: Improbable as the figure appears partially transparent
Digital manipulation: Less likely given Foster's willingness to provide his real name and a photo of himself

Recent years have seen an increase in worldwide reports describing encounters with transparent or semi-transparent entities resembling the "Predator" creature from popular fiction. These beings, sometimes called "Glimmer Men," share characteristics with both the Finland incident and Foster's photograph.

The similarities between these cases suggest a potential pattern that deserves further investigation. Both incidents occurred in rural, relatively isolated locations. Both featured unusual atmospheric or perceptual changes reported by witnesses. And both involved entities that seemed to exist partially outside normal visibility parameters.

The Haunting Red Lights of Buchanan: Terrifying Paranormal Encounters in Finland & Beyond