In the quiet town of Wanatah, Indiana, a chilling encounter took place that continues to puzzle paranormal researchers today. Mary Jorgenson, a 38-year-old payroll accountant, experienced something truly terrifying on the night of September 14, 1977. After working late, she walked to her car parked on a deserted side street, feeling unusually uneasy despite having taken this route countless times before.

Upon entering her locked Dodge Dart, Jorgenson couldn't shake the feeling that someone—or something—was in the vehicle with her. When she reached back to reassure herself, her hand touched living flesh. In her rearview mirror, she saw a tiny humanoid creature with glowing red eyes and rows of tiny white teeth grinning at her. Panicked, she fled her car screaming, and although police were called, they found no evidence of the intruder when they eventually checked her vehicle.

Key Takeaways

A woman in small-town Indiana encountered a small humanoid creature hiding in her locked car after working late one night.
The entity had distinctive features including glowing red eyes, rows of tiny teeth, and a diminutive human-like form.
Despite police investigation, no physical evidence of the intruder was found, leaving the encounter unexplained.

Mary Jorgenson's Strange Encounter

Personal History

Mary Jorgenson was a 38-year-old payroll accountant working at a shopping center in Wanatah, Indiana in 1977. Her routine included staying late to complete payroll processing, often leaving her as one of the last employees in the building. UFO researcher Timothy Green Beckley interviewed her about her unusual experience, recording their conversation with permission and later transcribing it for publication.

The Evening of September 14, 1977

On Wednesday, September 14, 1977, Jorgenson stayed at her office until approximately 9:30 PM finishing payroll that was due the following day. After saying goodbye to the night watchman, who was the only other person remaining in the building, she headed out toward her car. The small town had limited police presence at that hour, with only a handful of officers on duty across town.

The Walk and Initial Discovery

Jorgenson's blue Dodge Dart was parked on a side street about a ten-minute walk from her workplace. The journey always made her nervous as the streets were typically deserted after business hours. On this particular night, she felt especially uneasy as she walked through the pitch-black streets.

Upon reaching her car, everything appeared normal. She quickly got inside, locked the doors, and started the engine. Despite being inside her secured vehicle, Jorgenson couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that she wasn't alone. An overwhelming sense that someone was in the back seat persisted despite her rational mind telling her otherwise.

Confronting the Entity

To ease her mind, Jorgenson reached into the back seat and felt around. Initially finding nothing, she relaxed briefly. However, as she repositioned herself to drive, her hand brushed against what she described as "living flesh" crouching on the floor behind her seat.

Frozen with fear, she sat motionless while hearing something climb onto the back seat. Eventually gathering courage to look in the rearview mirror, she saw what she described as a "tiny manlike creature" sitting on the back seat, grinning at her. The entity had:

An extremely small head resembling a shrunken museum specimen
Multiple rows of tiny white teeth
Dull glowing red eyes that stared directly at her
A motionless posture as it observed her

Police Response and Aftermath

Overwhelmed with terror, Jorgenson flung open her car door and fled, screaming loudly. Someone nearby heard her distress and contacted the police. When officers arrived, they listened to her account but appeared skeptical of her claims.

Despite her pleas, the officers reluctantly checked her vehicle nearly an hour after the incident. By then, the creature had vanished, leaving no evidence behind. Jorgenson later expressed frustration that almost no one believed her story, but she remained adamant about sharing her experience to warn others of potential danger.

The incident was documented in Beckley's published work, preserving Jorgenson's encounter as one of the stranger cases in unexplained phenomena reports from the 1970s.

Examining the Unexplained Encounter

Timothy Green Beckley's Documentation and Discussion

In 1977, UFO researcher Timothy Green Beckley conducted an interview with Mary Jorgenson, a 38-year-old payroll accountant who worked at Model Shopping Center. Beckley recorded the interview with Jorgenson's permission and later transcribed it for publication in a magazine. According to her account, the incident occurred on Wednesday, September 14, 1977, when she stayed late at the office working on payrolls.

After finishing her work around 9:30 p.m., Jorgenson left the store, saying goodbye to the night watchman who was the only person remaining in the building. She then walked about ten minutes to reach her car, which was parked on a side street. The town was largely deserted at that time, with stores closed and limited police presence in the area.

Encounter Details and Investigation

Jorgenson reported that despite having walked the same route numerous times before, she felt particularly uneasy that night. After reaching her blue Dodge Dart, she got in, locked the doors, and started the engine. Despite these security measures, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone else was in the vehicle with her.

To reassure herself, Jorgenson reached into the back seat to feel around. Initially finding nothing, she relaxed momentarily until her hand brushed against what she described as "living flesh" crouching on the floor behind her seat. Frozen with fear, she eventually forced herself to look in the rearview mirror.

What she observed was described as:

A tiny manlike creature
An extremely small head resembling "shrunken heads in museums"
Multiple rows of tiny white teeth
Dull glowing red eyes
A grinning expression

Terrified by this sight, Jorgenson fled from her vehicle, screaming until someone called the police. When officers arrived, they checked her car but found it empty, approximately an hour after the initial incident.

Correction of Location to Wanatah, Indiana

The location of this incident was initially recorded as "Wanat, Indiana" in Beckley's documentation. However, subsequent research revealed this town doesn't exist. After investigation, it became apparent that Beckley likely misheard or incorrectly transcribed the name during his phone interview with Jorgenson.

The actual location appears to be Wanatah, Indiana, a small town that does exist. This error likely occurred because Beckley conducted the interview by telephone and never verified the spelling by checking a map, which would have been a more involved process in the pre-internet era of the 1970s.

When recording oral testimony, such phonetic misinterpretations are not uncommon, especially with unfamiliar place names. This correction helps establish the geographical credibility of Jorgenson's account without altering the substance of her experience.

Cultural References

The Mobile Army Surgical Hospital Series

The television series "MAS*H" became one of the most significant shows in American television history during its run from 1972 to 1983. Set during the Korean War, the series focused on the staff of a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as they dealt with the harsh realities of war while maintaining their sanity through humor and camaraderie. The show masterfully balanced comedy with powerful dramatic elements, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking. "MAS*H" tackled serious issues including the futility of war, trauma, and the psychological toll of conflict on medical personnel.

The series gained immense popularity for its well-developed characters and intelligent writing. It became known for its innovative filming techniques, including the use of a single-camera setup rather than the standard multi-camera approach of most sitcoms of that era. This provided a more cinematic quality to the show.

Corporal Maxwell Klinger and Jamie Farr's Portrayal

Jamie Farr portrayed Corporal Maxwell Klinger, one of the most memorable characters in television history. Klinger became famous for his attempts to receive a Section 8 discharge (for mental instability) by wearing women's clothing and displaying increasingly outlandish behavior. Despite these antics, the character maintained his competence and dedication to his duties in the unit.

Farr appeared throughout the show's entire run, with his character evolving significantly over time. Klinger eventually abandoned his discharge schemes and accepted his role in the unit, even taking on administrative responsibilities later in the series.

Farr's portrayal stood out for several reasons:

Character development: Unlike many one-note characters of the era, Klinger showed genuine growth
Cultural representation: As a Lebanese-American actor, Farr brought diversity to television at a time when it was uncommon
Comic timing: His ability to deliver humor while maintaining dignity made the character work

The character became so popular that "pulling a Klinger" entered the cultural lexicon as a term for someone attempting to get out of military service through unusual means.

Closing Thoughts

The case of Mary Jorgenson presents a perplexing encounter that fits within the pattern of "backseat intruder" incidents. What makes this account particularly intriguing is the nature of the entity she described and its possible motivations.

The creature Jorgenson encountered in her Dodge Dart was clearly physical—she felt its "living flesh" when her hand brushed against it. This wasn't merely a psychological event but something that had material presence. The entity's distinctive features—tiny head, multiple rows of white teeth, and glowing red eyes—set it apart from typical reports of human intruders.

What purpose would such a creature have in hiding in a woman's vehicle? If the goal was simply to frighten Jorgenson, it certainly succeeded. The entity's behavior—sitting calmly, grinning, and seemingly enjoying her terror—suggests an intent beyond mere opportunity or coincidence.

The location of this incident deserves mention. The original report cited "Wanatuk, Indiana," but research reveals this appears to be a transcription error. The town was likely Wanatah, Indiana—a small municipality that would indeed have limited police presence as Jorgenson described.

Law enforcement's response followed a predictable pattern: they listened but clearly didn't believe her account. By the time they checked her vehicle, approximately an hour had passed—plenty of time for whatever occupied her backseat to depart.

Jorgenson's final statement remains poignant: she wasn't seeking validation for herself but hoped to warn others of potential dangers. Whether this represents an encounter with something paranormal, cryptid, or simply misidentified, her fear was undeniably real.

The Terrifying Wanatah Encounter: Marie Jorgenson's Paranormal Confrontation with Red-Eyed Humanoid