Betty and Barney Hill Alien Abduction Case

One of the first cases of abduction by extraterrestrial beings, published in the media and known internationally, was that of Betty and Barney Hill, an American couple who rose to fame after claiming that they had been abducted by aliens between September 19 and 20, 1961. The case is known as the "Abduction of the Hills" and occasionally "the Zeta Reticuli incident". His was the first widely publicized case of an alien abduction, adapted into the 1966 hit book The Interrupted Journey and into a television movie.

The Hills lived in the town of Portsmouth, in the northeastern US state of New Hampshire. Barney (1923-1969) was employed in the mail (U.S. Postal Service), while Betty (1919-2004) was a social worker. Active members of the Unitarian congregation, the Hills were also members of the NAACP anti-discrimination association, as well as community leaders, and Barney had a seat on the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

At dusk on September 19, 1961, the Hills were driving back to Portsmouth from a vacation in upstate New York, in addition to the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Since it was late at night, and because the peak summer tourist season had already ended, there were few cars on the road as they traveled south. South of the small town of Groveton (in the state of New Hampshire). They initially thought they were looking at a shooting star, only then realized it was going upward, before stopping near the then crescent moon.

 My visit to the site where the identification sign is located on Route 3, in front of the Indian Head monument in the state of New Hampshire USA, where Betty and Barney Hill were abducted

While Barney was navigating Route 3, Betty thought she was observing an artificial satellite, and she asked Barney to stop the car for a closer look, as well as to walk her dog Delsey. Betty, whose sister had confessed to seeing a flying saucer several years earlier, observed the object through binoculars as it moved in front of the face of the moon, emitting sparkling multi-colored lights.

Barney, who had not observed the craft, thought the light was coming from a conventional aircraft. For her part, Betty was puzzled about the unconventional nature of the object.

About 1.5 km south of the small town of Indian Head, the gigantic discoidal craft rapidly descended toward the Hills' vehicle, causing Barney to stop directly in the middle of the road. After opening the car door to take a closer look at the object, he took out his binoculars. The craft descended about 25-30 meters above the car, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, and filled the entire field of view of the windshield, through which Betty was watching it as well. Barney stepped away from the vehicle and approached the object, which was swinging like a pendulum from the left side of the car, toward the right area over the adjacent field. Using the binoculars, Barney claimed to have seen between about eight and eleven humanoid figures who were watching from the windows of the ship, seeming to look at him curiously or inquisitively.