Somewhere in the Skies - Incident in Soesterberg

Episode Date: March 18, 2024

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at: www.betterhelp.com/skies and get on your way to being your best self. On episode 347 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, we head to the Netherlands. On a cold winter night in 1972 in Soesterberg, one of the strangest UFO encounters unfolded in an otherwise quiet neighborhood. Officially investigated by the Dutch UFOlogical Centre, the incident has been almost completely forgotten over half a century later. But for one man who experienced it, it remains a night in in Netherlands he'll never forget. Episode co-written and researched by Marcus Lowth: www.ufoinsight.com Voiceover by Max Moszkowicz: www.youtube.com/@moszkowiczshow Patreon: www.patreon.com/somewhereskies PayPal: [e-mail] Website: www.somewhereintheskies.com YouTube Channel: CLICK HERE Order Ryan’s new book: https://a.co/d/4KNQnM4 Order Ryan’s older book: https://amzn.to/3PmydYC Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Read Ryan’s Articles by CLICKING HERE Opening Theme Song, "Ephemeral Reign" by Per Kiilstofte Copyright © 2023 Ryan Sprague. All rights reserved. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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for all new episodes, and we'll see you somewhere in the ring. Somewhere in the Ring is part of the E1 podcast network. On a cold night in the winter of 1972, in the Netherlands, one of the strangest UFO

encounters unfolded in an otherwise quiet neighborhood. The incident is almost completely forgotten over half a century later. But for those who were a part of it, it remains a night in the Netherlands to truly remember. This is the incident in Sosterberg. This is somewhere in the skies with Ryan's bread. At around 4.30 a.m. on March 25, 1972, in Sosterberg, in Sosterberg. John Brunier was his sleep when he was suddenly awakened by a strong buzzing sound. I thought I had left my stereo system on and the noise was coming from there.

However, when I glanced over to the stereo, I could see that it was switched up. As he looked around the ground floor room where he slept, he suddenly became aware of a bright light that was coming from outside. He immediately got out of bed and made his way to the window. As he looked outside, he would see the following. It was bright, blinding white light. It looked as though someone had lit a bengled fire in front of the house. There was also a strange fog around the light that stretched right along the pavement.

It had to be at least 12 feet in height. This is when Brunier realized his car was parked behind this light and thought that perhaps his car was on fire. He quickly put it on a jacket and slippers, reached for him. his car keys and rushed outside the house. As he reached the Volkswagen, he was relieved to see that it was not on fire. But something was definitely odd. The car was soaking with.

All the other cars nearby were covered in a layer of ice due to the night frost. But it seemed as though this self-contained light had melted the ice from my car. Brunier got inside the vehicle and started the engine. As he did so, the events suddenly took an even more bizarre twist. This wall of strange fog appeared in front of my car and completely surrounded it. As this fog closed in, I could feel the car bounce as if someone was jumping on the back of it. Brunier glanced into the rearview mirror and could see the light dancing, making him contemplate if his car was in fact on fire.

His first thought was that he should drive, which might be. put the flames out. He put the car in motion, driving down the street, before turning left onto a forest path that he accessed through a dried ditch in between two trees. As he drove, he pressed down on the car horn in order to alert other people in the neighborhood, but the car horn made no sound. At this point, Brunier was beginning to feel a sense of panic. He continued to drive, however, afraid to stop unless something untoward happened to him. Within moments, he came to a section in the road with a metal chain stretched across it. Just as he was about to crash into it, he saw the chain tighten and break, as if it had been pulled or stretched by some unknown force.

The next thing I know, the glow behind the car was gone. I brought the car to a stop, gathered my thoughts, and looked out of the window. That's when I saw it, a human-like figure running past the car. And just as I tried to get a better look, it vanished into thin air. Although still very cautious, Brunier's curiosity was piqued enough to make him exit the vehicle and walk in front of it to see if he could see anything more. And he most certainly did. There in front of me was this huge object surrounded by a greenish fluorescent glow.

In my peripheral, to my left, I could see a bright light floating over a row of trees, moving toward the object. The object itself was oval shaped with what appeared to be windows along the side, behind, which are greenish lights shown bright. The exterior of the object had a metallic sheen to it, and it appeared as though it was made from one piece of material, with no seams or signs of welding. Above the object were three green beams of light that shone straight up. The bright white light continued to approach the object, moving very much in a controlled manner. It was at this point when Brunier first noticed a human figure behind one of the windows, who appeared to be looking up at the white light. It eventually reached the center of the object before it faded into a green beam.

Thinking he was witnessing some kind of experimental military vehicle, he continued to approach the craft, eager to see more. As he got closer to the object, he could see that it was approximately 100 feet across and around 10 feet high. It appeared to float above the ground like a hovercraft. Of more concern, however, the human figure had now noticed his presence and was gesturing at him to back away from the craft. He did step back several feet. but still close enough to be able to see the figure clearly, who was now counting down.

5.4. 3. 2. The being was around 5 feet tall and dressed in overalls that were a dull metallic color, like tinfoil. The overalls appeared to be made from one piece of material and fit quite snugly. From the neck of the overalls a tube extended and was connected to a belt around the figure's waist. Its head had a distinct oval shape with large almond-shaped eyes. Brunier also noticed a panel behind the figure that was divided into sections with different colors shining and flashing on it. Before this humanoid reached one during its countdown,

it turned to look at the panel as if checking that everything was in good working order. When the countdown reached one, the object jumped off the ground and rose several more feet into the air. It then began to move toward the nearby trees in a controlled and gentle manner. When it was directly over the trees, it suddenly accelerated and disappeared into the distance in a second, glowing blue and white in the center. As the object sped away, Brunier could hear a sound that reminded him of a roof tile sliding off a roof, while he also saw two exhaust streaks with a light green discoloration in between.

Immediately after the object had disappeared, Brunier noticed that the atmosphere appeared much colder. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before returning to his Volkswagen. He turned on the engine and made his way back home. Upon his arrival, his wife and children were awakened, worried about where he had been. He looked at the clock noting that it was 4.15 a.m., meaning he'd been gone for around 45 minutes. He told them of the strange event, although he offered that he suspected that perhaps it was just a bad dream and that he was sleepwalking. Still concerned, my wife and children went outside to the car.

They could feel that the engine was still warm and that the tire tracks were clearly visible, suggesting that I had, in fact, driven somewhere and was not dreaming. The following day, the children went to where their father said the encounter unfolded. Not only did they find the broken chain, but also a clearly flattened area on the ground, where they presumed the strange craft had stood. Furthermore, they also could clearly see tire tracks of their father's car. Whatever happened the previous night was something very real. The incident would eventually come to the attention of the Dutch Eophological Center,

which would send out to investigators, Chairman Jan Wienstra and Vice Chairman Hans von Kampen. They would go to the location several weeks later on April 9th, with Van Kampen writing of the encounter in his 1973 book, Flying Saucers, Delusion, or Science. The Summer in the Sky's podcast is free to listen to, do every week. But if you would like to help support the show, we have a very active Patreon page where you give what you think the show is worth. In return, you'll get early access to the main show, bonus episodes, and priority to ask our guests your listener questions. Your support truly makes the show continue and grow. So to learn more and to join, visit patreon.com slash somewhere skies.

would note that the dirt road that Brunier had gone down appeared very much as he had described it. Perhaps of more interest, the location of the encounter was where many paratroopers used to land on the weekends. Judging from the distance in Brunier's report, it appeared that the object would have been right on the edge of the landing circle. Although they examined the ground at the location, no markings were found to indicate the object's presence. Although, as Brunier had stated, he was uncertain if the craft was hovering ever so slightly above the ground. Investigators also learned that this location was accessible to the public, except when there were live ammunition military training exercises, when it was then put off limits with a large chain across the entrance. This was the chain that Brunier witnessed.

Investigators found what seemed to be file shavings near where the chain would have been. They also established, incidentally, that these filings were several weeks old. The investigative pair were certainly a little perplexed by the event, and while they believed the witness to be a man of integrity, they still had their doubts about the encounter. Perhaps Brunier had embellished certain parts of the story. or maybe he was even playing it down to avoid ridicule. They also considered if Brunier had simply recalled some of the details incorrectly.

After all, several weeks had passed since he visited the location with them. To make their point in the report, the investigators highlighted the detail of the lack of frost on Brunier's car compared to others on the street. a detail which Brunier had offered he only realized later on. Brunier argued that his memory of whether his car was covered in frost or not was not clear. There were, though, other problematic details of the encounter that investigators highlighted. It was noted that at the time of the sighting, a popular weekly science fiction show was running on German television and across Europe that featured, UFOs and their occupants. You've read the report?

Yes. An astronaut killed? A UFO through the outer defenses? The report tells me what happened. I want to know why. Alien was breathing a liquid containing a bio-acrophilic compound, imparting the usual green tent to the face and neck, and the eyes at protective shells.

Oh, we've managed to revert the respiration to normal atmosphere. I want to see if I can get anything out of them, doctor. How so can he be ready? We're crossing new physiological frontiers, how can I say? Investigators highlighted that these UFO occupants in this television show looked remarkably similar, if not identical, to the descriptions of the apparent occupant witnessed by Brunier, right down to the wide belt and the connected tube that reached the collar.

So, did Brunier intentionally or not base his... description of the occupant on this television show, or as his family first thought, could he possibly have been dreaming? Brunier offered that he suddenly felt cold when the UFO disappeared, a detail that was seized upon by the Dutch UFO investigators. Could it be, they asked, that the UFO hadn't disappeared before he felt cold, but that he had suddenly woken up. Of course, if this is an accurate explanation, then we have to ask just how did John Brunier arrive at the location if he had been asleep? Had he sleepwalked there or even sleep drove? Or had he experienced some kind of episode that made his recall before waking up off limits to him psychologically? Indeed,

these suggestions only served to add further complexities to an already complex case. But there was still one final twist to come in the Sosterberg incident. Following the encounter and the media interest in it, John Brunier quickly became a household name in Sosterberg as the man who had, quote, seen little green men. And it was not something that sat well with him. Years later, his son, Reggie, would recall that after having served as a sergeant major in the army, including working at the Haug.

His father had begun working with the business association for mental health and social interests, and he didn't want the perception of his encounter to have any adverse effects on his job. Furthermore, almost as soon as the story appeared in the media, Brunier began to receive regular and persistent phone calls from researchers, investigators, and enthusiasts alike, all wanting to ask him questions. about the experience. Questions he had little time for and did not, for the most part, want to answer. So much so, in fact, that by 1976, four years after the incident, he made the sudden and brash claim that he had made the entire thing up. His apparent confession also appeared in the media,

specifically in the November 1976 edition of a popular magazine known as accent. Strangely, or not, almost everyone believed the confession and the case began to fade into obscurity. However, those close to Brunier insisted that privately,

he maintained that what had happened to him was exactly how he described it. He had stated publicly it was a hoax only to stop the constant attention the incident had placed on him, and to stop him from being made out to be crazy. There is one more detail to examine about this sighting, the location, and specifically its close proximity to a nearby military facility. Indeed, Sosterberg was the location of several other UFO encounters during the 1970s.

One of those cases has come to be known as the Sosterberg Air Force Base incident. If you're a Patreon or Apple subscriber, you can hear a special bonus episode on this fascinating case right now. Returning to the Brunier incident, could it be that what he witnessed that evening was some kind of military experimental aircraft? He had, after all, recalled the occupant as being distinctly human-looking. And not only that, but this occupant communicated through gestures we would expect any human being to use. Perhaps the occupant was a member of the military and was part of a top-secret test flight of some sort.

It should also be noted that there was United States military presence throughout all of Europe. at the time, much like there is today. Could it possibly have been some sort of shadowy American military test aircraft? Or was it in fact something from, well, not here? And if so, just what was the reason for it being there? And was the sighting connected to others in the relatively same region of the Netherlands around the same time? Whether any new information on the Sosterberg incident surfaces in the coming years remains to be seen. As does whether any newly reported sightings might inadvertently shine a new light on the events of March in 1972.

Depending on what happens with these points in mind, the encounter of John Brunier could prove to be another important UFO incident that was almost lost to the sands of time. But maybe what was almost lost will someday be found somewhere in the skies. This episode was co-written and researched by Marcus Loth. To learn more, visit UFOinsight.com. A very special thank you to our voiceover talent in this episode. Max Moskowitz. You can subscribe to his YouTube channel at the link in the show notes. And you can follow us on Twitter at SomewhereSkies.

Thank you, as always, for listening. And remember, keep your feet on the ground, but never stop searching. Somewhere in the Skies. Somewhere in the Skies is produced by Third Kind Productions, in association with the Entertainment One Podcast Network.