AUGUST 4, 1963 ……….MOUNT VERNON ILLINOIS
Shortly before midnight on the 4th August 1963, and continuing into the early hours of the 5th, 18-year-old, Ronnie Austin would experience one of the most bizarre incidents of his young life. And one that is still open to investigation today over 50 years later.
That evening, Ronnie was driving back from a drive-in movie site at Mount Vernon with his girlfriend, Phyllis Bruce to see The Great Escape. It was as they were heading along Illinois Route 15 past Mount Vernon Airport when Austin first saw something strange out of the window.
He would later describe it as a “round ball of bright white light” which was approximately the size of a washtub. He pointed it out to Phyllis, asking her if she thought it was an airplane. She would reply:
No, it’s not an airplane. It doesn’t have flashing red and green lights!
Ronnie would speed the car up slightly and was a little unnerved to see that the object sped up also. When he slowed, it slowed. It was obvious that whatever it was, the strange glowing light was keeping pace with their vehicle.
A little concerned, but not overly alarmed, the pair continued with their journey. They would head north towards Phyllis’ parent’s home. As they did, the object continued to follow them. As it remained at a safe distance, however, each of the teenagers remained calm. Perhaps, they thought, it was just coincidence.
A High-Speed Pursuit Along The Quiet Gravel Roads Of Illinois!
Upon arriving at Phyllis’ house, her sister would come out to greet her. When she did, she also witnessed the glowing object overhead. All three of them would watch it for around fifteen minutes before Phyllis went inside. Ronnie then turned the engine back on and set off for home.
At first, it appeared the light was content to observe his journey. However, when he turned his car off the main road on to a quieter, gravel-type road, it suddenly sped towards him. It would cut him off from a diagonal direction. It would then come to rest over the top of a barn slightly ahead of him at a crossroads.
As he looked a little closer at the glowing ball, it was now turning from a brilliant, bright, white light to a darker orange glow. He could see he was approaching the crossroads. As he did, he pressed down harder on the gas. He would burst straight over them and past the orange ball traveling much faster than the conditions dictated he should. Ronnie would estimate later that he was likely moving at around 120 miles per hour.
Even more worrying, however, was the fact the orange ball began to glow brighter once more. It would immediately burst into life and pursue his vehicle again. It took only seconds to be no more than 100 feet away from his car.
Half looking at the road rushing forward to meet his headlights, and half looking at this now large, car-sized craft close behind him, Ronnie continued onwards into the night. Then, his car radio which had quietly scored the bizarre events descended into a cacophony of hisses and static. At the same time, a “cooling effect” went through him. The light passed right over the top of the moving vehicle.
Changing Colors And Brightness! A Small But Intriguingly Important Detail!
Ronnie was now operating on the edge of panic. However, he remained in control enough to stay in control of the car. He had, though, the distinct feeling, as he would tell his father later, that whatever intelligence was behind this mysterious glow, it had waited for him to be alone before beginning such an aggressive pursuit as it was now.
It would make several more passes over his vehicle before returning to the barn area. When it did so, the light also returned to the duller orange.
This is an interesting detail in that many other reports over the decades speak of different shading or urgency of lights in relation to their movement or lack thereof. Given that Austin’s encounter in 1963, this was certainly not a well-known “fact” of UFO sightings at the time. Remember, at the time, there were very few UFO organizations, and the ones that did exist were far from the slick, professional, and far-reaching groups that are active today.
By this time, Ronnie was a mere three miles away from his home and family farm. He pressed down hard again on the gas pedal. As if in response, the strange light surged forward and across his path. It passed over him, settling again behind and gave chase. The car’s engine began to struggle. Even threatening to cut out and stop working entirely.
However, he would ultimately reach the family home, swinging the car around in the large driveway and stepping from the vehicle the instant it came to a stop. He glanced to the sky as he did so. There, the glowing object hovered over one of the farm’s outbuildings around 200 yards away from the main house.
An Abundance Of Witnesses To A Most Unusual Event!
Ronnie rushed inside, calling to his parents and siblings as he did so. Checking the wall clock, he could see it was just short of half an hour past midnight. Regardless of the late hour, both of his parents, as well as his brother and sister, ventured outside to see what the fuss what all about.
Much to their surprise, the object remained exactly where Ronnie said it was. Hovering amid the dull glow of its own light over the farmhouse opposite. Not at all sure what to do, Ronnie’s father was very much aware of the surreal and unique nature of the situation. He would telephone Jefferson County authorities requested that they notify the nearby Scott Air Force Base.
However, perhaps not treating the incident as seriously as they might, they instead contacted Deputy Lee (pictured above) to investigate. He duly did. Unbeknown to him, though, two state troopers, Richard Gidcumb and George Sexton, had heard the exchange over their police radio. As they were close-by, they would decide to investigate for themselves.
They arrived at the Austin’s family home at 12:45 am. 25 minutes before Lee. Each of them clearly witnessed the hovering, glowing light upon arrival.
As if making sure they were not experiencing some kind of bizarre group hallucination, Ronnie’s father telephoned their friends and neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Withrow. They would go outside and from their yard, they too could see the glowing orange craft. It would begin to ascend higher and higher before it became no bigger than “an extremely bright star”.
In fact, in total, eleven people would witness the glowing light that evening (including Phyllis and her sister), with the only person at the scene who missed them being Deputy Lee who did not arrive until 1:10 am.
However, perhaps not treating the incident as seriously as they might, they instead contacted Deputy Lee (pictured above) to investigate. He duly did. Unbeknown to him, though, two state troopers, Richard Gidcumb and George Sexton, had heard the exchange over their police radio. As they were close-by, they would decide to investigate for themselves.
They arrived at the Austin’s family home at 12:45 am. 25 minutes before Lee. Each of them clearly witnessed the hovering, glowing light upon arrival.
As if making sure they were not experiencing some kind of bizarre group hallucination, Ronnie’s father telephoned their friends and neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Withrow. They would go outside and from their yard, they too could see the glowing orange craft. It would begin to ascend higher and higher before it became no bigger than “an extremely bright star”.
In fact, in total, eleven people would witness the glowing light that evening (including Phyllis and her sister), with the only person at the scene who missed them being Deputy Lee who did not arrive until 1:10 am.
Initial (And Twisted) Reactions
The “star” was still there right until the moment dawn took over watch over the Earth below. By that time, mainly from the sedative, Dr. Conarski recommended several hours previously over the phone that his parents administer to him, such was his state of shock at the time.
In fact, by the time professional UFO investigators arrived in the area to speak to the witnesses, Ronnie’s father, Orville Austin, was critical of the local press and how they had “put words in the boy’s mouth” and even taken advantage of his shocked and dazed state of mind only hours after the encounter had unfolded.
What’s more, following the initial wave of local press interest the wider national and international press agencies picked up the stories. This would go on for almost a week. Then, on the 10th August, while sightings were unfolding all around the state, members of the US Air Force would arrive at the Austin home. Two of the three men present, Robert Friend and Hector Quintanilla had involvement in the Project Blue Book program. NOTE: The above image is CGI.
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