In 1996, the quiet Brazilian city of Varginha became the center of global attention after locals reported sightings of strange creatures and a UFO crash—an event that would come to be known as the ‘Varginha Incident,’ often referred to as Brazil’s Roswell. Filmmaker James Fox has been digging into this case for years, and his 2022 documentary, Moment of Contact, brought fresh attention to it with firsthand accounts from witnesses, including military officers, firefighters, and civilians. Now Fox is working on a director’s cut of the film, promising new revelations that could be even more shocking.

The story began on January 20, 1996, when three young women, aged 14 to 22, claimed they saw a creature with brown, oily skin, a large head, and glowing red eyes in a vacant lot. They described it as about four feet tall, with three bumps on its head and V-shaped feet.

Soon after, reports surfaced of a UFO crash, with witnesses like university professor Carlos de Sousa describing a damaged, submarine-shaped object the size of a school bus, leaking white smoke as it lost altitude. The Brazilian military quickly cordoned off parts of the city, and rumors spread that they captured one or more creatures and transported them to a hospital in Varginha.