On the evening of September 12, 1952, the town of Flatwoods, West Virginia, was the unlikely setting for one of the most unusual sightings in American UFO history. Just as the sun had begun to set, a fiery object streaked across the sky, leaving a trail of light before disappearing beyond the hills. Witnesses later described it as bright and fast, unlike any aircraft or shooting star they had seen. In this small Appalachian town, the sight was both extraordinary and deeply unsettling. It marked the beginning of an event that would soon draw attention far beyond the quiet town limits.

Around 7:15 p.m., as the object descended, a group of boys playing outside noticed the intense light flashing across the sky. Ed and Freddie May, ages 13 and 12, along with their friend Tommy Hyer, immediately took off in the direction they believed the object had fallen. The light and smoke on the hill were too compelling to ignore. They first ran to the Mays’ home, telling Ed’s mother, Kathleen May, about the crash and begging her to come with them to investigate. Concerned for the children’s safety and intrigued by their description, Kathleen agreed. She was joined by several neighbors, including National Guardsman Eugene Lemon and a few other locals who had seen the strange light as well.

Together, the group set off up the hill toward where the object appeared to have crashed. They walked through the fields and into the wooded hillside, hoping to find some sign of what had fallen from the sky. As they neared the site, the air began to fill with a strong, metallic odor, a smell that struck them as completely out of place in the open Appalachian woods. It wasn’t long before the group noticed something more alarming—a strange mist, drifting across the ground, thick and smoky, covering the area where they believed the object had landed.

Lemon, who carried a flashlight, took the lead as they approached the mist. The smell grew stronger, almost overpowering, described by the group as a mix of sulfur and metal, so intense that some began to cough and cover their faces. As they looked around, a flickering light caught their attention, deeper in the mist. Lemon raised his flashlight, and the beam cut through the haze, illuminating something standing within the shadows.

The figure they saw was unlike anything they had ever encountered. Close to ten feet tall, it stood upright, with a massive head shaped like a spade or an upside-down ace of spades, framed by what looked like a hood or helmet with a pointed top. The head had two enormous, glowing red eyes, unblinking and intense, staring directly at the group. The light from the eyes seemed to be self-generated, not just a reflection, giving the creature an eerie, menacing gaze. Its torso was bulky, with arms that appeared too long, ending in claw-like extensions or fingers. A dark, metallic-like covering draped over its form, with a smooth surface that reflected the flashlight’s beam in odd, almost liquid flashes.