Randall Nickerson is a filmmaker who spent fifteen years documenting the Ariel School alien encounter in Ruwa, Zimbabwe.

Randall was also the subject of Dr. John Mack’s book “Abductions”, and appeared on the Oprah show in 1994 to discuss his encounters with extraterrestrials. He claims to have been abducted by aliens multiple times.

Known for his documentary The Ariel Phenomenon (2022), which explores a mass UFO and alien sighting by African schoolchildren in 1994, Nickerson recently shared his personal experiences on Danny Jones’s video podcast.

He explained that he was abducted by the same “team” of beings each time.

“I’ve only seen a small part of this population, whoever they are. And I’ve seen their research team several times. It was the same team, you could tell. They come in fours, every time. There’s something special about four. Always four,” he said.

Now 57, Nickerson revealed his first abduction occurred at age 11, shortly after detecting a strong smell resembling burning cotton wool.

While his memories of the event are limited, the experience left him deeply traumatized. “It took me 20 years to believe it myself… I don’t read books [about alien abductions] because it just traumatizes me even more. It reminds me of things I’ve repressed.”

Nickerson noted a striking pattern among abductees: many are unusually intelligent.

“Some of these abductees are geniuses with a capital G. They have photographic memories. I think they were chosen for their brains, although there may have been other reasons. But I have met a lot of damn smart people among them. They choose both men and women, maybe for genetics,” he said.

Despite the trauma, Nickerson continues to engage with the topic, seeking to understand his experiences and those of others who claim similar encounters.