The interest was sparked recently when producers for The History Channel’s “UFO Hunters” television program visited the region to talk about a 30-year-old case that has become known as the “UFO Car.”

They interviewed former Marshall County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Winskowski, who took them on a journey to recall the events.

According to files, it occurred on Aug. 27, 1979. At about 1:40 a.m., Deputy Sheriff Val Johnson reported seeing a bright light in a grove of trees in rural Marshall County. He drove south on Minnesota Highway 220 to investigate, thinking that perhaps a small plane had landed or crashed.

“The next thing Johnson knew,” according to a report in the Stephen Messenger, “the light was shooting directly toward him, moving so fast that its passage seemed almost instantaneous. The last thing he heard was the sound of breaking glass.”

Johnson apparently lost consciousness. When he awoke at 2:19 a.m., he radioed for help. Deputy Winskowski arrived to find the car had been damaged, with a cracked windshield, bent antenna, broken lights and other damage. Both the car’s clock and Johnson’s wristwatch were found to be running 14 minutes slow.

After the incident, Johnson was treated for what a doctor said looked to be from welding burns.

The episode of “UFO Hunters” is expected to be aired in late October.

Also see the UFO Casebook case file, Sheriff Blinded by Light from UFO; Minnesota-1979.

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