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JULY 31, 1967, CHURCHVILLE, NEW YORK, USA, SIDNEY ZIPKIN:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

On July 31, 1667 in the night, Sidney Zipkin, 50 years old guard at the Churchville park, state of New York, USA, pulled up his truck and came within a hundred feet of a long dark object, roundish in the center, in the main parking lot off North Main Street.

He could see blinking greenish lights underneath, and directed his truck headlights at the object, but could see nothing more than the outline of the object. He saw two small figures in shining black uniforms who ran past his truck, went aboard the object, which took off vertically a minute later and was lost from sight in the night sky.

The story possibly appeared in a local newspaper and was estimated to have insufficient information by the US Air Force person at project Blue Book.

Basic information table:

Narratives:

[Ref. af1:] PROJET BLUE BOOK, US AIR FORCE:

US Air Force's project Blue Book noted on their listing for 1967:

• Date: August 12, 1967.
• Location: Churchville, NY
• Observer: Zipkin
• Evaluation: insufficient information

[Ref. lo2:] CORAL AND JIM LORENZEN:

The authors indicate that on July 31, 1667 in the night, Sidney Zipkin, aged 50 and a guard at the Churchville park, state of New York, came across what he described as a 50 feet long cigar-shaped object, round-in-the-center, in the main parking lot off Main Street. He said that he could see blinking greenish lights underneath, but could see nothing more except the outline of the object.

He directed his headlights on it, and watched two small "midget-like" men who ran past his truck, went aboard the object. A minute later, the UFO took off vertically and was lost to sight in the dark sky. He was questioned, and this revealed that the object was a typical disk with a hump or dome on top.

[Ref. jv1:] JACQUES VALLEE'S "MAGONIA" LISTING:

This listing indicates that on July 31, 1967, at 10:15 p.m., Churchville (New York), "a guard, Sidney Zipkin, 50, was driving through a large parking lot when he observed a cigar-shaped object, 16 m long, with green lights under it, land on the pavement. He stopped his truck within 30 m of the object, with the headlights aimed on it, and was surprised to see two dwarfs dressed in shiny black uniforms rush by the vehicle and enter the craft, which took off straight up." A number, "(184)" seems to indicate a source.

[Ref. ni1:] NICAP WEBSITE:

The NICAP website indicates in their catalog of Occupants cases that on July 31, 1967, in Churchville Park, State of New York, USA, at 11:15 p.m., a guard, Sidney Zipkin, came across an alien craft in the main parking lot off North Main Street. The craft was about 50 feet long, round in the center, with extended sides that gave it the shape of a fat cigar. The witness saw green lights underneath. He stopped his truck about 100 feet away, directing his truck's headlights at the craft. Two midget-like men dressed in shiny black uniforms ran past the truck and boarded the craft, which then ascended vertically.

The entry adds that 4 hours "after Kipzin's experience", the sighting of another UFO over the same area was confirmed by over 30 witnesses.

Sources are indicated to be the Lorenzens' book "UFOs Over the Americas" on page 64 and Ira Adams.

[Ref. rh2:] RICHARD HALL OCCUPANT LISTING:

Based on information contained in his book "The UFO Evidence, Vol. II.", Richard Hall indicates that the case of July 31, 1967 in Churchville, New York, at 10:15 p.m., by witness Sidney Zipkin, was of two small beings, shiny black garb, and a UFO of the Saturn-shaped craft type seen near the ground in his truck's headlights. The beings boarded the craft that took off straight up.

[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

Albert Rosales indicates that in Churchville, state of New York, on July 31, 1967, at 22:15, Sidney Zipkin, a county park employee, was just pulling into County Park parking lot when the lights of his truck fell on an object sitting on the ground. The object was a spherical central body with two extensions on either side tipped with several green lights. Sidney Zipkin saw two black-clad beings appeared in the beams of the truck's lights and made a beeline towards the object, disappearing through a door that closed behind them. They moved very fast. The object then ascended straight up with a hissing noise. Rosales adds that there were attendant sightings in the area on the next several nights, and that the source is Jeffrey J. Gow and James E. Sipprell for NICAP.

[Ref. jb1:] JEROME BEAU:

Jérome Beau indicates that on July 31, 1967 at 10:15 p.m. in Churchville (New York), a 50 years old guard, Sidney Zipkin, "drove in a large parking lot" when he observes an object in the shape of a 16 meters long cigar with green lights under him, "to land on the pavement." He stops his truck within less than 30 meters of the object with the headlights directed at it, and is surprised to see "2 dwarves equipped with shining black uniforms running next to the vehicle and to enter the apparatus, which takes off all straight." The source is indicated as "Vallée 1969, 184".

Points to consider:

It is probable that this witness reported his experience to a journalist and that it then appeared in a local newspaper, at which the Air Force probably did not react much. It is probably a summary of what appeared in the newspaper which was then noted by the ufologists Jim and Coral Lorenzen in their book published shortly afterwards or by NICAP ufologists Jeffrey J. Gow and James E. Sipprell, information which were reprinted with some probable deformations in other ufological publications. The most severe distortion is seemingly by French ufologist Jacques Vallée who mentions the observation of the landing of the object whereas the former sources indicate that the object was seen on the ground and that it was its take-off that was observed.

The duration of the observation is of at least a minute and probably more, the lighting conditions are not very good, the distance of 30 meters, if it is correct, could have resulted in accurate estimates of the dimensions for the object and its occupants.

No investigation report seems available, it is possible or even likely that no investigation whatsoever was carried out.

List of issues:

Evaluation:

Potentially interesting report, but a single witness and not enough known information.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
/ = Source I own but did not use (lent etc.).
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

• [pr1] ? Article in the newspaper "Rochester Democrat and Chronicle", Rochester, NY, USA, August 3, 1967.
• [af1] * "1-19 August 1967 Sightings", listing by Project Blue Book, US Air Force, National Archive and Record Administration (NARA), Maxwell AFB, 1967.
• [lo1] ? "UFOs Over the Americas", book by Jim and Coral Lorenzen, Signet Books, page 64, 1968.
• [lo2] * "UFOs - The Whole Story", book by Jim and Coral Lorenzen, Signet Books, page 277, 1969.
• [ni1] * "Occupants", catalog by the NICAP Website, at www.nicap.dabsol.co.uk/Occupant.htm
• [jv1] * "Un Siècle d'Atterrissages", aka "magonia db", case 860, article by Jacques Vallée in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans la Nuit, #43, April 1970.
• [rh2] / "The UFO Evidence - Vol II", book by Richard H. Hall, Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2001.
• [rh1] * "UFO Occupant Sightings", listing by Richard H. Hall.
• [ar1] * "1967 Humanoid Reports", web page, compiled by Albert Rosales, circa 2000, ufoinfo.com/humanoid/humanoid1967.shtml.
• [jb1] * "1967", web page, compiled by Jérome Beau, circa 2005, www.rr0.org/1967.html

Document history:

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This page was last updated on August 14, 2006