2nd Update: The Betty and Barney Hill Abduction

The Betty and Barney Hill Abduction

Around 10:30 on the night of Tuesday, September 19, 1961, Betty and Barney Hill were driving along Route 3 through New Hampshire’s White Mountains on their way home from a Niagara Falls vacation when Betty noticed a light moving in the sky. At first, she thought it was nothing more than a falling star, however, it was growing bigger and brighter. Barney pulled into a picnic area just south of Twin Mountain and because they were afraid bears might be foraging in the area, he retrieved a pistol from the trunk. The stop gave Betty the opportunity to observe the “odd shaped” illumination, which was now flashing multicolored lights, through binoculars. When she handed the binoculars to her husband, he initially dismissed the lights as those of a commercial airliner, but when the object suddenly descended in their direction, he changed his mind, quickly started the car and the pair drove toward Franconia Notch.

As they continued their journey toward Portsmouth (their home), the light came ever closer and at one point, passed directly above a restaurant and signal tower atop Cannon Mountain, reappearing near the 48-foot profile of the Old Man of the Mountain. Betty estimated the object was at least 1½ times the length of the profile and appeared to be rotating. Whatever it was, it was now moving erratically, bouncing back and forth in the night sky. As they drove through Franconia Notch, they observed the object seemed to be playing a game of “cat and mouse.”

Then about a mile south of Indian Head, the bright light rapidly descended in their direction, causing Barney to stop the 1957 Chevrolet Belair in the middle of the highway as the huge, silent “thing” hovered approximately 80 to 100 feet above them. Barney grabbed his pistol and the binoculars, got out of the car and observed about eight to 11 humanoid figures in glossy black uniforms and caps peering from the windows of what was obviously a spaceship. Suddenly, in unison, all but one of the creatures moved away from the windows and the remaining figure telepathically communicated the message: “Stay where you are and keep looking.” Then red lights on bat-wing type fins telescoped from the sides of the craft and a structure descended from the bottom. At this point, Barney, in a state a hysteria, called to Betty, “They’re going to capture us!”

Almost immediately, a rhythmic series of beeping or buzzing sounds bounced off their vehicle, causing it to vibrate, and they both experienced a tingling sensation. The otherworldly beings – who were humanoid in shape with grey skin, bald heads, large wraparound eyes, small ears and almost indistinguishable noses – ordered the Hills to accompany them up a ramp into the disc-shaped ship which had a metallic appearance. Once inside, the two were separated and “examined.” The examiner explained to Betty – telepathically – what he was doing as he examined her, cut a lock of her hair and scraped off some of her skin cells. At one point, he thrust a long needle into her naval, which was agonizingly painful, but a humanoid she identified as “the leader,” waved his hand in front of her eyes and the pain disappeared. When the examiner left the room, Betty engaged in conversation with the leader and at one point, picked up a book, which contained rows of strange symbols. The leader explained she could have the book and when she enquired where he was from, he pulled down a map dotted with stars. Following their examinations, the Hills were returned to their car and instructed to wait until the ship departed before continuing their journey home.

It was dawn when the couple arrived in Portsmouth and immediately realized they had lost around two hours, about which they had no memory. In fact, it wasn’t until Betty started having strange dreams that the two began to recall what happened – but they stuck to their claims for the remainder of their lives. Barney Hill died in 1969 of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 46. Betty died in 2004 at the age of 85.