Summary: Just before 4 a.m. on March 19, 1992, Patrolman Luis Delgado, 28, of the Haines City, Florida, Police Department frantically radioed his dispatcher. He said that a light had begun following him after he steered his cruiser down a dark street alongside a citrus grove. He requested assistance. His story, which he would tell fellow officers, is a strange one. Delgado said he noticed a rapidly-descending bright green light in his rearview mirror.
Enterior of Vehicle Lit Up: Seconds later the interior of the car lit up as the light moved to his right and began to pace the car at about 40 miles per hour. When he slowed his patrol car, the light maneuvered in front of him. Though it was so brilliant he had to squint, what he saw behind the glow shocked him. It appeared to be a metallic dome-shaped object, about 15 feet wide, hovering over the road.
Dome-Shaped Object Silently Hovers: Delgado pulled his car over to a stop and as he did its engine, lights, and police radio all died. The object continued to silently hover about 10 feet off the pavement and 20 feet in front of his vehicle. Delgado got out of his car and began stepping backward down the street, feeling panic. He noticed that his breath fogged as if it was a cold morning, yet the temperature was 60 degrees.
Patrolman Found Shaking: The object departed silently, and Delgado returned to his patrol car where, he says, the ignition, lights, and police radio all started up again without his assistance. At 3:56 AM, four minutes after Delgado made his distress call, three patrol cars arrived. Sergeant H.L. Bartley found Delgado sitting in his cruiser with the door open. He was shaking.
No Doubt of Delgado's Credibility: Later that morning Delgado underwent both a physical and a psychological examination, neither of which found any evidence of injury or mental abnormality. Sgt. Bartley, now retired from the force, vouches for Delgado's credibility. "I don't doubt he saw something strange out there that morning."
"Strangest Experience": Many years after the incident, Delgado, who did not speak to the media until 1999, thinks every day about what happened to him.
"It's still so vivid in my mind. It was the strangest experience of my life."
Encounter Fits UFO Pattern: Mark Rodeghier, Ph.D., scientific director of the Center for UFO Studies in Chicago, calls Delgado's experience similar to nearly 500 others he has cataloged. "The Delgado encounter fits a pattern we have observed since 1947 of UFOs, whatever they are, adversely affecting engines and electrical systems."
