Strange Evidence (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - The Doomsday Swamp - full transcript
A high-speed police chase ends when the fugitive makes an impossible getaway. Deep in Louisiana, a swamp devours 100-foot trees, and experts worry that a nearby town could be next. Three cars are recorded mysteriously levitating a...
Narrator: WORLDWIDE, 300
MILLION SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
ARE WATCHING US.
ON OUR STREETS... AT WORK...
AND IN OUR HOMES.
THEY CAPTURE THINGS THAT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE.
IT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
Narrator: EXPERTS CARRY
OUT FORENSIC ANALYSIS
OF THESE UNUSUAL EVENTS.
THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME
EXPLANATION FOR WHAT'S GOING ON.
[ SCREAMING ]
Narrator: COMING UP, A SWAMP
THREATENS TO SWALLOW AN ENTIRE TOWN...
IT'S A SIGHT I'LL NEVER
FORGET AS LONG AS I LIVE.
CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF HELL ON EARTH.
Narrator: ...A POLICE DASH CAM
CAPTURES A PHANTOM GETAWAY...
I SEE THIS CHAIN LINK FENCE,
AND I SAYS, "OH, MY GOD.
WHERE DID HE GO?"
Narrator: ...SCIENTISTS INVESTIGATE
A GRAVITY-DEFYING TRAFFIC STOP...
THEY'RE NOT OBEYING THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
THERE MUST BE SOMETHING
THAT WE'RE NOT SEEING.
Narrator: ...AND A TRAIL CAMERA
RECORDS A CLOSE ENCOUNTER.
IT MAKES YOU THINK, "IS THERE
SOMETHING WATCHING ALL OF US?"
Narrator: BIZARRE PHENOMENA.
MYSTERIES CAUGHT ON SURVEILLANCE.
WHAT'S THE TRUTH BEHIND
THIS STRANGE EVIDENCE?
A POLICE DASH CAM CAPTURES
A BIZARRE HIGH-SPEED PURSUIT
THROUGH THE BACK ROADS OF GEORGIA.
THIS IS PROBABLY, HANDS-DOWN,
ONE OF THE CRAZIEST CAR
CHASES I'VE EVER BEEN IN.
Narrator: JUST AS THE COPS
CORNER THE RUNAWAY SEDAN,
IT PULLS OFF A PHANTOM ESCAPE.
IT SUDDENLY APPEARS TO DISAPPEAR
THROUGH A CHAIN-LINK FENCE.
WHERE DID IT DISAPPEAR TO?
THAT'S WHAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT.
I WAS LIKE, "NOW, HOW'D HE DO THAT?
♪♪
Narrator: GARDEN CITY,
GEORGIA, APRIL 16th, 2006.
LIEUTENANT WAYNE DANIELS
PATROLS THE STREETS.
IT'S A REGULAR NIGHT.
THERE WAS VERY LITTLE
TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY.
Narrator: OUT OF THE DARKNESS, CAR
HEADLIGHTS SCREAM TOWARDS HIM.
HE WAS GOING WAY TOO FAST.
I FLIPPED A U-TURN, ACCELERATED
RAPIDLY TO CATCH UP TO HIM.
Narrator: DANIELS NEEDS ALL HIS TRAINING
TO STAY WITH THE DAREDEVIL DRIVER.
I'M LIKE, "THIS GUY HAS LOST HIS MIND.
WHAT IS HE ON THAT'S GOT
HIM DRIVING LIKE A MADMAN?"
Narrator: HE CHASES HIM FOR OVER 10 MILES.
Daniels: I KNOW THIS ROAD IS A DEAD END.
THERE WAS NO WAY FOR HIM TO GET OUT.
I GOT FENCES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ROAD,
SO I'M GOOD HERE. I'VE GOT HIM.
Narrator: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
LEAVES DANIELS DUMBFOUNDED.
THIS IS WHERE HE DECIDES
TO MAKE HIS HARD LEFT TURN.
♪♪
AND THE NEXT THING, ALL YOU SEE IS DUST.
AND AS THIS DUST IS CONTINUING TO SETTLE,
I CAN SEE THESE TWO
LITTLE RED LIGHTS BOUNCING,
GOING THROUGH THIS FIELD,
AND I'M LIKE, "OH, MY GOD."
♪♪
A CAR JUST DISAPPEARED
THROUGH A CHAIN-LINK FENCE,
AND I'M LIKE, "HOW'D HE DO THAT?"
♪♪
Narrator: BACK AT THE STATION,
DANIELS REVIEWS THE DASH-CAM FOOTAGE.
THE TAPE CONFIRMS HIS RECOLLECTION.
THE WHITE SEDAN SWERVES OFF THE HIGHWAY.
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, THE CAR
IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A FENCE,
DISAPPEARING INTO THE NIGHT.
SOMEHOW, THE VEHICLE PASSES THROUGH
THIS 10-FOOT-HIGH CHAIN-LINK FENCE
AS IF IT WASN'T THERE.
IT WAS ALMOST AS IF THE CAR DEMATERIALIZED
AND THEN REMATERIALIZED ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE.
THE MIRACLE GETAWAY FOOTAGE GOES ONLINE.
IT GETS MORE THAN 5 MILLION HITS.
IT'S WEIRD, RIGHT? IT'S CREEPY.
PEOPLE ARE LIKE, "WHAT
THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"
Narrator: MANY BELIEVE A
SUPERNATURAL FORCE IS AT PLAY.
LOCALS NAME IT THE GHOST CAR.
♪♪
IT MAY NOT BE SUCH A WILD IDEA.
GARDEN CITY IS A SUBURB OF SAVANNAH,
KNOWN AS AMERICA'S MOST HAUNTED CITY.
♪♪
A WHITE SEDAN DISAPPEARING
THROUGH A CHAIN-LINK FENCE
IN THE VICINITY OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA,
A CITY CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE
ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTED
CITIES IN ALL THE WORLD.
SURELY, THIS IS NO COINCIDENCE.
Narrator: INVESTIGATOR CHASE ANDERSON
KNOWS THE HISTORY OF THIS ILL-FATED PLACE.
IT'S A CITY THAT HAS KNOWN
ITS SHARE OF GREAT TRAGEDIES.
WE'VE HAD THREE MAJOR
YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMICS
THAT HAVE KILLED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
WE HAD THE SECOND BLOODIEST BATTLE
IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
WE HAD THREE MAJOR FIRES THAT
BURNED TWO-THIRDS OF THE CITY.
Narrator: FOR CENTURIES, LOCALS
REPORT STRANGE APPARITIONS
CONNECTED TO THE CITY'S FORGOTTEN DEAD.
Anderson: THE OLD SAYING IS,
"IF YOU KEEP SOMETHING BURIED,
IT MAY COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU."
PERHAPS THIS WHITE SEDAN
IS JUST ONE MORE ANOMALY
CONNECTED WITH ALL THE OTHER ANOMALIES
THAT GO ON HERE IN SAVANNAH.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT LIEUTENANT DANIELS
CONFIRMS THIS IS NO GHOST CAR.
DURING THE CHASE, HIS
PATROL CAR'S HEADLIGHTS
CLEARLY ILLUMINATE THE DRIVER.
Daniels: SO, AT THE POINT, I
KNOW IT WAS A WHITE MALE
WITH BLONDE OR BROWNISH HAIR.
IT WAS OBVIOUS THERE WAS
A HUMAN DRIVING THIS CAR.
THE CAR WAS REAL.
♪♪
THERE HAS TO BE A LOGICAL EXPLANATION.
NO ONE CAN JUST GO
THROUGH A FENCE LIKE THAT.
♪♪
Narrator: DETAILED ANALYSIS OF
THE VIDEO REVEALS THE SEDAN
IS OUT OF SIGHT FOR JUST 1.2 SECONDS,
NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR THE
SUSPECT TO DRIVE AROUND THE FENCE.
Daniels: WHATEVER HAPPENED
WHEN HE LEFT THE ROAD WAY
HAPPENED WITHIN A SPLIT SECOND.
Narrator: LIEUTENANT DANIELS
CONSIDERS THE POSSIBILITY
THAT THE VEHICLE COULD
JUMP CLEAN OVER THE FENCE.
♪♪
HE EXPERIENCED SOMETHING
SIMILAR AS A ROOKIE PATROLMAN.
NEW AREA, HIGH SPEED.
UNKNOWN TO ME, THERE IS A 10-FOOT GULLY
THAT ENDED UP JUMPING ACROSS
COMPLETELY WITH MY PATROL CAR,
AND IT CAME OUT LOOKING LIKE A "V."
♪♪
Narrator: DANIELS BELIEVES THE FELON
SEDAN WOULD SUFFER A SIMILAR FATE.
♪♪
Daniels: THERE'S NO MOUND, NO INCLINE
THAT WOULD GIVE IT THE ANGLE
TO MAKE IT GO OVER THE TOP OF THE FENCE.
SO, I KNOW THE "DUKES OF
HAZARD" THING DOESN'T WORK.
Narrator: SPEED DATA REVEALS THAT
THE GETAWAY CAR ACCELERATES
FROM 20 TO 60 MILES PER
HOUR IN JUST 5 SECONDS,
MUCH FASTER THAN A REGULAR CAR.
WHOEVER'S CAR IT WAS HAD
DONE SOME MODIFICATIONS TO IT
BECAUSE HE WAS ABLE TO PULL
AWAY FROM ME RAPIDLY HERE.
♪♪
Narrator: HOT-ROD MECHANIC ALEX
TUASON ANALYZES THE HIGH-SPEED PURSUIT.
HE CONFIRMS THE VEHICLE
IS NO ORDINARY SEDAN.
YEAH, THERE'S SO MUCH STUFF
YOU CAN DO TO OUTRUN COPS...
SUPER CHARGER, TURBO, NITROUS.
IT'S DEFINITELY GOING TO MAKE THINGS
A LITTLE TOUGHER FOR POLICE OFFICERS.
Narrator: BUT THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN
HOW THE SEDAN GETS OVER THE FENCE.
TUASON CONSIDERS IF THE
VEHICLE HAS UNDERGONE
AN EVEN MORE RADICAL MODIFICATION.
IN ORDER TO MAKE A CAR COME OFF
THE GROUND OR HOP OVER A FENCE,
WE'RE GOING TO NEED A
MASSIVE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM
WITH A LOT OF POWER.
♪♪
Narrator: TUASON SPECIALIZES IN
MAKING EXACTLY THAT KIND OF VEHICLE.
HE MAKES LOW-RIDERS THAT CAN JUMP
AND ADAPTS A CAR TO TEST
IF IT'S CAPABLE OF CLEARING
A 10-FOOT HIGH FENCE.
WE'LL BE USING THIS 1982 MALIBU CLASSIC.
THIS CAR WEIGHED ABOUT 2,500
POUNDS BONE-STOCK FROM FACTORY.
Narrator: HE MODIFIES THE
SUSPENSION WITH HYDRAULIC RAMS
THAT THRUST OUT 14 INCHES,
PUNCHING THE VEHICLE INTO THE AIR.
IT'S A FEW MAIN COMPONENTS
...BATTERIES, PUMPS,
HIGH-PRESSURE LINES, AND CYLINDERS.
PRETTY MUCH, THE OIL JUST
TRANSFERS FROM A RESERVOIR
ALL THE WAY TO THE FRONT
MAKING THE CAR INSTANTANEOUS
JUST COME OFF THE GROUND.
Narrator: THE SIZE OF THE BATTERY PACK
DETERMINES HOW HIGH
THIS LOW-RIDER WILL JUMP.
IT'S ABOUT 12 BATTERIES IN HERE.
IT'S ABOUT 65 POUNDS A PIECE.
I'M NOT GOOD AT MATH,
BUT THAT'S A LOT OF WEIGHT.
HE PACKS THE TRUNK WITH ENOUGH
POWER TO RUN A HOUSE FOR A DAY.
CHRIS, GO AHEAD. HIT IT.
♪♪
Narrator: THE FRONT OF THE CAR
RISES OVER 12 FEET INTO THE AIR,
HIGH ENOUGH TO CLEAR
THE FENCE IN GEORGIA...
♪♪
...BUT THERE IS A PROBLEM.
TO GET ALL FOUR WHEELS OFF THE GROUND
AND OVER A FENCE REQUIRES MORE BATTERIES
THAN THE VEHICLE CAN CARRY.
YOU SEE WHAT IT TAKES TO GET
JUST TWO WHEELS OFF THE GROUND,
LET ALONE ALL FOUR,
ESPECIALLY WHILE DOING
IT WHILE OUTRUNNING COPS.
NO WAY THAT CAR IS HOPPING OVER THAT FENCE.
♪♪
Narrator: COMING UP, A
TREE-SWALLOWING SWAMP
TERRORIZES A RURAL COMMUNITY...
THAT WAS A PHENOMENON THAT
SCARED PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR WITS.
Narrator: ...LEVITATING
CARS BAFFLES SCIENTISTS...
VEHICLES ARE BEING LIFTED UP INTO THE AIR.
THAT IS AN OBVIOUS MYSTERY.
...AND INVESTIGATORS
DISCOVER A SECRET ROUTE
THAT MAY EXPLAIN THE MIRACLE GETAWAY.
Anderson: IT'S POSSIBLE
THAT THE SEDAN IS JUST
MAKING USE OF AN ALTERNATE ROUTE,
OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY HERE IN SAVANNAH.
♪♪
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
ARE PIECING TOGETHER
HOW A WHITE SEDAN CAN DISAPPEAR
THROUGH A 10-FOOT-HIGH FENCE
IN GARDEN CITY, GEORGIA.
♪♪
HISTORIAN JEFFREY WELLS THINKS
THE STATE'S LONG ASSOCIATION
WITH SMUGGLING COULD BE SIGNIFICANT.
Wells: THE BOOT-LEGGING INDUSTRY IN GEORGIA
HAS SPAWNED A WHOLE
NETWORK OF SECRET PASSAGEWAYS
AND SECRET TUNNELS THAT THESE BOOTLEGGERS
ACTUALLY WOULD USE TO AVOID CAPTURE.
♪♪
Narrator: IF ONE OF THESE TUNNELS
RUNS ALONG THE ROADSIDE,
THERE COULD BE A GAP UNDER
THE FENCE LARGE ENOUGH
FOR THE SEDAN TO DRIVE THROUGH.
LIEUTENANT DANIELS EXAMINES
THE AREA AROUND THE FENCE.
YOU CAN SEE THE DITCH
THAT HE BOUNCED THROUGH.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS SOLID GROUND.
THERE'S NO TUNNELS THAT ALLOWS THE CAR
TO GO UNDERNEATH THE FENCE.
IT'S OBVIOUS IT'S SOLID GROUND.
IT DID NOT GO UNDER THE FENCE AT ALL.
Narrator: DANIELS' RECON OF THE
AREA POINTS TO ONE CONCLUSION...
IT LOOKS LIKE THE CAR MUST HAVE
SOMEHOW GONE THROUGH THE FENCE,
BUT CHASE ANDERSON HAS A
PROBLEM WITH THIS THEORY.
NORMALLY, WHEN CAR HITS A
FENCE, THE FENCE IS IS CRUMPLED
OR THERE IS A GAPING HOLE IN THE FENCE.
THERE WAS NEITHER.
♪♪
Narrator: DANIELS LOOKS FOR
SIGNS OF ANYTHING UNUSUAL
IN THE FENCE CONSTRUCTION.
WHAT YOU GOT HERE IS THE SIDE POLE,
BUT YOU GOT A TOP RAIL TO
KEEP IT FROM FALLING DOWN.
Narrator: THE STEEL-CHAIN
MESH ATTACHES TO THE POLES
AND TOP RAIL WITH ALUMINUM TIES.
DANIELS FINDS VITAL CLUES
ALONG THE SIDE POLES.
Daniels: HE HAD POPPED THESE
ALUMINUM TIES ON THE SIDE POLES.
♪♪
Narrator: THE SEDAN DRIVES
BETWEEN THE TWO POLES,
HITS THE FENCE, BREAKING THE ALUMINUM TIES.
THE CAR HOOD SWINGS THE FENCE UP.
ONCE THE CAR IS ON THE OTHER SIDE,
THE FENCE SWINGS BACK DOWN.
Wells: IT ALMOST SEEMS AS
IF THE DRIVER IS A MAGICIAN.
LIKE A TRAP DOOR, HE
JUST LIFTS UP THE FENCE,
DRIVES THROUGH IT, AND LOWERS IT AGAIN.
Narrator: LIEUTENANT DANIELS
CAN ONLY WATCH IN FRUSTRATION
AS THE FUGITIVE DISAPPEARS INTO THE NIGHT.
HE ABANDONED THE VEHICLE AND FLED ON FOOT.
IT MADE ME FEEL MAD BECAUSE I
KNEW I HAD HIM TO NOW HE'S GONE.
Narrator: DANIELS CONTINUES HIS
SEARCH FOR GARDEN CITY'S MOST WANTED.
Daniels: AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT IN TIME,
WE STILL HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO CAPTURE HIM.
♪♪
♪♪
NOW CAMERAS CAPTURE A
SWAMP COMING TO LIFE IN LOUISIANA.
IT WAS LIKE, "WOW."
WHOLE CYPRESS TREES, 100-FOOT TALL,
JUST BEING SUCKED DOWN TO GOD KNOWS WHERE.
IF SOMETHING CAN MAKE TREES DISAPPEAR,
IT CAN ALSO KIND OF MAKE YOU DISAPPEAR.
VERY DANGEROUS. VERY SCARY.
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
RACE TO FIND THE SOURCE
OF THIS TERRIFYING MENACE.
WHAT'S GOING ON UNDERNEATH THIS SWAMP?
♪♪
Narrator: BAYOU CORN, LOUISIANA,
A PICTURESQUE FISHING TOWN
NESTLED IN THE HEART OF THE SWAMPLANDS.
♪♪
Boudreaux: BAYOU CORN IS A PRISTINE AREA.
WE HAVE LOTS OF GATORS, BIRDS, WILDLIFE.
LOCAL RESIDENTS LOVE THIS AREA
AND WOULD NOT LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE.
Narrator: AUGUST 2013...
LOCAL HOMELAND SECURITY
AGENT JOHN BOUDREAUX
INVESTIGATES A MYSTERIOUS
PHENOMENON DEEP IN THE SWAMP.
Boudreaux: SOME OF THE
RESIDENTS CONTACT US TO SAY
THERE WAS SOMETHING
HAPPENING IN THE THE SWAMP AREAS.
Narrator: WHAT HE SEES
STOPS HIM IN HIS TRACKS.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, I HEARD SOME
BRANCHES BREAKING ON SOME TREES,
STARTED VIDEOING THE
SITE, FOCUSED IN ON THAT.
♪♪
THIS MASSIVE GROUP OF CYPRESS
TREES WENT STRAIGHT DOWN.
IT ALL GOT SUCKED IN WITHIN SECONDS.
THE WAVE ACTION THAT OCCURRED
AFTERWARDS WAS QUITE AMAZING.
♪♪
WELL, I JUST FIND THIS A
COMPLETELY TERRIFYING VIDEO.
THE TREES KIND OF COLLAPSE,
AND IT ALMOST MAKES YOU FEEL
THAT THERE IS SOME NASTY
SWAMP CREATURE UNDERNEATH,
WHICH HAS SWALLOWED THOSE TREES.
Narrator: THE SINKING TREES DESTROY
AN ORANGE OIL CONTAINMENT BARRIER.
IT MUST HAVE SEEMED,
IF YOU WERE RIGHT THERE,
LIKE THE WORLD WAS ABOUT TO END.
♪♪
Narrator: THE NIGHTMARISH
SWAMP DEVOURS EVERYTHING.
IT INCHES CLOSER AND CLOSER
TO THE TOWN OF BAYOU CORN.
RESIDENT DENNIS LANDRY FEARS
THAT HIS HOUSE WILL BE NEXT.
Landry: PEOPLE WERE SCARED TO DEATH.
IT WAS GOING TO START MARCHING
TOWARDS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD,
AND IT WOULD START SWALLOWING HOMES.
AND I DID START GETTING
A SENSE THAT, YOU KNOW,
THIS COULD BE THE DEATH
BLOW TO OUR COMMUNITY.
♪♪
Narrator: AGENT JOHN BOUDREAUX
DECLARES A STATE EMERGENCY.
Boudreaux: WE SETUP A MANDATORY
EVACUATION A MILE IN EACH DIRECTION.
THAT WAS 159 FAMILIES,
ABOUT 350 PEOPLE, THAT
LIVED NEAR THIS SITE,
AND THEY WERE EVACUATED FROM THEIR HOME.
♪♪
Narrator: LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL
AGENTS STUDY THE SWAMP.
THEY RULE OUT QUICKSAND,
FLOODING, OR A LANDSLIDE
AS THE CAUSE OF THE DISASTER,
BUT THEY UNCOVER A POTENTIAL NEW THREAT.
♪♪
THEY WIND THE CLOCK BACK
LOOKING FOR ANY UNUSUAL ACTIVITY
IN THE SWAMP BEFORE THE TERRIFYING EVENT.
LOCAL RESIDENT DENNIS LANDRY RECALLS
SEEING STRANGE MOVEMENTS
ON THE WATER'S SURFACE.
Landry: IT WAS A VERY UNUSUAL BUBBLING.
I LOOKED AT IT AND SAID,
"HMM. THIS DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT."
THEN, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE
STARTED SEEING BUBBLING
SITES ALL OVER THE BAYOU.
THERE WERE SOME PRETTY SCARY DAYS
BECAUSE NOBODY KNEW FOR
SURE WHAT WAS GOING ON.
GEOLOGIST JOHN JOHNSTON
ANALYZES THE WEIRD BUBBLING.
HE FINDS THE SWAMPS IS RELEASING METHANE,
A HIGHLY FLAMMABLE GAS.
Johnston: IF A SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT REACHES THE SURFACE
AND IF THERE WAS A SPARK,
YOU COULD HAVE A
CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF FLAME.
IT COULD KILL THEM IF
THEY WERE STANDING THERE.
Narrator: BUT JOHNSTON'S
MEASUREMENTS REVEAL
SOMETHING EVEN MORE TROUBLING.
THE AMOUNT OF NATURAL
GAS WE BELIEVED ESCAPED
INITIALLY WAS ABOUT A BILLION CUBIC FEET.
THAT'S AN AWFUL LOT OF GAS.
Narrator: IT'S ENOUGH METHANE
TO CAUSE AN EXPLOSIVE
TWICE AS POWERFUL AS THE
BOMB DROPPED ON HIROSHIMA.
♪♪
JOHNSTON EXPECTS A GAS LEAK
IS TRIGGERING THE
SWAMP'S DESTRUCTIVE TRAIL.
HE CHECKS LOCAL RECORDS
AND DISCOVERS FOUR GAS
PIPELINES RUNNING UNDER THE SWAMP.
JOHNSTON ANALYZES THE GASES TO FIGURE OUT
IF THERE IS A MAJOR PIPE LEAK.
WE DID GAS FINGERPRINTS ON ALL OF THE GASES
FROM THE VARIOUS PIPELINES,
AND NONE OF THEM MATCHED.
IT WAS NOT THEIR PIPELINES LEAKING THE GAS.
THAT'S QUITE SHOCKING, BECAUSE
I WOULD HAVE BET ANYTHING
THAT WE HAD A PIPELINE LEAK.
WE WISH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
JUST THE PIPELINE LEAKING
BECAUSE IT TURNED OUT TO BE
SOMETHING FAR MORE SINISTER.
♪♪
Narrator: COMING UP,
GRAVITY-DEFYING VEHICLES...
THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME KIND OF MECHANISM.
BUT WHAT COULD IT BE?
Narrator: ...AND EXPERTS
FACE A TERRIFYING POSSIBILITY
AS THEY RACE TO SOLVE THE
MYSTERY OF THE DEADLY SWAMP.
ONE OF THE RESIDENTS CONTACT
US TO SAY THAT THEY FELT TREMORS.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT INFORMATION?
♪♪
Narrator: EXPERTS MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH
IN THE LOUISIANA SWAMP MYSTERY.
LOCAL RESIDENTS REPORT
UNUSUAL SUBTERRANEAN MOVEMENT
AT THE SAME TIME AS THE TREE COLLAPSE.
Landry: PLENTY OF MY
NEIGHBORS FELT SEISMIC ACTIVITY.
THE GROUND WAS SHAKING, AND
THAT REALLY SCARED THE DAYLIGHTS
OUT OF A LOT OF PEOPLE.
♪♪
Narrator: SCIENTISTS FROM
THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
CONFIRM TREMORS ORIGINATING
5,000 FEET BELOW THE DISASTER AREA,
THE EXACT SITE OF AN
USUAL GEOLOGICAL FEATURE.
IT BECAME OBVIOUS THE
EPICENTER OF THE EARTHQUAKES
WAS A SALT DOME CAVERN.
Narrator: THE SALT DOME LIES
DIRECTLY UNDER BAYOU CORN.
IT'S A NATURAL DEPOSIT OF SALT
OVER 2 MILES HIGH AND 2 MILES WIDE.
A HUGE OPERATION MINES
THIS VALUABLE RESOURCE.
♪♪
CHEMIST ANDREA SELLA FROM
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
IS AN EXPERT ON MINING TECHNIQUES.
ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO MINE IT
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEND
MINERS DOWN UNDERGROUND
IS SIMPLY TO EXPLOIT THE FACT
THAT THE SALT IS WATER-SOLUBLE.
Narrator: HE SUSPECTS THIS
METHOD COULD HAVE TRIGGERED
THE BAYOU CORN DISASTER.
WHAT YOU CAN DO IS YOU COULD
SQUIRT HOT WATER UNDERGROUND,
AND AS YOU DO SO, THE
SALT DISSOLVES TO FORM
A VERY, VERY CONCENTRATED
BRINE, WHICH YOU CAN THEN WITHDRAW,
BUT THE RESULT IS THAT YOU
LEAVE HOLE UNDERGROUND.
Narrator: OVER 50 CAVERNS
RUN THROUGH THIS SALT DOME,
SOME TWICE THE HEIGHT OF
THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING.
Sella: WHAT YOU CAUSE IS
A GRADUAL UNDERMINING
OF THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
OF THE DEPOSIT ITSELF,
AND POTENTIALLY, THAT CAN LEAD
TO A STRUCTURAL WEAKNESS ABOVE.
Narrator: SELLA CREATES A SMALL-SCALE MODEL
OF A SALT DOME TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN A CAVERN COLLAPSES.
ON THE TOP, YOU'VE GOT
THE LAYER OF SAND, OF MUD,
BUT THEN DOWN BELOW IT IS THE SALT DOME.
LET'S SEE IF WE COULD DO OUR
OWN BIT OF SALTWATER MINING,
AND I'M GOING TO POUR
HOT WATER IN AT THE TOP.
♪♪
Narrator: SALT CRYSTALS RAPIDLY
DISSOLVE INTO A SOLUTION.
Sella: THERE. IT'S STARTING TO MOVE.
YOU CAN START TO SEE IT MOVING.
YOU CAN REALLY SEE A DROP
IN THE LEVEL, AND AS A RESULT,
WHAT WE SEE IS THAT DISASTROUS
CHANGE IN THE INTEGRITY,
THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY.
Narrator: SCALE IT UP 30,000
TIMES, A CAVERN COLLAPSE
WOULD DEVOUR HUNDREDS
OF FEET OF SOLID GROUND.
YOU DON'T WANT YOUR HOUSE
TO BE RIGHT ON TOP OF THAT.
♪♪
HOMELAND SECURITY AGENT JOHN BOUDREAUX
DISCOVERS THERE IS A CAVERN
DIRECTLY BELOW THE DISASTER SITE,
BUT IT'S BEEN SEALED SHUT FOR YEARS.
ENGINEERS MOVE IN TO REOPEN THE CAVERN.
TOOK THEM APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS
TO DRILL BACK INTO THE CAVERN,
AND THEY FOUND THAT THAT
CAVERN HAD, INDEED, FAILED.
♪♪
Narrator: EXPERTS CONCLUDE
THAT THE COLLAPSING CAVERN
CREATES A MASSIVE SINKHOLE,
SWALLOWING 37 ACRES OF SWAMPLAND,
THE EQUIVALENT OF 15 CITY BLOCKS.
Boudreaux: THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED EVENT.
THIS SINKHOLE AND THIS CAVERN COLLAPSE
HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN WORLD HISTORY.
♪♪
WHEN I FLEW OVER THE
SINKHOLE, AND I SAW IT MYSELF,
THAT WAS THE SHOCK OF A LIFETIME.
YOU LOOKED AT THOSE CYPRESS
TREES AND TIPPALOW GUMTREE
FLOATING, FLIPPED OVER, UPSIDE DOWN.
I CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF
HELL... HELL ON EARTH.
♪♪
Narrator: NOW SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS CAPTURE
A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT THAT
DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
VEHICLES WEIGHING THOUSANDS OF POUNDS
BEING TOSSED IN THE AIR LIKE SMALL TOYS.
IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE THERE IS NO GRAVITY.
IT'S TRULY BIZARRE.
Narrator: COULD A POWERFUL
ENERGY FORCE BE ON THE VERGE
OF UNLEASHING CHAOS ON THE STREETS?
Man: THERE'S GOT TO BE
SOME KIND OF MECHANISM.
BUT WHAT COULD IT BE?
♪♪
Narrator: XINGTAI, CHINA...
AN INDUSTRIAL POWERHOUSE
AND HOME TO 7 MILLION RESIDENTS.
♪♪
NOVEMBER 27th, 2015, 9 A.M...
20,000 SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
MONITOR THE MORNING COMMUTE.
BUT THEN, ONE CAMERA CAPTURES
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.
♪♪
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THESE
CARS LEVITATE IN THE AIR
AND MOVE ABOUT LIKE SOMETHING
SUPERNATURAL IS GOING ON.
IN MY CAREER, I'VE SEEN A
LOT OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS,
BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.
IT'S ALMOST GRACEFUL, IN A WAY.
Narrator: THE GRAVITY-DEFYING STOP
IS NO ORDINARY TRAFFIC COLLISION.
THE CARS DIDN'T SEEM TO
STRIKE EACH OTHER AT ALL.
JUST SEEMS LIKE THERE IS SOMETHING
ALMOST MAGICAL HAPPENING HERE.
♪♪
Narrator: WHATEVER IT IS, IT HAS THE POWER
TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLES
AND LIFT THEM CLEAN OFF THE GROUND.
AN INVISIBLE FORCE
APPEARS TO BE AT WORK HERE.
BUT WHAT COULD IT BE?
Narrator: COMING UP...
A UFO DESCENDS ON A REMOTE RANCH...
Stephens: VERY STRANGE.
WAS THERE SOMETHING
FLYING AROUND THAT NIGHT?
Narrator: ...AND SCIENTISTS
FEAR LEVITATING VEHICLES
ARE A SIGN OF IMPENDING DISASTER.
OH, OKAY. WE'RE GOING IN
FOR ONE OF THESE BIG EARTHQUAKES AGAIN.
♪♪
Narrator: EXPERTS ARE STUNNED
BY THE WORLD'S WEIRDEST TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
IN ONE OF CHINA'S BUSIEST CITIES.
THE QUESTIONS THAT MAYBE
SPRING TO MIND IS IS THIS A FAKE
OR IS THERE SOME SORT OF ELABORATE TRICK?
Narrator: CHINESE AUTHORITIES
CONFIRM THE VIDEO IS REAL.
♪♪
EXPERT CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY
THAT THE INVISIBLE FORCE
MAY ORIGINATE UNDERGROUND.
♪♪
SEISMOLOGIST QIAN ZHOU FROM
THE PALACE MUSEUM IN BEIJING
KEEPS A CLOSE WATCH ON
THE GROUND UNDER XINGTAI.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
Narrator: XINGTAI SITS ON A
250-MILE LONG ACTIVE FAULT LINE.
IN MARCH 1966, THE CITY IS ROCKED
BY A SERIES OF FIVE MASSIVE EARTHQUAKES.
[ ZHOU SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
Narrator: THE GROUND SHAKES FOR 20 DAYS.
FIVE MILLION HOMES ARE DESTROYED.
OVER 8,000 RESIDENTS LOSE THEIR LIVES.
THE FACT THERE HAS BEEN SOME VERY BIG
AND VERY DEADLY
EARTHQUAKES HERE IN THE PAST,
WHEN YOU START TO SEE VEHICLES
MOVING VERY VIOLENTLY LIKE THAT,
YOU MIGHT IMMEDIATELY THINK, "OH, OKAY.
WE'RE GOING IN FOR ONE OF
THESE BIG EARTHQUAKES AGAIN."
Narrator: EARTHQUAKES DON'T
USUALLY MAKE THINGS LEVITATE,
BUT FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALS THERE IS
ONE RARE TYPE OF QUAKE
THAT COULD BE THE CULPRIT.
IT'S CALLED A SURFACE WAVE,
SIMILAR IN BEHAVIOR TO RIPPLING WATER.
Bell: THESE SURFACE WAVES
CAN CAUSE THE GROUND
TO ROLL VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY,
AND IT'S THAT TYPE OF MOTION
THAT COULD CAUSE CARS
TO BE FLIPPED UP INTO THE AIR.
Narrator: XINGTAI RESIDENTS
LIVE IN FEAR OF THE NEXT BIG ONE.
THE SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE MAY BE A SIGN
THAT ANOTHER DEADLY
NATURAL DISASTER IS IMMINENT.
BUT MATERIAL SCIENTIST
KISHORE HARI NOTICES SOMETHING
ABOUT THE WAY EVERYTHING
ELSE IN THE VIDEO REACTS
THAT CASTS DOUBT ON THE QUAKE THEORY.
Hari: ALL OF THE OTHER
ITEMS AROUND THE CARS,
THE PEDESTRIANS WALKING ACROSS THE STREET,
THE OTHER CARS SUFFER NO MOTION WHATSOEVER.
IT WOULD BE NEARLY
IMPOSSIBLE FOR AN EARTHQUAKE
TO BE LOCALIZED JUST TO THESE THREE CARS.
SO, AT THIS POINT, I CAN'T
IMAGINE IT WAS AN EARTHQUAKE.
Narrator: YET EXPERTS ARE CONVINCED
THAT WHATEVER THE INVISIBLE FORCE IS,
IT MUST ORIGINATE BENEATH THE GROUND.
ENGINEER BRIAN WOLSHON
SUSPECTS SOME KIND OF PRESSURE
MAY BE RISING UP.
IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE
THERE IS AIR RUSHING UP
FROM UNDER THESE VEHICLES TO
PICK THEM UP OFF THE ROADWAY.
PEOPLE DON'T THINK OF
AIR AS BEING DANGEROUS,
BUT WHEN YOU COMPRESS AIR,
IT CAN ACTUALLY LIFT
ANYTHING THAT'S ABOVE IT,
EVEN A CAR.
I MEAN, TORNADOES LIFT THINGS ALL THE TIME.
Narrator: THE MOST POWERFUL
TORNADOES HAVE WIND SPEEDS
IN EXCESS OF 200 MILES PER HOUR.
THEY CAN LIFT VEHICLES AND BUILDINGS
HUNDREDS OF FEET INTO THE AIR.
♪♪
GEOLOGIST SIAN PROCTOR
BELIEVES A BLAST OF AIR
RUSHING UP FROM THE
UNDERGROUND SEWER SYSTEM
COULD BE POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO LIFT THE VEHICLES.
♪♪
FLOOD WATER ENTERING THE SYSTEM
PROVIDES THE FORCE TO THRUST THE AIR UP.
WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
IS ALL THE AIR THAT WAS
ALREADY IN THE SEWER SYSTEM
IS GOING TO BECOME COMPRESSED.
Narrator: IF THE THEORY IS
RIGHT, HIGH-PRESSURE AIR
SHOULD BLAST OUT WHEREVER
THERE IS AN OPENING TO THE SURFACE.
MAYBE IT HAS THE POWER
TO LIFE THOSE AUTOMOBILES.
♪♪
PROCTOR BUILDS A RIG TO TEST THE CONCEPT.
THIS IS MY SEWER SYSTEM.
IT'S JUST TURNED VERTICAL,
AND AT THE BOTTOM HERE,
I HAVE A HOSE THAT IS
GOING TO PUT WATER IN.
Narrator: A DISC SEALS THE
OTHER END OF THE PIPE.
SO, WATER IS NOW GOING TO
START COMING IN FROM THE BASE
INTO OUR CYLINDER, AND IT'S FILLING UP,
AND IT'S COMPRESSING
ALL OF THIS AIR AHEAD OF IT.
Narrator: THE WATER SQUEEZES THE
AIR TO HALF ITS ORIGINAL VOLUME.
Proctor: WELL, HERE IT GOES.
♪♪
WHOA!
Narrator: THE PRESSURIZED
AIR BLASTS THE DISC OFF
AT OVER 100 MILES PER HOUR.
SO, WOW, YOU CAN SEE THE
FORCE THAT COMPRESSED AIR HAS.
AND IF YOU TAKE THAT,
AND YOU APPLY IT TO A CITY,
YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT IT'S ENOUGH
AIR THAT IS BEING COMPRESSED
TO ACTUALLY LIFT A CAR UP OFF THE GROUND.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT KISHORE HARI
SPOTS AN INCONSISTENCY.
HE FOCUSES ON THE ACTION OF THE VEHICLES.
IF AIR WAS RUSHING OUT OF
THE GROUND AT A RAPID RATE,
FIRST OF ALL, WE'D SEE
SOME SORT OF VISUAL SIGN
OF THAT AIR COMING OUT,
BUT SECOND OF ALL, IT WOULD
PUSH IN THE SAME DIRECTION.
BOTH THE CARS WOULD HAVE A SIMILAR EFFECT
OF BEING EITHER PUSHED APART
OR SORT OF PUSHED TOGETHER
AS THAT AIR CAME IN CONTACT WITH THEM.
♪♪
Narrator: COMING UP,
A MYSTERIOUS FLYING OBJECT
TERRORIZES A SMALL TOWN...
SOMETHING VERY STRANGE
IS DEFINITELY GOING ON
IN JACKSON COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI.
Narrator: ...AND EXPERTS
MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH
IN THE MYSTERY OF THE LEVITATING CARS.
YOU WERE NATURALLY DRAWN TO
THIS COOL, CRAZY THING HAPPENING,
AND YOU COMPLETELY IGNORE
THERE IS A STREET SWEEPER
MOVING IN THE OPPOSITE
DIRECTION OF THESE CARS.
♪♪
Narrator: SCIENTISTS DISCOVER
A VITAL CLUE IN THEIR SEARCH
TO EXPLAIN THE MYSTERIOUS
LEVITATING CARS IN CHINA.
PHYSICIST DIANNA COWERN
NOTICES THERE IS AN ORDER
TO THE VEHICLES STRANGE ACROBATICS.
Cowern: THE VAN ON THE
LEFT GETS CAUGHT FIRST,
AND THEN THE VAN JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THAT,
AND THE CAR ON THE FAR RIGHT.
SO, IT'S LIKE, "BOOM, BOOM, BOOM."
RIGHT IN ORDER THEY'RE
GETTING HUNG UP ON SOMETHING.
Hari: THE CARS DEFINITELY
SEEM TO HAND IN PLACE
FOR THE BRIEFEST MOMENT
BEFORE CHANGING DIRECTION.
IT'S ALMOST AS IF IT HITS A TRIP WIRE,
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT HE HAVE HERE.
Narrator: ENHANCING THE SURVEILLANCE TAPE
REVEALS A CABLE LYING ACROSS THE ROAD
JUST BEFORE THE CARS LIFT OFF THE GROUND.
ONE END OF THE CABLE IS ATTACHES
TO A POST BY THE ROADSIDE.
THE OTHER END SNAGS IN THE SPINNING BRUSHES
OF A ROAD SWEEPER ON THE
OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
THE SWEEPER IS ACTUALLY
PULLING THAT CABLE TAUT,
LIFTING IT UP IN THE AIR.
Narrator: THE MINI VAN
APPROACHES THE JUNCTION
AND DRIVES RIGHT INTO THE INVISIBLE WIRE.
Wolshon: THEN AFTER THAT,
WE SEE A CHAIN REACTION
THAT LITERALLY LIFTS ALL OF
THOSE VEHICLES INTO THE AIR.
Narrator: THE THIN CABLE
CREATES A PERFECT ILLUSION.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES THIS MYSTERY
REALLY HARD TO SOLVE
IS THAT IN THE LOW-RESOLUTION THAT WE HAVE,
DOESN'T ALLOW US TO SEE THE WIRE
ATTACHED TO THE STREET SWEEPER ITSELF.
Narrator: XINGTAI'S GRAVITY
APPEARS TO BE INTACT,
BUT THE LAWS OF PHYSICS CAN
STILL CREATE INCREDIBLE EVENTS.
STEEL WIRE BEING ABLE TO LIFT
THREE CARS, THAT'S IMPRESSIVE.
♪♪
Narrator: NOW A TRAIL CAMERA
CAPTURES STRANGE LIGHTS
HOVERING IN THE FORESTS OF MISSISSIPPI.
THIS WAS THE MOST UNUSUAL
THING THAT I HAD EVER SEEN.
Narrator: SOME SUSPECT IT'S
EVIDENCE OF A CLOSE ENCOUNTER.
COULD THIS BE A DEER CAUGHT
IN THE HEADLIGHTS OF A UFO?
♪♪
Narrator: JACKSON COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI.
♪♪
FEBRUARY 16th, 2014.
RAINER SHATTLES POSITIONS TRAIL
CAMS ACROSS HIS REMOTE FARM.
♪♪
Rainer: I PUT TRAIL CAMERAS UP
TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT GAME COMES IN
OR WHAT SHOWS UP AT NIGHT.
TYPICALLY, THE GAME ANIMALS
ARE DEER, NOCTURNAL FEEDERS.
♪♪
Narrator: THE NEXT MORNING, RAINER'S
WIFE, EDITH, REVIEWS THE MATERIAL.
SHE DISCOVERS A SEQUENCE
OF UNEARTHLY IMAGES.
I LOOKED AT THEM BACK AND FORTH
BECAUSE I JUST DIDN'T
KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF IT.
Narrator: 7:56 P.M.,
TWO BRIGHT DOTS APPEAR
AT THE EDGE OF A CLEARING.
MY EYES CAUGHT STRANGE LIGHTS IN THE TREES.
I THOUGHT, "WHAT IN THE WORLD?
HOW COULD THERE BE LIGHTS IN THE TREES?"
Narrator: 8:09 P.M.,
THE MYSTERIOUS OBJECT
MOVES TOWARDS THE CAMERA,
A SPINE-TINGLING IMAGE TAKES SHAPE.
Edith: IT APPEARED TO
BE OF A FLYING SAUCER.
IT HAD THIS EXHAUST APPEARANCE ON IT.
Narrator: SECONDS LATER, THE LIGHTS APPEAR
DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE
CAMERA, HOVERING IN MIDAIR.
A DEER SEEMS TRANSFIXED,
CAUGHT IN THE GLARE
OF THE POWERFUL LIGHT BEAMS.
Edith: I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I WAS SHOCKED.
Narrator: AND THEN THE LIGHTS ARE GONE.
THAT'S ADDED TO THE ODDNESS OF IT.
IT WAS A MYSTERY.
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS
THAT WAS ON OUR PROPERTY.
♪♪
Narrator: EDITH AND RAINER
SHATTLES HAVE CAPTURED
WHAT LOOKS LIKE AN ALIEN
VISITATION ON THEIR TRAIL CAMS.
WHEN WE TOLD OUR FRIENDS ABOUT THIS,
MOST EVERYONE WAS JUST LIKE,
"MAN, HAVE YOU GOT A
U.F.O. ON YOUR PROPERTY?"
Farrow: THIS ISN'T THE FIRST
TIME THAT STRANGE LIGHTS
HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THIS AREA.
IT ALMOST KIND OF HAS A
HISTORY OF CLOSE ENCOUNTERS.
Narrator: THE LIGHTS IN THE SHATTLES IMAGES
MATCH THE DESCRIPTION OF
AN INFAMOUS LOCAL SIGHTING.
THERE'S A STORY OF AN INCIDENT
THAT OCCURRED DOWN IN PASCAGOULA,
WHICH IS ABOUT 20 MILES FROM WHERE WE LIVE.
Narrator: OCTOBER 1973,
FISHERMEN WITNESSED TWO
POWERFUL BRIGHT LIGHTS
ILLUMINATING THE NIGHT SKY.
ONE OF THEM SEES AN ALIEN CRAFT.
HE SEES THESE FIGURES THAT ARE KIND OF
WRINKLED-LOOKING HUMANOID TYPES,
AND HE HEARD A SORT OF BUZZING NOISE.
Narrator: THE TWO MEN
CLAIM THAT ALIENS ABDUCT
AND HOLD THEM FOR THREE HOURS.
THE PASCAGOULA ABDUCTION
HAS BEEN CONSIDERED
AS A VERY GOOD CASE OF ALIEN ABDUCTION.
Narrator: RAINER SHATTLES
BELIEVES HIS VISITORS
COME FROM MUCH CLOSER TO HOME.
PEOPLE IN THE MILITARY HAVE TOLD ME
THEY'VE SEEN THINGS SIMILAR TO THIS,
DRONES THAT YOU USE FOR SURVEILLANCE.
Narrator: THE NUMBER OF EYES
IN THE SKY IS GROWING RAPIDLY.
THERE ARE ALREADY
700,000 DRONES IN THE U.S.
EVERYONE IS BEING SPIED
ON ALL THE TIME BY DRONES
THAT FLY AROUND AND WATCH
EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE'S DOING.
Narrator: SHATTLES SUSPECTS HIS FOOTAGE
MAY BE EVIDENCE OF SOMETHING MORE SINISTER.
BEING LATE AT NIGHT, I'M
MORE PRONE TO BELIEVE
THAT IT WAS A LITTLE MORE SECRETIVE
THAN JUST FLYING AROUND WITH
NO ONE WANTING TO OWN UP IT.
Narrator: YET, INVESTIGATOR
BEN RADFORD IS NOT CONVINCED
THAT THIS A SECRET GOVERNMENT PROGRAM.
COULD IT BE A SURVEILLANCE DRONE?
IT COULD BE, BUT WHY IS THE
GOVERNMENT SENDING A DRONE
TO LOOK AT DEER IN A
REMOTE FIELD IN MISSISSIPPI?
IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
Narrator: TRAIL CAMERA DESIGNER
BART STEPHENS ANALYZES THE PICTURES.
HE'S CLOCKED-UP THOUSANDS OF HOURS
REVIEWING MYSTERIOUS IMAGES.
ALL SORTS OF WEIRD THINGS ARE CAPTURED
BY THESE CAMERA SYSTEMS.
IT'S GOING TO PICK UP THINGS
THAT HUMANS OTHERWISE WOULD NEVER SEE.
STEPHENS FOCUSES ON THE
POSITION OF THE TWO LIGHTS.
♪♪
THE TWO LIGHTS ARE SPACED THE SAME SPACE
AS THE DEER'S EYEBALLS.
THAT BECAME KIND OF A CLUE
FOR US OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN GOING ON.
STEPHENS BELIEVES THE
IMAGE IS NOT WHAT IT APPEARS
AND THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S
A NIGHTTIME EXPOSURE.
IF IT'S NIGHTTIME, THEN THE
IMAGE WILL BE ILLUMINATED
BY THESE INFRARED L.E.D.s.
Narrator: HE SUSPECTS THAT
THE INFRARED EXPOSURE
BURNS OUT ANY CLOSE-UP DETAIL.
HE PROPOSES WHAT WE CAN'T SEE IS
THAT THE DEER IS LOOKING
STRAIGHT AT THE CAMERA
AND NOT AT THE GHOSTLY LIGHTS.
MY OPINION, WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE
IS REFLECTION OF THE INFRARED ILLUMINATION
OFF OF THE DEER'S EYES
BACK INTO THE CAMERA'S LENS.
Narrator: BUT THIS DOESN'T
EXPLAIN WHY THE LIGHTS APPEAR
TO HOVER IN THE SKY.
STEPHENS IDENTIFIES SOMETHING
IN THE OUTLINE OF THE IMAGE.
YOU'LL NOTICE THIS KIND
OF OTHERWORLDLY GLOW
AROUND THE TWO LIGHTS,
AND THEN SHAPE IS THE SAME
AS THE DEER'S FACE WITH THE EARS,
BUT IT'S UPSIDE DOWN.
Narrator: A QUIRK OF THE CAMERA
TURNS THE IMAGE UPSIDE DOWN.
A CURVED WEATHER-PROOFING
LENS CREATES A MIRROR IMAGE
FLIPPED UP ABOVE THE DEER.
♪♪
A SPECIAL FEATURE OF DEER EYEBALLS
EXPLAINS WHY THE LIGHTS ARE SO BRIGHT.
LIKE MOST NOCTURNAL ANIMALS,
DEER HAVE A MIRROR-LIKE LAYER
BEHIND THE RETINA THAT
HELPS THEM SEE IN THE DARK.
ONE OF THE BY-PRODUCTS OF THIS IS THAT
THE BACK OF THEIR EYES REFLECT
INFRARED LIGHT VERY STRONGLY,
WHICH IS WHY WE SEE THESE
BRIGHT EYES ON THE DEER
IN THIS FOOTAGE HERE.
Narrator: BART STEPHENS THINKS
HE HAS COMPELLING EVIDENCE
LINKING THE DEER'S EYES TO
THE BIZARRE CAMERA-EFFECT.
WHEN THERE IS A DEER THAT
IS VERY CLOSE TO THE CAMERA,
YOU GET THE LIGHTS.
WHERE THERE IS NOT A
DEER CLOSE TO THE CAMERA,
THE LIGHTS GO AWAY.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT EDITH AND
RAINER SHATTLES BELIEVE
THAT ONLY HALF THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED.
IT DIDN'T EXPLAIN THE ONE
PICTURE THAT LOOKED LIKE IT
WAS IN THE SHAPE OF A SAUCER
WITH EXHAUST COMING DOWN.
WE DO KNOW THAT THERE WAS
SOMETHING THERE THAT NIGHT,
AND IT WAS ON OUR CAMERA.
Edith: IT MAKES YOU THINK.
THE DEER WATCH YOU, WE WATCH THE DEER,
BUT IS THERE SOMETHING
ELSE WATCHING ALL OF US?
MILLION SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
ARE WATCHING US.
ON OUR STREETS... AT WORK...
AND IN OUR HOMES.
THEY CAPTURE THINGS THAT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE.
IT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
Narrator: EXPERTS CARRY
OUT FORENSIC ANALYSIS
OF THESE UNUSUAL EVENTS.
THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME
EXPLANATION FOR WHAT'S GOING ON.
[ SCREAMING ]
Narrator: COMING UP, A SWAMP
THREATENS TO SWALLOW AN ENTIRE TOWN...
IT'S A SIGHT I'LL NEVER
FORGET AS LONG AS I LIVE.
CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF HELL ON EARTH.
Narrator: ...A POLICE DASH CAM
CAPTURES A PHANTOM GETAWAY...
I SEE THIS CHAIN LINK FENCE,
AND I SAYS, "OH, MY GOD.
WHERE DID HE GO?"
Narrator: ...SCIENTISTS INVESTIGATE
A GRAVITY-DEFYING TRAFFIC STOP...
THEY'RE NOT OBEYING THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
THERE MUST BE SOMETHING
THAT WE'RE NOT SEEING.
Narrator: ...AND A TRAIL CAMERA
RECORDS A CLOSE ENCOUNTER.
IT MAKES YOU THINK, "IS THERE
SOMETHING WATCHING ALL OF US?"
Narrator: BIZARRE PHENOMENA.
MYSTERIES CAUGHT ON SURVEILLANCE.
WHAT'S THE TRUTH BEHIND
THIS STRANGE EVIDENCE?
A POLICE DASH CAM CAPTURES
A BIZARRE HIGH-SPEED PURSUIT
THROUGH THE BACK ROADS OF GEORGIA.
THIS IS PROBABLY, HANDS-DOWN,
ONE OF THE CRAZIEST CAR
CHASES I'VE EVER BEEN IN.
Narrator: JUST AS THE COPS
CORNER THE RUNAWAY SEDAN,
IT PULLS OFF A PHANTOM ESCAPE.
IT SUDDENLY APPEARS TO DISAPPEAR
THROUGH A CHAIN-LINK FENCE.
WHERE DID IT DISAPPEAR TO?
THAT'S WHAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT.
I WAS LIKE, "NOW, HOW'D HE DO THAT?
♪♪
Narrator: GARDEN CITY,
GEORGIA, APRIL 16th, 2006.
LIEUTENANT WAYNE DANIELS
PATROLS THE STREETS.
IT'S A REGULAR NIGHT.
THERE WAS VERY LITTLE
TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY.
Narrator: OUT OF THE DARKNESS, CAR
HEADLIGHTS SCREAM TOWARDS HIM.
HE WAS GOING WAY TOO FAST.
I FLIPPED A U-TURN, ACCELERATED
RAPIDLY TO CATCH UP TO HIM.
Narrator: DANIELS NEEDS ALL HIS TRAINING
TO STAY WITH THE DAREDEVIL DRIVER.
I'M LIKE, "THIS GUY HAS LOST HIS MIND.
WHAT IS HE ON THAT'S GOT
HIM DRIVING LIKE A MADMAN?"
Narrator: HE CHASES HIM FOR OVER 10 MILES.
Daniels: I KNOW THIS ROAD IS A DEAD END.
THERE WAS NO WAY FOR HIM TO GET OUT.
I GOT FENCES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ROAD,
SO I'M GOOD HERE. I'VE GOT HIM.
Narrator: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
LEAVES DANIELS DUMBFOUNDED.
THIS IS WHERE HE DECIDES
TO MAKE HIS HARD LEFT TURN.
♪♪
AND THE NEXT THING, ALL YOU SEE IS DUST.
AND AS THIS DUST IS CONTINUING TO SETTLE,
I CAN SEE THESE TWO
LITTLE RED LIGHTS BOUNCING,
GOING THROUGH THIS FIELD,
AND I'M LIKE, "OH, MY GOD."
♪♪
A CAR JUST DISAPPEARED
THROUGH A CHAIN-LINK FENCE,
AND I'M LIKE, "HOW'D HE DO THAT?"
♪♪
Narrator: BACK AT THE STATION,
DANIELS REVIEWS THE DASH-CAM FOOTAGE.
THE TAPE CONFIRMS HIS RECOLLECTION.
THE WHITE SEDAN SWERVES OFF THE HIGHWAY.
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, THE CAR
IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A FENCE,
DISAPPEARING INTO THE NIGHT.
SOMEHOW, THE VEHICLE PASSES THROUGH
THIS 10-FOOT-HIGH CHAIN-LINK FENCE
AS IF IT WASN'T THERE.
IT WAS ALMOST AS IF THE CAR DEMATERIALIZED
AND THEN REMATERIALIZED ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE.
THE MIRACLE GETAWAY FOOTAGE GOES ONLINE.
IT GETS MORE THAN 5 MILLION HITS.
IT'S WEIRD, RIGHT? IT'S CREEPY.
PEOPLE ARE LIKE, "WHAT
THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"
Narrator: MANY BELIEVE A
SUPERNATURAL FORCE IS AT PLAY.
LOCALS NAME IT THE GHOST CAR.
♪♪
IT MAY NOT BE SUCH A WILD IDEA.
GARDEN CITY IS A SUBURB OF SAVANNAH,
KNOWN AS AMERICA'S MOST HAUNTED CITY.
♪♪
A WHITE SEDAN DISAPPEARING
THROUGH A CHAIN-LINK FENCE
IN THE VICINITY OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA,
A CITY CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE
ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTED
CITIES IN ALL THE WORLD.
SURELY, THIS IS NO COINCIDENCE.
Narrator: INVESTIGATOR CHASE ANDERSON
KNOWS THE HISTORY OF THIS ILL-FATED PLACE.
IT'S A CITY THAT HAS KNOWN
ITS SHARE OF GREAT TRAGEDIES.
WE'VE HAD THREE MAJOR
YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMICS
THAT HAVE KILLED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
WE HAD THE SECOND BLOODIEST BATTLE
IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
WE HAD THREE MAJOR FIRES THAT
BURNED TWO-THIRDS OF THE CITY.
Narrator: FOR CENTURIES, LOCALS
REPORT STRANGE APPARITIONS
CONNECTED TO THE CITY'S FORGOTTEN DEAD.
Anderson: THE OLD SAYING IS,
"IF YOU KEEP SOMETHING BURIED,
IT MAY COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU."
PERHAPS THIS WHITE SEDAN
IS JUST ONE MORE ANOMALY
CONNECTED WITH ALL THE OTHER ANOMALIES
THAT GO ON HERE IN SAVANNAH.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT LIEUTENANT DANIELS
CONFIRMS THIS IS NO GHOST CAR.
DURING THE CHASE, HIS
PATROL CAR'S HEADLIGHTS
CLEARLY ILLUMINATE THE DRIVER.
Daniels: SO, AT THE POINT, I
KNOW IT WAS A WHITE MALE
WITH BLONDE OR BROWNISH HAIR.
IT WAS OBVIOUS THERE WAS
A HUMAN DRIVING THIS CAR.
THE CAR WAS REAL.
♪♪
THERE HAS TO BE A LOGICAL EXPLANATION.
NO ONE CAN JUST GO
THROUGH A FENCE LIKE THAT.
♪♪
Narrator: DETAILED ANALYSIS OF
THE VIDEO REVEALS THE SEDAN
IS OUT OF SIGHT FOR JUST 1.2 SECONDS,
NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR THE
SUSPECT TO DRIVE AROUND THE FENCE.
Daniels: WHATEVER HAPPENED
WHEN HE LEFT THE ROAD WAY
HAPPENED WITHIN A SPLIT SECOND.
Narrator: LIEUTENANT DANIELS
CONSIDERS THE POSSIBILITY
THAT THE VEHICLE COULD
JUMP CLEAN OVER THE FENCE.
♪♪
HE EXPERIENCED SOMETHING
SIMILAR AS A ROOKIE PATROLMAN.
NEW AREA, HIGH SPEED.
UNKNOWN TO ME, THERE IS A 10-FOOT GULLY
THAT ENDED UP JUMPING ACROSS
COMPLETELY WITH MY PATROL CAR,
AND IT CAME OUT LOOKING LIKE A "V."
♪♪
Narrator: DANIELS BELIEVES THE FELON
SEDAN WOULD SUFFER A SIMILAR FATE.
♪♪
Daniels: THERE'S NO MOUND, NO INCLINE
THAT WOULD GIVE IT THE ANGLE
TO MAKE IT GO OVER THE TOP OF THE FENCE.
SO, I KNOW THE "DUKES OF
HAZARD" THING DOESN'T WORK.
Narrator: SPEED DATA REVEALS THAT
THE GETAWAY CAR ACCELERATES
FROM 20 TO 60 MILES PER
HOUR IN JUST 5 SECONDS,
MUCH FASTER THAN A REGULAR CAR.
WHOEVER'S CAR IT WAS HAD
DONE SOME MODIFICATIONS TO IT
BECAUSE HE WAS ABLE TO PULL
AWAY FROM ME RAPIDLY HERE.
♪♪
Narrator: HOT-ROD MECHANIC ALEX
TUASON ANALYZES THE HIGH-SPEED PURSUIT.
HE CONFIRMS THE VEHICLE
IS NO ORDINARY SEDAN.
YEAH, THERE'S SO MUCH STUFF
YOU CAN DO TO OUTRUN COPS...
SUPER CHARGER, TURBO, NITROUS.
IT'S DEFINITELY GOING TO MAKE THINGS
A LITTLE TOUGHER FOR POLICE OFFICERS.
Narrator: BUT THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN
HOW THE SEDAN GETS OVER THE FENCE.
TUASON CONSIDERS IF THE
VEHICLE HAS UNDERGONE
AN EVEN MORE RADICAL MODIFICATION.
IN ORDER TO MAKE A CAR COME OFF
THE GROUND OR HOP OVER A FENCE,
WE'RE GOING TO NEED A
MASSIVE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM
WITH A LOT OF POWER.
♪♪
Narrator: TUASON SPECIALIZES IN
MAKING EXACTLY THAT KIND OF VEHICLE.
HE MAKES LOW-RIDERS THAT CAN JUMP
AND ADAPTS A CAR TO TEST
IF IT'S CAPABLE OF CLEARING
A 10-FOOT HIGH FENCE.
WE'LL BE USING THIS 1982 MALIBU CLASSIC.
THIS CAR WEIGHED ABOUT 2,500
POUNDS BONE-STOCK FROM FACTORY.
Narrator: HE MODIFIES THE
SUSPENSION WITH HYDRAULIC RAMS
THAT THRUST OUT 14 INCHES,
PUNCHING THE VEHICLE INTO THE AIR.
IT'S A FEW MAIN COMPONENTS
...BATTERIES, PUMPS,
HIGH-PRESSURE LINES, AND CYLINDERS.
PRETTY MUCH, THE OIL JUST
TRANSFERS FROM A RESERVOIR
ALL THE WAY TO THE FRONT
MAKING THE CAR INSTANTANEOUS
JUST COME OFF THE GROUND.
Narrator: THE SIZE OF THE BATTERY PACK
DETERMINES HOW HIGH
THIS LOW-RIDER WILL JUMP.
IT'S ABOUT 12 BATTERIES IN HERE.
IT'S ABOUT 65 POUNDS A PIECE.
I'M NOT GOOD AT MATH,
BUT THAT'S A LOT OF WEIGHT.
HE PACKS THE TRUNK WITH ENOUGH
POWER TO RUN A HOUSE FOR A DAY.
CHRIS, GO AHEAD. HIT IT.
♪♪
Narrator: THE FRONT OF THE CAR
RISES OVER 12 FEET INTO THE AIR,
HIGH ENOUGH TO CLEAR
THE FENCE IN GEORGIA...
♪♪
...BUT THERE IS A PROBLEM.
TO GET ALL FOUR WHEELS OFF THE GROUND
AND OVER A FENCE REQUIRES MORE BATTERIES
THAN THE VEHICLE CAN CARRY.
YOU SEE WHAT IT TAKES TO GET
JUST TWO WHEELS OFF THE GROUND,
LET ALONE ALL FOUR,
ESPECIALLY WHILE DOING
IT WHILE OUTRUNNING COPS.
NO WAY THAT CAR IS HOPPING OVER THAT FENCE.
♪♪
Narrator: COMING UP, A
TREE-SWALLOWING SWAMP
TERRORIZES A RURAL COMMUNITY...
THAT WAS A PHENOMENON THAT
SCARED PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR WITS.
Narrator: ...LEVITATING
CARS BAFFLES SCIENTISTS...
VEHICLES ARE BEING LIFTED UP INTO THE AIR.
THAT IS AN OBVIOUS MYSTERY.
...AND INVESTIGATORS
DISCOVER A SECRET ROUTE
THAT MAY EXPLAIN THE MIRACLE GETAWAY.
Anderson: IT'S POSSIBLE
THAT THE SEDAN IS JUST
MAKING USE OF AN ALTERNATE ROUTE,
OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY HERE IN SAVANNAH.
♪♪
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
ARE PIECING TOGETHER
HOW A WHITE SEDAN CAN DISAPPEAR
THROUGH A 10-FOOT-HIGH FENCE
IN GARDEN CITY, GEORGIA.
♪♪
HISTORIAN JEFFREY WELLS THINKS
THE STATE'S LONG ASSOCIATION
WITH SMUGGLING COULD BE SIGNIFICANT.
Wells: THE BOOT-LEGGING INDUSTRY IN GEORGIA
HAS SPAWNED A WHOLE
NETWORK OF SECRET PASSAGEWAYS
AND SECRET TUNNELS THAT THESE BOOTLEGGERS
ACTUALLY WOULD USE TO AVOID CAPTURE.
♪♪
Narrator: IF ONE OF THESE TUNNELS
RUNS ALONG THE ROADSIDE,
THERE COULD BE A GAP UNDER
THE FENCE LARGE ENOUGH
FOR THE SEDAN TO DRIVE THROUGH.
LIEUTENANT DANIELS EXAMINES
THE AREA AROUND THE FENCE.
YOU CAN SEE THE DITCH
THAT HE BOUNCED THROUGH.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS SOLID GROUND.
THERE'S NO TUNNELS THAT ALLOWS THE CAR
TO GO UNDERNEATH THE FENCE.
IT'S OBVIOUS IT'S SOLID GROUND.
IT DID NOT GO UNDER THE FENCE AT ALL.
Narrator: DANIELS' RECON OF THE
AREA POINTS TO ONE CONCLUSION...
IT LOOKS LIKE THE CAR MUST HAVE
SOMEHOW GONE THROUGH THE FENCE,
BUT CHASE ANDERSON HAS A
PROBLEM WITH THIS THEORY.
NORMALLY, WHEN CAR HITS A
FENCE, THE FENCE IS IS CRUMPLED
OR THERE IS A GAPING HOLE IN THE FENCE.
THERE WAS NEITHER.
♪♪
Narrator: DANIELS LOOKS FOR
SIGNS OF ANYTHING UNUSUAL
IN THE FENCE CONSTRUCTION.
WHAT YOU GOT HERE IS THE SIDE POLE,
BUT YOU GOT A TOP RAIL TO
KEEP IT FROM FALLING DOWN.
Narrator: THE STEEL-CHAIN
MESH ATTACHES TO THE POLES
AND TOP RAIL WITH ALUMINUM TIES.
DANIELS FINDS VITAL CLUES
ALONG THE SIDE POLES.
Daniels: HE HAD POPPED THESE
ALUMINUM TIES ON THE SIDE POLES.
♪♪
Narrator: THE SEDAN DRIVES
BETWEEN THE TWO POLES,
HITS THE FENCE, BREAKING THE ALUMINUM TIES.
THE CAR HOOD SWINGS THE FENCE UP.
ONCE THE CAR IS ON THE OTHER SIDE,
THE FENCE SWINGS BACK DOWN.
Wells: IT ALMOST SEEMS AS
IF THE DRIVER IS A MAGICIAN.
LIKE A TRAP DOOR, HE
JUST LIFTS UP THE FENCE,
DRIVES THROUGH IT, AND LOWERS IT AGAIN.
Narrator: LIEUTENANT DANIELS
CAN ONLY WATCH IN FRUSTRATION
AS THE FUGITIVE DISAPPEARS INTO THE NIGHT.
HE ABANDONED THE VEHICLE AND FLED ON FOOT.
IT MADE ME FEEL MAD BECAUSE I
KNEW I HAD HIM TO NOW HE'S GONE.
Narrator: DANIELS CONTINUES HIS
SEARCH FOR GARDEN CITY'S MOST WANTED.
Daniels: AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT IN TIME,
WE STILL HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO CAPTURE HIM.
♪♪
♪♪
NOW CAMERAS CAPTURE A
SWAMP COMING TO LIFE IN LOUISIANA.
IT WAS LIKE, "WOW."
WHOLE CYPRESS TREES, 100-FOOT TALL,
JUST BEING SUCKED DOWN TO GOD KNOWS WHERE.
IF SOMETHING CAN MAKE TREES DISAPPEAR,
IT CAN ALSO KIND OF MAKE YOU DISAPPEAR.
VERY DANGEROUS. VERY SCARY.
Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
RACE TO FIND THE SOURCE
OF THIS TERRIFYING MENACE.
WHAT'S GOING ON UNDERNEATH THIS SWAMP?
♪♪
Narrator: BAYOU CORN, LOUISIANA,
A PICTURESQUE FISHING TOWN
NESTLED IN THE HEART OF THE SWAMPLANDS.
♪♪
Boudreaux: BAYOU CORN IS A PRISTINE AREA.
WE HAVE LOTS OF GATORS, BIRDS, WILDLIFE.
LOCAL RESIDENTS LOVE THIS AREA
AND WOULD NOT LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE.
Narrator: AUGUST 2013...
LOCAL HOMELAND SECURITY
AGENT JOHN BOUDREAUX
INVESTIGATES A MYSTERIOUS
PHENOMENON DEEP IN THE SWAMP.
Boudreaux: SOME OF THE
RESIDENTS CONTACT US TO SAY
THERE WAS SOMETHING
HAPPENING IN THE THE SWAMP AREAS.
Narrator: WHAT HE SEES
STOPS HIM IN HIS TRACKS.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, I HEARD SOME
BRANCHES BREAKING ON SOME TREES,
STARTED VIDEOING THE
SITE, FOCUSED IN ON THAT.
♪♪
THIS MASSIVE GROUP OF CYPRESS
TREES WENT STRAIGHT DOWN.
IT ALL GOT SUCKED IN WITHIN SECONDS.
THE WAVE ACTION THAT OCCURRED
AFTERWARDS WAS QUITE AMAZING.
♪♪
WELL, I JUST FIND THIS A
COMPLETELY TERRIFYING VIDEO.
THE TREES KIND OF COLLAPSE,
AND IT ALMOST MAKES YOU FEEL
THAT THERE IS SOME NASTY
SWAMP CREATURE UNDERNEATH,
WHICH HAS SWALLOWED THOSE TREES.
Narrator: THE SINKING TREES DESTROY
AN ORANGE OIL CONTAINMENT BARRIER.
IT MUST HAVE SEEMED,
IF YOU WERE RIGHT THERE,
LIKE THE WORLD WAS ABOUT TO END.
♪♪
Narrator: THE NIGHTMARISH
SWAMP DEVOURS EVERYTHING.
IT INCHES CLOSER AND CLOSER
TO THE TOWN OF BAYOU CORN.
RESIDENT DENNIS LANDRY FEARS
THAT HIS HOUSE WILL BE NEXT.
Landry: PEOPLE WERE SCARED TO DEATH.
IT WAS GOING TO START MARCHING
TOWARDS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD,
AND IT WOULD START SWALLOWING HOMES.
AND I DID START GETTING
A SENSE THAT, YOU KNOW,
THIS COULD BE THE DEATH
BLOW TO OUR COMMUNITY.
♪♪
Narrator: AGENT JOHN BOUDREAUX
DECLARES A STATE EMERGENCY.
Boudreaux: WE SETUP A MANDATORY
EVACUATION A MILE IN EACH DIRECTION.
THAT WAS 159 FAMILIES,
ABOUT 350 PEOPLE, THAT
LIVED NEAR THIS SITE,
AND THEY WERE EVACUATED FROM THEIR HOME.
♪♪
Narrator: LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL
AGENTS STUDY THE SWAMP.
THEY RULE OUT QUICKSAND,
FLOODING, OR A LANDSLIDE
AS THE CAUSE OF THE DISASTER,
BUT THEY UNCOVER A POTENTIAL NEW THREAT.
♪♪
THEY WIND THE CLOCK BACK
LOOKING FOR ANY UNUSUAL ACTIVITY
IN THE SWAMP BEFORE THE TERRIFYING EVENT.
LOCAL RESIDENT DENNIS LANDRY RECALLS
SEEING STRANGE MOVEMENTS
ON THE WATER'S SURFACE.
Landry: IT WAS A VERY UNUSUAL BUBBLING.
I LOOKED AT IT AND SAID,
"HMM. THIS DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT."
THEN, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE
STARTED SEEING BUBBLING
SITES ALL OVER THE BAYOU.
THERE WERE SOME PRETTY SCARY DAYS
BECAUSE NOBODY KNEW FOR
SURE WHAT WAS GOING ON.
GEOLOGIST JOHN JOHNSTON
ANALYZES THE WEIRD BUBBLING.
HE FINDS THE SWAMPS IS RELEASING METHANE,
A HIGHLY FLAMMABLE GAS.
Johnston: IF A SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT REACHES THE SURFACE
AND IF THERE WAS A SPARK,
YOU COULD HAVE A
CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF FLAME.
IT COULD KILL THEM IF
THEY WERE STANDING THERE.
Narrator: BUT JOHNSTON'S
MEASUREMENTS REVEAL
SOMETHING EVEN MORE TROUBLING.
THE AMOUNT OF NATURAL
GAS WE BELIEVED ESCAPED
INITIALLY WAS ABOUT A BILLION CUBIC FEET.
THAT'S AN AWFUL LOT OF GAS.
Narrator: IT'S ENOUGH METHANE
TO CAUSE AN EXPLOSIVE
TWICE AS POWERFUL AS THE
BOMB DROPPED ON HIROSHIMA.
♪♪
JOHNSTON EXPECTS A GAS LEAK
IS TRIGGERING THE
SWAMP'S DESTRUCTIVE TRAIL.
HE CHECKS LOCAL RECORDS
AND DISCOVERS FOUR GAS
PIPELINES RUNNING UNDER THE SWAMP.
JOHNSTON ANALYZES THE GASES TO FIGURE OUT
IF THERE IS A MAJOR PIPE LEAK.
WE DID GAS FINGERPRINTS ON ALL OF THE GASES
FROM THE VARIOUS PIPELINES,
AND NONE OF THEM MATCHED.
IT WAS NOT THEIR PIPELINES LEAKING THE GAS.
THAT'S QUITE SHOCKING, BECAUSE
I WOULD HAVE BET ANYTHING
THAT WE HAD A PIPELINE LEAK.
WE WISH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
JUST THE PIPELINE LEAKING
BECAUSE IT TURNED OUT TO BE
SOMETHING FAR MORE SINISTER.
♪♪
Narrator: COMING UP,
GRAVITY-DEFYING VEHICLES...
THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME KIND OF MECHANISM.
BUT WHAT COULD IT BE?
Narrator: ...AND EXPERTS
FACE A TERRIFYING POSSIBILITY
AS THEY RACE TO SOLVE THE
MYSTERY OF THE DEADLY SWAMP.
ONE OF THE RESIDENTS CONTACT
US TO SAY THAT THEY FELT TREMORS.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT INFORMATION?
♪♪
Narrator: EXPERTS MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH
IN THE LOUISIANA SWAMP MYSTERY.
LOCAL RESIDENTS REPORT
UNUSUAL SUBTERRANEAN MOVEMENT
AT THE SAME TIME AS THE TREE COLLAPSE.
Landry: PLENTY OF MY
NEIGHBORS FELT SEISMIC ACTIVITY.
THE GROUND WAS SHAKING, AND
THAT REALLY SCARED THE DAYLIGHTS
OUT OF A LOT OF PEOPLE.
♪♪
Narrator: SCIENTISTS FROM
THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
CONFIRM TREMORS ORIGINATING
5,000 FEET BELOW THE DISASTER AREA,
THE EXACT SITE OF AN
USUAL GEOLOGICAL FEATURE.
IT BECAME OBVIOUS THE
EPICENTER OF THE EARTHQUAKES
WAS A SALT DOME CAVERN.
Narrator: THE SALT DOME LIES
DIRECTLY UNDER BAYOU CORN.
IT'S A NATURAL DEPOSIT OF SALT
OVER 2 MILES HIGH AND 2 MILES WIDE.
A HUGE OPERATION MINES
THIS VALUABLE RESOURCE.
♪♪
CHEMIST ANDREA SELLA FROM
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
IS AN EXPERT ON MINING TECHNIQUES.
ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO MINE IT
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEND
MINERS DOWN UNDERGROUND
IS SIMPLY TO EXPLOIT THE FACT
THAT THE SALT IS WATER-SOLUBLE.
Narrator: HE SUSPECTS THIS
METHOD COULD HAVE TRIGGERED
THE BAYOU CORN DISASTER.
WHAT YOU CAN DO IS YOU COULD
SQUIRT HOT WATER UNDERGROUND,
AND AS YOU DO SO, THE
SALT DISSOLVES TO FORM
A VERY, VERY CONCENTRATED
BRINE, WHICH YOU CAN THEN WITHDRAW,
BUT THE RESULT IS THAT YOU
LEAVE HOLE UNDERGROUND.
Narrator: OVER 50 CAVERNS
RUN THROUGH THIS SALT DOME,
SOME TWICE THE HEIGHT OF
THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING.
Sella: WHAT YOU CAUSE IS
A GRADUAL UNDERMINING
OF THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
OF THE DEPOSIT ITSELF,
AND POTENTIALLY, THAT CAN LEAD
TO A STRUCTURAL WEAKNESS ABOVE.
Narrator: SELLA CREATES A SMALL-SCALE MODEL
OF A SALT DOME TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN A CAVERN COLLAPSES.
ON THE TOP, YOU'VE GOT
THE LAYER OF SAND, OF MUD,
BUT THEN DOWN BELOW IT IS THE SALT DOME.
LET'S SEE IF WE COULD DO OUR
OWN BIT OF SALTWATER MINING,
AND I'M GOING TO POUR
HOT WATER IN AT THE TOP.
♪♪
Narrator: SALT CRYSTALS RAPIDLY
DISSOLVE INTO A SOLUTION.
Sella: THERE. IT'S STARTING TO MOVE.
YOU CAN START TO SEE IT MOVING.
YOU CAN REALLY SEE A DROP
IN THE LEVEL, AND AS A RESULT,
WHAT WE SEE IS THAT DISASTROUS
CHANGE IN THE INTEGRITY,
THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY.
Narrator: SCALE IT UP 30,000
TIMES, A CAVERN COLLAPSE
WOULD DEVOUR HUNDREDS
OF FEET OF SOLID GROUND.
YOU DON'T WANT YOUR HOUSE
TO BE RIGHT ON TOP OF THAT.
♪♪
HOMELAND SECURITY AGENT JOHN BOUDREAUX
DISCOVERS THERE IS A CAVERN
DIRECTLY BELOW THE DISASTER SITE,
BUT IT'S BEEN SEALED SHUT FOR YEARS.
ENGINEERS MOVE IN TO REOPEN THE CAVERN.
TOOK THEM APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS
TO DRILL BACK INTO THE CAVERN,
AND THEY FOUND THAT THAT
CAVERN HAD, INDEED, FAILED.
♪♪
Narrator: EXPERTS CONCLUDE
THAT THE COLLAPSING CAVERN
CREATES A MASSIVE SINKHOLE,
SWALLOWING 37 ACRES OF SWAMPLAND,
THE EQUIVALENT OF 15 CITY BLOCKS.
Boudreaux: THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED EVENT.
THIS SINKHOLE AND THIS CAVERN COLLAPSE
HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN WORLD HISTORY.
♪♪
WHEN I FLEW OVER THE
SINKHOLE, AND I SAW IT MYSELF,
THAT WAS THE SHOCK OF A LIFETIME.
YOU LOOKED AT THOSE CYPRESS
TREES AND TIPPALOW GUMTREE
FLOATING, FLIPPED OVER, UPSIDE DOWN.
I CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF
HELL... HELL ON EARTH.
♪♪
Narrator: NOW SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS CAPTURE
A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT THAT
DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
VEHICLES WEIGHING THOUSANDS OF POUNDS
BEING TOSSED IN THE AIR LIKE SMALL TOYS.
IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE THERE IS NO GRAVITY.
IT'S TRULY BIZARRE.
Narrator: COULD A POWERFUL
ENERGY FORCE BE ON THE VERGE
OF UNLEASHING CHAOS ON THE STREETS?
Man: THERE'S GOT TO BE
SOME KIND OF MECHANISM.
BUT WHAT COULD IT BE?
♪♪
Narrator: XINGTAI, CHINA...
AN INDUSTRIAL POWERHOUSE
AND HOME TO 7 MILLION RESIDENTS.
♪♪
NOVEMBER 27th, 2015, 9 A.M...
20,000 SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
MONITOR THE MORNING COMMUTE.
BUT THEN, ONE CAMERA CAPTURES
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.
♪♪
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THESE
CARS LEVITATE IN THE AIR
AND MOVE ABOUT LIKE SOMETHING
SUPERNATURAL IS GOING ON.
IN MY CAREER, I'VE SEEN A
LOT OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS,
BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.
IT'S ALMOST GRACEFUL, IN A WAY.
Narrator: THE GRAVITY-DEFYING STOP
IS NO ORDINARY TRAFFIC COLLISION.
THE CARS DIDN'T SEEM TO
STRIKE EACH OTHER AT ALL.
JUST SEEMS LIKE THERE IS SOMETHING
ALMOST MAGICAL HAPPENING HERE.
♪♪
Narrator: WHATEVER IT IS, IT HAS THE POWER
TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLES
AND LIFT THEM CLEAN OFF THE GROUND.
AN INVISIBLE FORCE
APPEARS TO BE AT WORK HERE.
BUT WHAT COULD IT BE?
Narrator: COMING UP...
A UFO DESCENDS ON A REMOTE RANCH...
Stephens: VERY STRANGE.
WAS THERE SOMETHING
FLYING AROUND THAT NIGHT?
Narrator: ...AND SCIENTISTS
FEAR LEVITATING VEHICLES
ARE A SIGN OF IMPENDING DISASTER.
OH, OKAY. WE'RE GOING IN
FOR ONE OF THESE BIG EARTHQUAKES AGAIN.
♪♪
Narrator: EXPERTS ARE STUNNED
BY THE WORLD'S WEIRDEST TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
IN ONE OF CHINA'S BUSIEST CITIES.
THE QUESTIONS THAT MAYBE
SPRING TO MIND IS IS THIS A FAKE
OR IS THERE SOME SORT OF ELABORATE TRICK?
Narrator: CHINESE AUTHORITIES
CONFIRM THE VIDEO IS REAL.
♪♪
EXPERT CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY
THAT THE INVISIBLE FORCE
MAY ORIGINATE UNDERGROUND.
♪♪
SEISMOLOGIST QIAN ZHOU FROM
THE PALACE MUSEUM IN BEIJING
KEEPS A CLOSE WATCH ON
THE GROUND UNDER XINGTAI.
[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
Narrator: XINGTAI SITS ON A
250-MILE LONG ACTIVE FAULT LINE.
IN MARCH 1966, THE CITY IS ROCKED
BY A SERIES OF FIVE MASSIVE EARTHQUAKES.
[ ZHOU SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
Narrator: THE GROUND SHAKES FOR 20 DAYS.
FIVE MILLION HOMES ARE DESTROYED.
OVER 8,000 RESIDENTS LOSE THEIR LIVES.
THE FACT THERE HAS BEEN SOME VERY BIG
AND VERY DEADLY
EARTHQUAKES HERE IN THE PAST,
WHEN YOU START TO SEE VEHICLES
MOVING VERY VIOLENTLY LIKE THAT,
YOU MIGHT IMMEDIATELY THINK, "OH, OKAY.
WE'RE GOING IN FOR ONE OF
THESE BIG EARTHQUAKES AGAIN."
Narrator: EARTHQUAKES DON'T
USUALLY MAKE THINGS LEVITATE,
BUT FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALS THERE IS
ONE RARE TYPE OF QUAKE
THAT COULD BE THE CULPRIT.
IT'S CALLED A SURFACE WAVE,
SIMILAR IN BEHAVIOR TO RIPPLING WATER.
Bell: THESE SURFACE WAVES
CAN CAUSE THE GROUND
TO ROLL VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY,
AND IT'S THAT TYPE OF MOTION
THAT COULD CAUSE CARS
TO BE FLIPPED UP INTO THE AIR.
Narrator: XINGTAI RESIDENTS
LIVE IN FEAR OF THE NEXT BIG ONE.
THE SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE MAY BE A SIGN
THAT ANOTHER DEADLY
NATURAL DISASTER IS IMMINENT.
BUT MATERIAL SCIENTIST
KISHORE HARI NOTICES SOMETHING
ABOUT THE WAY EVERYTHING
ELSE IN THE VIDEO REACTS
THAT CASTS DOUBT ON THE QUAKE THEORY.
Hari: ALL OF THE OTHER
ITEMS AROUND THE CARS,
THE PEDESTRIANS WALKING ACROSS THE STREET,
THE OTHER CARS SUFFER NO MOTION WHATSOEVER.
IT WOULD BE NEARLY
IMPOSSIBLE FOR AN EARTHQUAKE
TO BE LOCALIZED JUST TO THESE THREE CARS.
SO, AT THIS POINT, I CAN'T
IMAGINE IT WAS AN EARTHQUAKE.
Narrator: YET EXPERTS ARE CONVINCED
THAT WHATEVER THE INVISIBLE FORCE IS,
IT MUST ORIGINATE BENEATH THE GROUND.
ENGINEER BRIAN WOLSHON
SUSPECTS SOME KIND OF PRESSURE
MAY BE RISING UP.
IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE
THERE IS AIR RUSHING UP
FROM UNDER THESE VEHICLES TO
PICK THEM UP OFF THE ROADWAY.
PEOPLE DON'T THINK OF
AIR AS BEING DANGEROUS,
BUT WHEN YOU COMPRESS AIR,
IT CAN ACTUALLY LIFT
ANYTHING THAT'S ABOVE IT,
EVEN A CAR.
I MEAN, TORNADOES LIFT THINGS ALL THE TIME.
Narrator: THE MOST POWERFUL
TORNADOES HAVE WIND SPEEDS
IN EXCESS OF 200 MILES PER HOUR.
THEY CAN LIFT VEHICLES AND BUILDINGS
HUNDREDS OF FEET INTO THE AIR.
♪♪
GEOLOGIST SIAN PROCTOR
BELIEVES A BLAST OF AIR
RUSHING UP FROM THE
UNDERGROUND SEWER SYSTEM
COULD BE POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO LIFT THE VEHICLES.
♪♪
FLOOD WATER ENTERING THE SYSTEM
PROVIDES THE FORCE TO THRUST THE AIR UP.
WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
IS ALL THE AIR THAT WAS
ALREADY IN THE SEWER SYSTEM
IS GOING TO BECOME COMPRESSED.
Narrator: IF THE THEORY IS
RIGHT, HIGH-PRESSURE AIR
SHOULD BLAST OUT WHEREVER
THERE IS AN OPENING TO THE SURFACE.
MAYBE IT HAS THE POWER
TO LIFE THOSE AUTOMOBILES.
♪♪
PROCTOR BUILDS A RIG TO TEST THE CONCEPT.
THIS IS MY SEWER SYSTEM.
IT'S JUST TURNED VERTICAL,
AND AT THE BOTTOM HERE,
I HAVE A HOSE THAT IS
GOING TO PUT WATER IN.
Narrator: A DISC SEALS THE
OTHER END OF THE PIPE.
SO, WATER IS NOW GOING TO
START COMING IN FROM THE BASE
INTO OUR CYLINDER, AND IT'S FILLING UP,
AND IT'S COMPRESSING
ALL OF THIS AIR AHEAD OF IT.
Narrator: THE WATER SQUEEZES THE
AIR TO HALF ITS ORIGINAL VOLUME.
Proctor: WELL, HERE IT GOES.
♪♪
WHOA!
Narrator: THE PRESSURIZED
AIR BLASTS THE DISC OFF
AT OVER 100 MILES PER HOUR.
SO, WOW, YOU CAN SEE THE
FORCE THAT COMPRESSED AIR HAS.
AND IF YOU TAKE THAT,
AND YOU APPLY IT TO A CITY,
YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT IT'S ENOUGH
AIR THAT IS BEING COMPRESSED
TO ACTUALLY LIFT A CAR UP OFF THE GROUND.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT KISHORE HARI
SPOTS AN INCONSISTENCY.
HE FOCUSES ON THE ACTION OF THE VEHICLES.
IF AIR WAS RUSHING OUT OF
THE GROUND AT A RAPID RATE,
FIRST OF ALL, WE'D SEE
SOME SORT OF VISUAL SIGN
OF THAT AIR COMING OUT,
BUT SECOND OF ALL, IT WOULD
PUSH IN THE SAME DIRECTION.
BOTH THE CARS WOULD HAVE A SIMILAR EFFECT
OF BEING EITHER PUSHED APART
OR SORT OF PUSHED TOGETHER
AS THAT AIR CAME IN CONTACT WITH THEM.
♪♪
Narrator: COMING UP,
A MYSTERIOUS FLYING OBJECT
TERRORIZES A SMALL TOWN...
SOMETHING VERY STRANGE
IS DEFINITELY GOING ON
IN JACKSON COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI.
Narrator: ...AND EXPERTS
MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH
IN THE MYSTERY OF THE LEVITATING CARS.
YOU WERE NATURALLY DRAWN TO
THIS COOL, CRAZY THING HAPPENING,
AND YOU COMPLETELY IGNORE
THERE IS A STREET SWEEPER
MOVING IN THE OPPOSITE
DIRECTION OF THESE CARS.
♪♪
Narrator: SCIENTISTS DISCOVER
A VITAL CLUE IN THEIR SEARCH
TO EXPLAIN THE MYSTERIOUS
LEVITATING CARS IN CHINA.
PHYSICIST DIANNA COWERN
NOTICES THERE IS AN ORDER
TO THE VEHICLES STRANGE ACROBATICS.
Cowern: THE VAN ON THE
LEFT GETS CAUGHT FIRST,
AND THEN THE VAN JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THAT,
AND THE CAR ON THE FAR RIGHT.
SO, IT'S LIKE, "BOOM, BOOM, BOOM."
RIGHT IN ORDER THEY'RE
GETTING HUNG UP ON SOMETHING.
Hari: THE CARS DEFINITELY
SEEM TO HAND IN PLACE
FOR THE BRIEFEST MOMENT
BEFORE CHANGING DIRECTION.
IT'S ALMOST AS IF IT HITS A TRIP WIRE,
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT HE HAVE HERE.
Narrator: ENHANCING THE SURVEILLANCE TAPE
REVEALS A CABLE LYING ACROSS THE ROAD
JUST BEFORE THE CARS LIFT OFF THE GROUND.
ONE END OF THE CABLE IS ATTACHES
TO A POST BY THE ROADSIDE.
THE OTHER END SNAGS IN THE SPINNING BRUSHES
OF A ROAD SWEEPER ON THE
OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
THE SWEEPER IS ACTUALLY
PULLING THAT CABLE TAUT,
LIFTING IT UP IN THE AIR.
Narrator: THE MINI VAN
APPROACHES THE JUNCTION
AND DRIVES RIGHT INTO THE INVISIBLE WIRE.
Wolshon: THEN AFTER THAT,
WE SEE A CHAIN REACTION
THAT LITERALLY LIFTS ALL OF
THOSE VEHICLES INTO THE AIR.
Narrator: THE THIN CABLE
CREATES A PERFECT ILLUSION.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES THIS MYSTERY
REALLY HARD TO SOLVE
IS THAT IN THE LOW-RESOLUTION THAT WE HAVE,
DOESN'T ALLOW US TO SEE THE WIRE
ATTACHED TO THE STREET SWEEPER ITSELF.
Narrator: XINGTAI'S GRAVITY
APPEARS TO BE INTACT,
BUT THE LAWS OF PHYSICS CAN
STILL CREATE INCREDIBLE EVENTS.
STEEL WIRE BEING ABLE TO LIFT
THREE CARS, THAT'S IMPRESSIVE.
♪♪
Narrator: NOW A TRAIL CAMERA
CAPTURES STRANGE LIGHTS
HOVERING IN THE FORESTS OF MISSISSIPPI.
THIS WAS THE MOST UNUSUAL
THING THAT I HAD EVER SEEN.
Narrator: SOME SUSPECT IT'S
EVIDENCE OF A CLOSE ENCOUNTER.
COULD THIS BE A DEER CAUGHT
IN THE HEADLIGHTS OF A UFO?
♪♪
Narrator: JACKSON COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI.
♪♪
FEBRUARY 16th, 2014.
RAINER SHATTLES POSITIONS TRAIL
CAMS ACROSS HIS REMOTE FARM.
♪♪
Rainer: I PUT TRAIL CAMERAS UP
TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT GAME COMES IN
OR WHAT SHOWS UP AT NIGHT.
TYPICALLY, THE GAME ANIMALS
ARE DEER, NOCTURNAL FEEDERS.
♪♪
Narrator: THE NEXT MORNING, RAINER'S
WIFE, EDITH, REVIEWS THE MATERIAL.
SHE DISCOVERS A SEQUENCE
OF UNEARTHLY IMAGES.
I LOOKED AT THEM BACK AND FORTH
BECAUSE I JUST DIDN'T
KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF IT.
Narrator: 7:56 P.M.,
TWO BRIGHT DOTS APPEAR
AT THE EDGE OF A CLEARING.
MY EYES CAUGHT STRANGE LIGHTS IN THE TREES.
I THOUGHT, "WHAT IN THE WORLD?
HOW COULD THERE BE LIGHTS IN THE TREES?"
Narrator: 8:09 P.M.,
THE MYSTERIOUS OBJECT
MOVES TOWARDS THE CAMERA,
A SPINE-TINGLING IMAGE TAKES SHAPE.
Edith: IT APPEARED TO
BE OF A FLYING SAUCER.
IT HAD THIS EXHAUST APPEARANCE ON IT.
Narrator: SECONDS LATER, THE LIGHTS APPEAR
DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE
CAMERA, HOVERING IN MIDAIR.
A DEER SEEMS TRANSFIXED,
CAUGHT IN THE GLARE
OF THE POWERFUL LIGHT BEAMS.
Edith: I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I WAS SHOCKED.
Narrator: AND THEN THE LIGHTS ARE GONE.
THAT'S ADDED TO THE ODDNESS OF IT.
IT WAS A MYSTERY.
WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS
THAT WAS ON OUR PROPERTY.
♪♪
Narrator: EDITH AND RAINER
SHATTLES HAVE CAPTURED
WHAT LOOKS LIKE AN ALIEN
VISITATION ON THEIR TRAIL CAMS.
WHEN WE TOLD OUR FRIENDS ABOUT THIS,
MOST EVERYONE WAS JUST LIKE,
"MAN, HAVE YOU GOT A
U.F.O. ON YOUR PROPERTY?"
Farrow: THIS ISN'T THE FIRST
TIME THAT STRANGE LIGHTS
HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THIS AREA.
IT ALMOST KIND OF HAS A
HISTORY OF CLOSE ENCOUNTERS.
Narrator: THE LIGHTS IN THE SHATTLES IMAGES
MATCH THE DESCRIPTION OF
AN INFAMOUS LOCAL SIGHTING.
THERE'S A STORY OF AN INCIDENT
THAT OCCURRED DOWN IN PASCAGOULA,
WHICH IS ABOUT 20 MILES FROM WHERE WE LIVE.
Narrator: OCTOBER 1973,
FISHERMEN WITNESSED TWO
POWERFUL BRIGHT LIGHTS
ILLUMINATING THE NIGHT SKY.
ONE OF THEM SEES AN ALIEN CRAFT.
HE SEES THESE FIGURES THAT ARE KIND OF
WRINKLED-LOOKING HUMANOID TYPES,
AND HE HEARD A SORT OF BUZZING NOISE.
Narrator: THE TWO MEN
CLAIM THAT ALIENS ABDUCT
AND HOLD THEM FOR THREE HOURS.
THE PASCAGOULA ABDUCTION
HAS BEEN CONSIDERED
AS A VERY GOOD CASE OF ALIEN ABDUCTION.
Narrator: RAINER SHATTLES
BELIEVES HIS VISITORS
COME FROM MUCH CLOSER TO HOME.
PEOPLE IN THE MILITARY HAVE TOLD ME
THEY'VE SEEN THINGS SIMILAR TO THIS,
DRONES THAT YOU USE FOR SURVEILLANCE.
Narrator: THE NUMBER OF EYES
IN THE SKY IS GROWING RAPIDLY.
THERE ARE ALREADY
700,000 DRONES IN THE U.S.
EVERYONE IS BEING SPIED
ON ALL THE TIME BY DRONES
THAT FLY AROUND AND WATCH
EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE'S DOING.
Narrator: SHATTLES SUSPECTS HIS FOOTAGE
MAY BE EVIDENCE OF SOMETHING MORE SINISTER.
BEING LATE AT NIGHT, I'M
MORE PRONE TO BELIEVE
THAT IT WAS A LITTLE MORE SECRETIVE
THAN JUST FLYING AROUND WITH
NO ONE WANTING TO OWN UP IT.
Narrator: YET, INVESTIGATOR
BEN RADFORD IS NOT CONVINCED
THAT THIS A SECRET GOVERNMENT PROGRAM.
COULD IT BE A SURVEILLANCE DRONE?
IT COULD BE, BUT WHY IS THE
GOVERNMENT SENDING A DRONE
TO LOOK AT DEER IN A
REMOTE FIELD IN MISSISSIPPI?
IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
Narrator: TRAIL CAMERA DESIGNER
BART STEPHENS ANALYZES THE PICTURES.
HE'S CLOCKED-UP THOUSANDS OF HOURS
REVIEWING MYSTERIOUS IMAGES.
ALL SORTS OF WEIRD THINGS ARE CAPTURED
BY THESE CAMERA SYSTEMS.
IT'S GOING TO PICK UP THINGS
THAT HUMANS OTHERWISE WOULD NEVER SEE.
STEPHENS FOCUSES ON THE
POSITION OF THE TWO LIGHTS.
♪♪
THE TWO LIGHTS ARE SPACED THE SAME SPACE
AS THE DEER'S EYEBALLS.
THAT BECAME KIND OF A CLUE
FOR US OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN GOING ON.
STEPHENS BELIEVES THE
IMAGE IS NOT WHAT IT APPEARS
AND THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S
A NIGHTTIME EXPOSURE.
IF IT'S NIGHTTIME, THEN THE
IMAGE WILL BE ILLUMINATED
BY THESE INFRARED L.E.D.s.
Narrator: HE SUSPECTS THAT
THE INFRARED EXPOSURE
BURNS OUT ANY CLOSE-UP DETAIL.
HE PROPOSES WHAT WE CAN'T SEE IS
THAT THE DEER IS LOOKING
STRAIGHT AT THE CAMERA
AND NOT AT THE GHOSTLY LIGHTS.
MY OPINION, WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE
IS REFLECTION OF THE INFRARED ILLUMINATION
OFF OF THE DEER'S EYES
BACK INTO THE CAMERA'S LENS.
Narrator: BUT THIS DOESN'T
EXPLAIN WHY THE LIGHTS APPEAR
TO HOVER IN THE SKY.
STEPHENS IDENTIFIES SOMETHING
IN THE OUTLINE OF THE IMAGE.
YOU'LL NOTICE THIS KIND
OF OTHERWORLDLY GLOW
AROUND THE TWO LIGHTS,
AND THEN SHAPE IS THE SAME
AS THE DEER'S FACE WITH THE EARS,
BUT IT'S UPSIDE DOWN.
Narrator: A QUIRK OF THE CAMERA
TURNS THE IMAGE UPSIDE DOWN.
A CURVED WEATHER-PROOFING
LENS CREATES A MIRROR IMAGE
FLIPPED UP ABOVE THE DEER.
♪♪
A SPECIAL FEATURE OF DEER EYEBALLS
EXPLAINS WHY THE LIGHTS ARE SO BRIGHT.
LIKE MOST NOCTURNAL ANIMALS,
DEER HAVE A MIRROR-LIKE LAYER
BEHIND THE RETINA THAT
HELPS THEM SEE IN THE DARK.
ONE OF THE BY-PRODUCTS OF THIS IS THAT
THE BACK OF THEIR EYES REFLECT
INFRARED LIGHT VERY STRONGLY,
WHICH IS WHY WE SEE THESE
BRIGHT EYES ON THE DEER
IN THIS FOOTAGE HERE.
Narrator: BART STEPHENS THINKS
HE HAS COMPELLING EVIDENCE
LINKING THE DEER'S EYES TO
THE BIZARRE CAMERA-EFFECT.
WHEN THERE IS A DEER THAT
IS VERY CLOSE TO THE CAMERA,
YOU GET THE LIGHTS.
WHERE THERE IS NOT A
DEER CLOSE TO THE CAMERA,
THE LIGHTS GO AWAY.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT EDITH AND
RAINER SHATTLES BELIEVE
THAT ONLY HALF THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED.
IT DIDN'T EXPLAIN THE ONE
PICTURE THAT LOOKED LIKE IT
WAS IN THE SHAPE OF A SAUCER
WITH EXHAUST COMING DOWN.
WE DO KNOW THAT THERE WAS
SOMETHING THERE THAT NIGHT,
AND IT WAS ON OUR CAMERA.
Edith: IT MAKES YOU THINK.
THE DEER WATCH YOU, WE WATCH THE DEER,
BUT IS THERE SOMETHING
ELSE WATCHING ALL OF US?