Taradale, New Zealand: Two men fall from car as glowing object closes in, car crashes
On the evening of September 10, 1968, John Dow and Paul Franklin, driving near Taradale, New Zealand, were approached from behind by an intensely glowing round object; they fell out of the moving car, which crashed into a fruit dealer's store on Gloucester Street.
Background
In the evening John Dow and Paul Franklin were on the Omarunui Road southwest of Taradale when they saw a circular object only a few feet in diameter, glowing white, with a red and a green light. Heading toward it, they watched it disappear behind a cloud; after crossing a bridge they saw it again, hovering on the opposite side of the river. The object glowed intensely and sped toward the car from the rear. Panicking, they tried to jump out of the car, which was traveling at 35 mph, got tangled up and both fell out the left door as the object hovered 2 feet above the roof; the car veered out of control and crashed into a fruit dealer's store on Gloucester Street. Nearly 24 hours later both were treated for “bruises and abrasions” at the Napier Hospital outpatient clinic because “their clothes were sticking to them.” Dow was charged with reckless driving, but the court dropped the charge given the circumstances, and the insurance company paid for the damage. Eberhart cites the Napier Daily Telegraph (November 1968), the APRO Bulletin, Flying Saucer Review (1969) and Keyhoe and Lore's Strange Effects from UFOs. The account follows the entry in George M. Eberhart's chronology UFOs and Intelligence (CUFOS) and the sources cited there; it is not an independent determination by From Beyond Space.