Here in Minnesota, there are enough stories of supernatural happenings and paranormal experiences to make you think twice about venturing too far into Minnesota’s remote areas. For example, northern Minnesota is home to many bigfoot sightings. And all around the state, rumors of haunted roads, hotels, and cemeteries abound. Today, we want to introduce yet another creepy story, this one involving a terrifying UFO encounter. Read on below to learn about this famous story, which you can still see evidence of today:

The story takes place in Marshall County, Minnesota, in 1979. One night in late August of that year, Deputy Sheriff Val Johnson was on patrol near the small town of Stephen.
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr
At about 2 a.m., he spotted a beam of light ahead on the road. He drove his squad car towards it and was soon surrounded by light. At this point, Johnson heard the sound of glass breaking. But what happened next, no one knows.
Johnson lost consciousness for 39 minutes. When he woke up, he realized that his watch and the car's clock had both stopped for 14 minutes.
Gavin Golden/Flickr
When he surveyed the car, Johnson found that the windshield was broken. Other damage included broken lights and a bent antenna.

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It wasn't only the car that was damaged. Johnson himself sustained some unusual injuries. He had bruises and strong eye irritation.
Sam Javanrouh/Flickr
The story made nationwide headlines, and Johnson even appeared on a popular morning talk show to discuss the incident. The legacy lives on, too. The incident was included in season 2 of the Hulu show Fargo.
Chris Fitts/Google
Many have likened the even to a UFO encounter. But others believe it to be a hoax. No matter what you believe, you can still visit the squad car involved in the incident. It's found at the Marshall County Historical Society Museum.

What do you think? Was Johnson’s experience a UFO encounter, or something else entirely? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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