There’s Never Been A Better Time to Believe in Aliens Than Right Now

With little green men now a subject of scrutiny on Capitol Hill, UFOs and extraterrestrial life are taking over the American mind

By Alexander Saeedy | Photographs by Joe Buglewicz for The Wall Street Journal

For many years, the Connecticut chapter of America’s largest UFO research group investigated alien life on Earth from the shadows. That wasn’t by choice—it was because almost nobody ever came to meetings in a suburban basement just outside of Hartford.

But things are changing. Today, the ranks of the Mutual UFO Network of Connecticut have swelled from six to nearly 100, and meetups happen in broad daylight. On the first Saturday of the month, several dozen Mufon members cram into booths at AD’s Pizzeria in the town of Windsor Locks and spend hours discussing flying saucers.

Dyke Spear Jr., an 88-year-old divorce attorney, is the guy who used to host meetings in his basement. Born during the Great Depression, Spear is from a generation that didn’t have the luxury of talking about aliens or UFOs in public without being labeled a kook.

He has believed in UFOs since he was a kid in 1947, when he heard about a crashed “flying disk” in Roswell, N.M. on the radio. The government claimed it was a downed weather balloon, but the incident metastasized into a web of conspiracy theories.

In 1984, Spear claims he saw a hovering craft the size of a Boeing 727 near Brewster, N.Y., and for most of his life, he didn’t feel like he could speak freely about it.

An object photographed in the 1950s near Holloman Air Development Center in New Mexico. Photo: Bettmann Archive/Getty

Spear’s group, Mufon, often welcomes a guest speaker to present in the host restaurant’s fluorescent-lit backroom and then review footage of recent UFO sightings on the pizzeria’s widescreen TVs (reserved for Pittsburgh Steelers games on Sundays).

The pizzeria’s owners, the DeLeo family, don’t believe in aliens but have welcomed the group for around six years, agreeing to sell their T-shirts and allowing the chapter to stargaze on summer nights from their parking lot.

“Back when I was in court a lot, I tried to share my ideas about UFOs with other lawyers and professionals, but people weren’t receptive,” Spear said. “Today though, you can talk to pretty much anyone about UFOs.”

The man has a point: There’s probably never been a better time to believe in aliens than right now. That’s mostly because the federal government quietly admitted in April 2020 that several Navy pilots have encountered “unidentified aerial phenomena,” or UAPs, while flying around the Pacific Ocean.

Clips from unclassified videos taken by Navy pilots showing interactions with ‘unidentified aerial phenomena.’ Video: U.S. Naval Air Systems Command

The feds released videos and say they still have no idea who was flying them or where they came from. Congress followed up with hearings in 2022 and 2023 on UAPs, the first probe into flying saucers in 50 years.

Former military officials testify to a congressional panel in 2023 about their encounters with UFOs. Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Shutterstock

“We are living in a watershed moment,” says Dr. Christopher Bader, a sociologist at Chapman University in southern California who studies American beliefs in the paranormal. The hearings before Congress “have legitimized the discussion of UFOs in a way that is virtually unprecedented.”

Alex Brandon/AP

New acolytes are constantly exchanging ideas about extraterrestrial life online, often connecting with thousands of other enthusiasts on Reddit, Twitter, or Discord to discuss reams of government documents, video footage and other evidence that there may be life beyond Earth.

David Becker/Getty

“We’re trying to build a community where people can come to and talk about these kinds of experiences,” said Mark Way, a 31-year-old IT specialist who started “UFOs over Pennsylvania,” after hearing the recent congressional testimony about UFOs.

The government’s admissions have changed the game for UFO enthusiasts, Spear says. Now, his home state of Connecticut has one of the most vibrant chapters of Mufon. He credits the comeback to its newest leader, 44-year-old Mike Panicello, whose day job is in IT for the Connecticut State College System.

Mike Panicello, in blue, chats with members before a monthly meeting.

For most Americans, the stigma around believing in aliens or discussing UFOs is still out there. But Mufon members have hope. “I think it’s easier to talk about it now with all of the disclosure and the public finally takes us more seriously,” said Panicello. «We’re not the people with the tinfoil hats anymore.”

Produced by: Matthew Riva

Photo Editor: Allison Pasek