A Call in the Night
On October 17, 1973, in Falkville, Alabama, a small rural town, Police Chief Jeff Greenhaw, aged 26, was settling in for a quiet evening. Around 10 PM, a frantic anonymous call disrupted his night. A woman reported a UFO landing in a field owned by Bobby Summerford, just outside town. Greenhaw, off-duty but duty-bound, grabbed his revolver, handcuffs, and Polaroid camera, then sped to the site in his truck. He found no spaceship, but a gleaming, 6-foot-tall figure stood by the gravel road, clad in a metallic suit that shone like polished nickel.
The figure, later dubbed the “Metal Man,” had a fused head and neck, an antenna sprouting from its head, and moved with jerky, robotic steps. Greenhaw, heart racing, snapped four Polaroid photos, three capturing the entity’s reflective form. When he called out, it bolted, covering three meters per stride, outpacing his truck at 35 mph on rough terrain.
The Tinfoil Terror
Greenhaw described the figure as “smooth as glass, like rubbing mercury on nickel,” with no creases or seams. Its movements were both childlike and mechanical, as if unaccustomed to Earth’s gravity. Some speculated it resembled the Pascagoula Abduction aliens from days earlier, metallic and robotic, suggesting a connection. Others saw it as a sci-fi cliché, like a tinfoil costume, but Greenhaw insisted it was no human in a suit, noting its superhuman speed and eerie silence.
The photos, grainy yet haunting, showed a humanoid silhouette that reflected light uniformly, sparking debate. Was it an alien scout, a military prototype from nearby Redstone Arsenal, or a cruel prank? The figure’s antenna and robotic gait fueled theories of an extraterrestrial robot, while skeptics pointed to the lack of a visible spacecraft.
A Life Unraveled
Greenhaw’s exhilaration turned to despair. After sharing his photos and story, the town turned on him. Locals mocked him, believing it a hoax by a teen in a shiny suit. He received threatening calls, his wife left him, and his trailer home burned down under suspicious circumstances. Within a month, the town council fired him. In 1983, on the encounter’s 10th anniversary, a break-in stole his photos, revolver, and shotgun—the only items taken, deepening conspiracy theories.
Greenhaw, a serious officer with no motive for fame, stood by his story despite the fallout. He rarely gave interviews, expressing regret not for the encounter but for its cost. The lack of financial gain or notoriety challenges the hoax narrative, leaving many to wonder if he stumbled onto something truly unknown.
A UFO Flap Context
The encounter occurred during the 1973 UFO flap, a wave of sightings across the U.S., including the Pascagoula Abduction in Mississippi, where metallic aliens were reported. Falkville, just 30 miles from Redstone Arsenal’s advanced tech facilities, was a quiet backdrop for such a bizarre event. Some theorized the Metal Man was a military experiment gone astray, while others saw it as an alien scout from a hidden mothership. The timing and regional UFO activity add weight to Greenhaw’s account, yet no spacecraft was found.
Paranormal investigators later reported strange EMF readings near the site, and locals whispered of odd lights in the fields, hinting at a lingering presence. The photos, analyzed but inconclusive, remain a cornerstone of UFO lore, featured in books and trading cards like MetaZoo: Cryptid Nation.
A Timeline of the Encounter
The Falkville Alien incident unfolded as follows:
- October 17, 1973, 10:00 PM: Greenhaw receives an anonymous call about a UFO landing in Bobby Summerford’s field.
- October 17, 1973, 10:15 PM: Greenhaw arrives, spots a 6-foot metallic figure, and takes four Polaroid photos.
- October 17, 1973, 10:20 PM: The figure flees, outrunning Greenhaw’s truck at 35 mph; he loses it after hitting a ditch.
- October 19, 1973: Greenhaw’s photos and story hit the news, sparking ridicule and threats.
- November 1973: The town council fires Greenhaw; his wife leaves, and his home burns down.
- October 1983: A break-in steals Greenhaw’s photos, revolver, and shotgun, fueling conspiracy theories.
- August 2025: The Metal Man remains a debated mystery, with no new sightings but persistent intrigue.
Theories of the Unknown
The Metal Man defies explanation. Was it an extraterrestrial robot, scouting for a mothership? A military prototype from Redstone Arsenal, tested in secret? Or a prank by a local teen, exploiting the UFO craze? The figure’s speed, seamless suit, and Greenhaw’s ruined life argue against a simple hoax. Some suggest an interdimensional being, slipping through a rift in rural Alabama. Others point to the stolen photos, hinting at a cover-up. The 1973 UFO flap and Pascagoula’s metallic aliens suggest a pattern, yet the truth remains elusive.
Paranormal enthusiasts note the photos’ lack of creases, unlike homemade foil suits, and the figure’s unnatural gait. Could it have been a programmed entity, or something beyond our understanding? The silence of that night lingers, unbroken by answers.
A Legacy of Mystery
Falkville’s Metal Man endures as a haunting enigma. Greenhaw’s photos, though stolen, live on in UFO archives, a testament to a night that shattered a man’s life. The town’s skepticism couldn’t erase the images or the questions they raised. Was Greenhaw a victim of a cruel prank, a witness to alien contact, or a pawn in a larger experiment? The Alabama backroads hold their secrets, whispering of a gleaming figure that vanished into the dark, leaving only grainy snapshots and a broken man.
What Do You Think?
The Falkville Alien stirs questions that echo through Alabama’s fields. Do you believe Greenhaw saw an alien, or was it a prank that cost him everything? Could the stolen photos point to a government cover-up, or just bad luck? If you were in his truck that night, would you chase the Metal Man or turn back? Share your thoughts and experiences on X.com @THEODDWOO or Reddit r/ODDWOO.