Sci Fi special puts Kecksburg mystery under a microscope

It has remained an enigma for nearly 40 years -- a saga that began on Dec. 9, 1965, when a fireball was observed streaking across the Westmoreland County sky.

Many witnesses said the fiery object appeared to bank, turn and glide into a wooded ravine near the small Mount Pleasant Township community of Kecksburg. At the scene, onlookers were told a meteor had crashed. More persistent curiosity-seekers were turned away by police and military personnel; some at gunpoint.

Over the years, many questions have been asked; few have been answered. Just what exactly took place in the woods that night• And why was the military so anxious to cover it up?

The Sci Fi Channel endeavors to "blow the lid off" the baffling UFO case in "The New Roswell: Kecksburg Exposed," airing tonight. "What really happened in that little town, known to some as Pennsylvania's Roswell?" asks host Bryant Gumbel in his opening narrative.

What, indeed• The townsfolk remain very much divided. "I think it was something from outer space," says one local resident. Another smiles, emphasizing, "Once the cameras are rolling, people will say anything if they think they're going to be on television."

Regardless, notes Gumbel, eyewitness accounts remain consistent. Through a series of dramatic re-creations, the documentary returns to an evening that would forever change the dynamics in a quiet, unassuming community.

Eyewitness Robert Blystone remembers seeing a "controlled fireball" in the sky. A short time later, Bill Weaver, then 19, saw a bluish light -- "like a welder's light" glowing in the woods. Johnstown resident Don Sebastian details a contingent of "probably 100 soldiers," as well as two "unearthly screams" he says he'll never forget. Pittsburgh jazz musician Jerry Betters says he observed an "acorn-shaped object with hieroglyphics" being hauled away on a flat-bed truck.

Viewers learn of the late John Murphy's efforts to ascertain the truth. Murphy, a news reporter for WHJB radio in Greensburg, snapped photos and interviewed many eyewitnesses that evening. Mable Mazza, the station's office manager at the time, remembers seeing one of the photos, depicting a "cone-like thing" surrounded by a lot of trees.

However, says Mazza, Murphy's enthusiasm for the case evaporated after he received several "unexpected visitors" at the station. Soon after, Murphy was killed in a hit-and-run accident in the state of California. The driver was never found. And the news reporter's notebooks, tapes and photos mysteriously disappeared not long after.

Coincidence• "If someone did away with John, it was because he saw and knew too much," says Bonnie Millslagle, his former wife.

In an effort to further unravel the mystery, Sci Fi enlists the services of West Virginia University professors Dr. J. Stephen Kite (geology and geography) and Dr. Ray Hicks (forestry), for several days of on-site research. With assistance from witnesses Bill Bulebush and John Hays, the investigative team locates what is believed to be the actual crash site. Their findings -- the result of soil and tree core sample studies -- indicate proof of a "traumatic event" at the site on or near 1965, Hicks says.

The special also offers several differing points of view: James Oberg, space consultant; Nick Redfern, author of "Strange Secrets," and Richard Dolan, author of "UFOs & The National Security State."

"The New Roswell" concludes with scenes filmed during a town meeting, held in August at the Kecksburg fire hall. The event was unprecedented; the first-ever gathering of believers and nonbelievers.

Additionally, the Sci Fi Channel announced earlier this week it intends to press forward with its request to obtain classified documents through the Freedom of Information Act. To that end, representatives of the cable channel detailed what could be a series of lawsuits filed to obtain records relating to the Kecksburg case. Lee Helfrich -- of the Lobel, Novins & Lamont law firm -- indicated she expects a suit to be filed against NASA within the week. She says action could also be taken against the Department of Defense and the Army if requested information is not released.

"The New Roswell: Kecksburg Exposed"

9 p.m. tonight, Sci Fi

Note: At 8 p.m., log into www.scifi.com for a live chat with long-time UFO investigator Stan Gordon, of Greensburg, and California-based freelance writer, Leslie Kean, who has been following the Kecksburg case.