Ball of light approaches campers near 29 Palms and scans caller
A caller on the Wildcard Line tells Art Bell that in March 1993 they and their girlfriend were camping near 29 Palms when they saw distant lights moving south to north. The caller says a basketball-sized ball of light came out of a large craft and approached within about 48 inches. It seemed to scan their brain, then focused on their girlfriend before returning to the craft. The caller reports she was traumatized and spent about eight months in therapy. The call ends with Art Bell’s speculation about downloaded information.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1998.mp3”, starting at 3:50:36). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
According to the caller, they were on the Wildcard Line and had an “attack story,” but they were not alone. The caller says they were with their girlfriend in the desert. The caller dates the event to March 1993. The caller reports that they were watching lights about 100 miles away coming from the south and going due north. The lights looked to the caller like they were coming from San Diego up over Palm Springs. The caller says they watched this for about 10 minutes and then called their girlfriend’s attention to it. The caller states they were camping out near 29 Palms. The caller mentions that they did their last year and a half in the Navy at Top Gun and that there were so many aircraft flying around down there that it was hard to keep track of them. This one got the caller’s attention, though they say they could not tell exactly why. The caller says the story sounds bizarre and that they had never told anyone before. The caller wanted to know if others had had something similar happen. The caller reports that a ball of light came out of a large craft and came right up in front of them about 48 inches away. The caller describes it as about the size of a basketball, extremely brilliant, and looking like the end of a sparkler. The caller says they could feel it scan their brain quickly. It then went to their girlfriend and spent some time with her before leaving. The caller says it shot up into the sky and went back to the large craft. The caller reports their girlfriend was very traumatized and spent about eight months in therapy. When the host says the caller sounds okay, the caller says they were frightened. The host thanks the caller and speculates about what the light did with the information it downloaded.
Reported events, in order
- 0:04
The caller says they have an attack story and were not alone.
- 0:13
The caller says they were with their girlfriend in the desert.
- 0:15
The caller dates the event to March 1993.
- 0:19
The caller reports watching lights about 100 miles away moving from south to north.
- 0:29
The caller says it looked like it was coming from San Diego up over Palm Springs.
- 0:34
The caller says they watched this for about 10 minutes.
- 0:37
The caller says they called their girlfriend’s attention to it.
- 0:40
The caller says they were camping out near 29 Palms.
- 0:44
The caller mentions their last year and a half in the Navy at Top Gun and many aircraft in the area.
- 0:52
The caller says this one got their attention, though they cannot say exactly why.
- 0:57
The caller says they have never told anyone this story and want to know if others had similar experiences.
- 1:08
The caller reports a ball of light came out of a large craft and approached within about 48 inches.
- 1:17
The caller describes the ball as about the size of a basketball, extremely brilliant, and like the end of a sparkler.
- 1:23
The caller says they could feel it scan their brain quickly.
- 1:28
The caller says it then went to their girlfriend, spent time with her, and left.
- 1:34
The caller says it shot into the sky and returned to the large craft, and that their girlfriend was traumatized and spent about eight months in therapy.
- 1:44
The host says the caller sounds okay. The caller says they were frightened.
- 1:53
The host thanks the caller and speculates about information downloaded from the caller.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:19
The caller watched distant lights moving from south to north for about 10 minutes.
- observation· 1:08
A ball of light came out of a large craft and approached the caller and their girlfriend within about 48 inches.
- interpretation· 1:23
The caller concluded that the light scanned their brain.
- observation· 1:28
The light then moved to the caller’s girlfriend, spent time with her, and left.
- observation· 1:34
The caller reports their girlfriend was traumatized and spent about eight months in therapy.
- host statement· 1:53
The host speculated that the light did something with information it had taken from the caller.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
This is a brief, firsthand story from a caller. It is specific about date, place, distances, size, and claimed aftermath, but nobody else backs it up, and the close “scan” is not tested against ordinary explanations.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand witness: the caller describes their own observations and sensations.
- Specific details: March 1993, near 29 Palms, lights about 100 miles away, 10 minutes, 48 inches, basketball size, eight months of therapy.
- The claimed second witness does not speak on air.
- The caller mentions many aircraft in the area, which suggests at least one ordinary explanation for the distant lights.
- The “scan my brain” conclusion is not separated from the sensation.
- It is uncertain who is speaking in several lines.
- The story is very short and was given under time pressure.
- The caller does not address any ordinary explanations.
- 0:19
- 1:08
- 1:23
- 1:34
What the model inferred (not said on air): Estimate by part: source proximity 18/25, specificity 15/20, internal consistency 15/20, alternative explanations 7/20, calibration 7/15.
The story rests on the caller’s word plus a claimed second witness. It gives some details that could be checked, such as date and place, but there is no documentation, physical evidence, or on-air confirmation.
Evidence for and against
- Date given: [quote withheld]
- Place given: [quote withheld]
- Second witness claimed: [quote withheld]
- No photograph, recording, document, or physical trace is reported.
- The claimed second witness does not speak on air.
- The labels showing who is speaking are garbled, but the caller’s words are broadly identifiable.
- No physical evidence or documentation is claimed.
- 0:15
- 0:40
- 0:13
What the model inferred (not said on air): A score of 11 to 25, because a second witness is claimed and a date and place are given, but nothing is independently checked.
The close approach and the reported mind scan are invasive and unsettling, and the claimed trauma and therapy add a disturbing note. But the call is brief and no physical harm is reported.
Evidence for and against
- The light reportedly comes within 48 inches: [quote withheld]
- The caller reports a brain-scan sensation: [quote withheld]
- The girlfriend reportedly needed therapy: [quote withheld]
- The story is squeezed into about two minutes.
- There is no reported physical attack, injury, or chase.
- The story is short and does not describe the scan or the girlfriend’s therapy in detail.
- No physical injury or lasting attack is reported.
- 1:08
- 1:23
- 1:34
What the model inferred (not said on air): A judgment about the story as entertainment, not a claim about what happened.
A large craft and moving lights are familiar UFO elements. But a detached, basketball-sized light that reportedly scans the caller’s brain and then focuses on a second person is a distinctive combination.
Evidence for and against
- The light is described as detaching from a large craft and approaching the witnesses: [quote withheld]
- The reported brain scan is an unusual detail: [quote withheld]
- The core elements are common UFO and light motifs: a large craft, a moving light, and a close encounter.
- The story is brief and lacks a detailed description of the craft or the scan.
- The published originality score is computed compared with the rest of the archive. This is only the model’s provisional score based on content.
- The story is very short, which limits comparison with other stories.
- 1:08
- 1:23
What the model inferred (not said on air): A provisional score from the model. The score compared with the rest of the archive is not available in this run.
Scoring confidence 0.65 · analysis confidence 0.70 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand word.; A claimed second witness (their girlfriend) does not speak on air.; No physical evidence, photograph, recording, or document reported.. The originality score blends the model's score (65) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- Military aircraft or flares. · The caller says they were near 29 Palms and that there were [quote withheld] A distant light could be an aircraft or flare, though this does not account for the reported close approach.
- An afterimage of a bright light, or a misreading of the senses. · The light is described as “extremely brilliant” and [quote withheld] A very bright light up close could produce visual or physical effects that were taken for a brain scan.
What stands out
A UFO and light encounter in which a detached ball of light reportedly approaches within about 48 inches and “scans” the caller’s brain, then focuses on a second person. The call is very short and includes a claimed aftermath of therapy.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.