On the evening of June 23, 1976, in the Aricanduva neighborhood of São Paulo, Brazil, 18-year-old Paulo Coutinho embarked on a routine walk home from his night school class. What he experienced that night would change his life forever and become a significant case in the study of UFO phenomena.
An Unusual Disappearance
Around 11:45 PM, Paulo had just finished class and was heading home. By the following morning, he still hadn’t returned, raising alarm among family and friends. Concern intensified when a friend appeared at the Coutinho residence, returning Paulo’s schoolbooks and notebooks, which had been found scattered on the street shortly after midnight. The police were notified, and neighbors gathered at the Coutinho home to help in the search.
A Mysterious Return
By evening, Paulo’s father, Jose Alves, felt a sudden, unshakable conviction that his son was safe and would return soon. Yet he ignored an inner urge to check the backyard. Moments later, groans were heard coming from that exact spot. Rushing outside, the family discovered Paulo lying on the garden steps, semi-conscious and disturbingly cold, as though he had been there for hours. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was revived.
One of the most puzzling details came from the police officer who carried Paulo to the ambulance: the officer reported an unexplained irritation on his skin, especially on his arms. Even more bizarre, ballpoint pens in Paulo’s pockets later tested positive for high levels of radioactivity.
Eyewitness to a Luminous Object
That same evening, around 7:30 PM, a neighbor named Virginia reported seeing a strange, glowing object hovering near the Coutinho rooftop before it abruptly moved away. Her daughter also witnessed this luminous spectacle, lending credibility to reports of unusual activity in the area.
Encounter With the Unknown
When Paulo finally awoke, he recounted a story that bordered on the unbelievable. He mentioned hearing a piercing whistling sound throughout the day of June 23, growing stronger as night approached. After walking his girlfriend home, he noticed a moving light in the sky. Initially mistaking it for a plane, he felt an intense shudder and suddenly found himself paralyzed, unable to speak or cry out.
The light drifted down until it was hovering just 20–25 feet away, gradually dimming to reveal a “very short” being with a large head, pointed ears, and an upturned nose “like a pig’s.” The entity’s bluish-gray one-piece suit featured a distinctive emblem on the chest. Bald and without eyebrows, the being had a strangely imposing presence.
A “Close Encounter of the Fourth Kind”
Paulo felt himself levitate alongside this small being toward a massive, reddish cigar-shaped craft—estimated to be around 650 feet in length—that turned metallic gray as they approached. Passing through a horizontal door, he entered a dark gray, circular chamber where three other beings stood. Attempting to stand, Paulo once again felt paralyzed. A telepathic message then reassured him he would not be harmed.
The Stark Interior and Telepathic Dialogue
A wall within the craft vanished, leading into another vast, dimly lit room. There, six more beings awaited. The absence of furniture or any visible light source gave the area a surreal, dreamlike quality. Images of Paulo’s girlfriend, school friends, and parents flickered across a sidewall, appearing as though broadcasting their real-time activities back home.
Telepathically, the beings communicated their purpose: they wanted to understand how life had arisen in the universe. When Paulo demanded an explanation about three “different” beings in the room, he was informed they were female. In their society, he was told, sexual reproduction did not exist, as children were created in laboratories for specific societal roles.
The Strange Corridor and Sudden Return
Feeling uneasy, Paulo insisted on returning home. One being touched a wall projection, glanced at a female entity, and then revealed a corridor glowing with red light. Compelled to walk, Paulo entered the passage, where a bed-like structure emerged from the wall. He lay down, and a faint illumination enveloped him at the being’s touch. Suddenly overwhelmed by dizziness, he lost consciousness.
His next memory was waking on his garden steps, overhearing his parents’ voices. He was later hospitalized, suffering from numbness and tingling throughout his body.
Physical Evidence and Ongoing Questions
Paulo’s encounter—which included high radioactivity in his belongings and the officer’s skin irritation—has been rigorously documented by researcher Mario Martins Ribeiro for the organization Apex. Although there is no consensus on the true nature of the event, the details have placed it among the most intriguing abduction cases in ufology. From the massive cigar-shaped craft to the telepathic messages about the origins of life, Paulo’s story continues to fuel debates among UFO researchers, skeptics, and curious onlookers alike.
Whether one considers this story a genuine Close Encounter of the Fourth Kind or attributes it to hallucination or hoax, the lasting intrigue lies in the unique physical evidence and the consistent eyewitness accounts. For Paulo Coutinho, the experience remains a defining chapter of his life—raising age-old questions about humanity’s place in the cosmos and the possibility of advanced life forms probing Earth to uncover secrets of our existence.
References
- UFO Evidence – Comprehensive Resource for UFO Sightings and Research http://www.ufoevidence.org/
- Revista UFO (in Portuguese)
- Printed news clippings from São Paulo newspapers, June–July 1976 (physical archives unavailable online).
- UFO Casebook – General Database on UFO Encounters https://www.ufocasebook.com/
- Brazilian UFO Research Organizations – For reports on the Aricanduva Incident
- https://www.cubbrasil.net/ (Portuguese)
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