Who is Thomas Reed, the man who kept the 1969 Berkshire UFO sighting alive?
One of the most intriguing episodes of Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries" 2020 season (opens in new tab) is "Berkshire UFO," about a UFO sighting in Massachusetts in 1969 (opens in new tab). The most vocal voice in this episode is that of Tom (Thomas) Reed. He has eagerly and publicly (open in new tab) tried to speak out about what he, his family, and neighbors experienced. He has also tried to avoid sensationalizing the story, never using the word "kidnapped," for example, and has urged others to speak out. Now he finally has the opportunity to tell his story along with other witnesses in "Berkshires UFO."
Reed and his family moved from New York to Sheffield, which he says in the episode always made him feel like an outsider, even though Sheffield seemed like a quiet, peaceful town. As Reed recounts in the episode, the incident occurred on a hot night in 1969. He and his family were driving across a bridge when they saw a round ball with light shooting out of the bottom and a disc-shaped object hovering in the air. They say they were pulled into the object, although they remember little of what happened.
Reed states that he remembers encountering two creatures that looked like giant ants - this was not addressed in the episode, but he has spoken about it elsewhere - and his family was put back in the car. Reed explained that his grandmother and mother switched places, with his grandmother, who had never driven before, sitting in the driver's seat. The grandmother in the driver's seat had never driven before. This was just one of dozens of sightings in the surrounding area.
According to a 2015 Boston Globe interview (opens in new tab), this is one of three incidents that occurred in Reed, two of which apparently occurred before the 1969 incident.
"In 1966, six-year-old Thomas Reed was in the bedroom of his family's horse ranch in the Berkshires when he was confronted by a man who had been shot in the back of the head.
Since the sighting occurred, Reed has been laughed at and ridiculed for telling the story (he even got into a fight about it at school at the time), and the family eventually moved out. But he doesn't mind. 'Talking about it hasn't helped,' he said. We're not making any money. This has tarnished our lives. It has tarnished our family's name. The only thing that can hurt you is when someone does a Google search on your name. But when something as outrageous as this happens to you, how do you put a lid on it?"
Reed is a retired entrepreneur and founder of the International Model and Artist Group, but he also works diligently to keep the story alive. He has appeared on the History Channel's Ancient Aliens:
According to the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico (opens in new tab), Reid has also appeared on Good Morning Canada, Inner Space, and Paranormal Paparazzi," "Uncovering Aliens," "Hughes TV," and "New England Legends."
The Great Barrington Historical Society & Museum inducted the UFO Story into its Hall of Fame in 2015, recognizing it as an official historical event. The induction included a new statue commemorating the event, which was later defaced with graffiti and eventually removed (open in new tab). Reed's nonprofit, UFO Monument Park, Inc. said it intends to fight the decision.
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