Val Johnson

A deputy sheriff for Marshall County, Minnesota. Monday, 27 August 1979, about 1:40 a.m. Val Johnson, 35, was driving County Road 5, ten miles west of Stephen, in the Red River Valley. He was alone, and he would be the only witness to what followed. His patrol car encounter became Minnesota's classic police case. It is often set beside other vehicle cases, such as Reidar Salvesen's cracked windshield at Helleland in Norway. In May 2026, when the Anoka police sphere footage surfaced, Minnesota reporters reached back to Deputy Val Johnson's encounter.

Stories4

Pro early

The Helleland Close Encounter: Reidar Salvesen's Cracked Windshield

October 29, 1970 · About 3 km past Helleland, Eigersund municipality, Rogaland

Norway

UAP · Disc / saucer · 13 sources

23Thinly documented

Val Johnson Incident

August 27, 1979 · State Highway 220 near County Road 5, west of Stephen, Marshall County, Minnesota

United States

UAP · Orb / light · 49 sources · 12 photos

45Partially documented

Marshall County deputy sheriff, the only witness

Pro early

The Val Johnson Incident: A Minnesota Deputy's Squad Car Struck by a Light

August 27, 1979 · Minnesota State Highway 220, south of its junction with County Road 5, about 10 miles west of Stephen, Marshall County, Minnesota

United States

UAP · Orb / light · 32 sources

32Partially documented

Marshall County deputy sheriff, sole witness

Anoka Police "Atom-Shaped" Sphere (FBI UAP File)

February 19, 2025 · Anoka, Minnesota (Domino's Pizza parking lot and Anoka Municipal Ramp), object toward Monticello

United States

UAP · Sphere · 19 sources

34Partially documented