The Truro Alien Abduction: Cape Cod’s Mysterious Encounter
Cape Cod has no shortage of mysteries, from the vanished crew of the Commerce to the eerie ruins of the North Truro Air Force Station. But one of the strangest—and most chilling—stories to emerge from the Outer Cape is the alleged alien abduction of Airman First Class Robert Matthews in Truro on October 1, 1966.
A Routine Stop Turns Extraordinary
It was 8:45 p.m. when a bus pulled up in front of Dutra’s Market (now Salty Market) in North Truro. A single passenger disembarked: 19-year-old Robert Matthews, en route to the nearby North Truro Air Force Station. After stepping off the bus, Matthews headed to the market’s payphone to call the base for a pickup. While he waited, he noticed strange lights moving in an unusual left-to-right motion in the sky.
Feeling uneasy, he returned to the payphone and called the base again, urging them to hurry. That’s when things took a bizarre turn. The men at the base asked if he had left his position, as a truck had already arrived to pick him up at 8:50 p.m. But Matthews insisted he had never moved. When he was finally picked up, the base informed him that his second call had come in at 9:45 p.m.—a full hour after his first call, though Matthews had perceived only minutes passing.
Military officials questioned Matthews extensively, suggesting he had been drunk or mistaken. Matthews mentioned seeing an aircraft, which prompted further scrutiny. The incident was eventually dropped, and Matthews continued his military career, later serving in Vietnam.
Discovering a Hidden Truth
For over two decades, Matthews put the event behind him. Then, in 1987, he came across Budd Hopkins’ book Intruders, which explored cases of alien abduction and missing time. Something about the stories resonated deeply with him, prompting him to contact Hopkins, a prominent UFO researcher. Hopkins had studied many cases of missing time and believed Matthews' experience fit the pattern.
Under hypnosis, Matthews recalled astonishing details: three lights in the sky that landed near him, a ramp extending from the craft, and six slender, gray-skinned beings with large heads and eyes. The interior of the craft reminded him of a medical examination room—sterile and clinical. The beings examined his chest while discussing their findings in an unknown language. Matthews found himself unable to resist their actions.
Strangely, this wasn’t Matthews’ first encounter with the unexplained. At age five, he had seen a glowing green figure enter his room and interact with his chest, an event he had always attributed to a ghost. After his Truro experience, he began to reconsider whether it was something extraterrestrial instead.
A Lasting Legacy
Matthews' story gained widespread attention after being featured in Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack (Season 1, Episode 10, aired December 21, 1988). The show filmed a reenactment at the actual location and brought Matthews back to Dutra’s Market to walk through the experience firsthand.
Today, you can visit the site where this strange event took place. While the payphone is gone, Salty Market still stands at the same intersection of Shore Road and Pond Road. The nearby North Truro Air Force Station has been mostly dismantled, with only a few buildings remaining. However, the eerie atmosphere lingers, inviting speculation about what really happened that night.
Cape Cod’s UFO Mysteries Continue
Matthews’ experience is not an isolated incident—Cape Cod has a long history of UFO sightings, many of which continue to be reported to the National UFO Reporting Center. Whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, the Truro alien abduction remains one of the most intriguing and mysterious encounters in Cape Cod’s history.
Next time you're in Truro, take a moment to stand outside Salty Market, look up at the night sky, and wonder: Are we truly alone?