Miami unidentified light report — January 3, 1979

On January 3, 1979, Filiberto Cárdenas was traveling near Miami, Florida, with Fernando Martí and members of Martí's family. Their station wagon stopped on a rural road near Okeechobee Road. The two men got out and raised the hood to investigate the failure. The group reported a powerful humming sound, shaking, and brilliant light descending near the vehicle. Cárdenas disappeared during the episode. His companions sought police assistance, and he was reportedly found dazed on a Miami street roughly sixteen miles away later that evening. Thomas Bullard's catalogue distinguishes that disappearance-and-recovery sequence from the more elaborate recollections obtained during later hypnosis. Those recollections included humanlike occupants and travel to an underwater installation. Virgilio Sánchez-Ocejo investigated the case over several years with consultation from J. Allen Hynek. Later claimed encounters belong to a longer series and should not be folded into January 3. The plate depicts the final release described in later hypnotic recollection, with Cárdenas, humanlike figures and a rocket-like craft. Its visible label distinguishes this later narrative from the companions’ initial observations.