On January 3, 1979, in Hialeah, Florida, Filiberto Cárdenas, a Cuban-born businessman, encountered an experience that has become one of the most detailed and unsettling alien abduction cases recorded. Multiple witnesses, complex elements, and communication with non-human entities add layers to an already perplexing event, turning this into a case that has captivated researchers for decades.
Cárdenas, his friend Fernando Marti, Marti’s wife, and daughter were driving along Okeechobee Road in Hialeah as evening approached. Their drive took an alarming turn when the car stalled, the engine cutting off inexplicably. While both men stepped out to check under the hood, a humming sound, described as the buzzing of “thousands of bees,” filled the air. As they tried to locate the sound, a luminous object appeared above them, illuminating the area in a blue-white glow.
In an instant, Cárdenas was engulfed in the light and lifted off the ground, vanishing before the shocked eyes of his friends and family. They watched as the craft rose into the sky and disappeared, leaving them in a state of disbelief. Confused and terrified, they reported Cárdenas’ disappearance to local authorities, but without an immediate explanation, the authorities could only note the unusual details of the case.
Roughly two hours later, a police officer discovered Cárdenas by the roadside about 16 miles away from the abduction site. Cárdenas was kneeling in a disoriented state, unable to recall the details of what had occurred or how he had arrived there. Covered in minor abrasions and showing signs of dehydration, he emitted a sulfurous odor that lingered for several days following his return. The officer reported that Cárdenas appeared exhausted and disoriented, and he later complained of severe thirst, sudden flashes of hot and cold sensations, and persistent fatigue—symptoms that baffled both medical personnel and researchers.
As days passed, fragmented memories began to emerge. Undergoing hypnotic regression to help recover these memories, Cárdenas recalled being aboard a craft occupied by three humanoid figures. These beings wore white suits marked by a distinctive serpent-like emblem in the shape of an “S” or “Z” over an X-shaped cross on their chests. This symbol bore a striking resemblance to one seen in a separate abduction case involving police officer Herbert Schirmer in 1967.
Through the sessions, Cárdenas remembered these beings communicating with him in Spanish, warning of possible future global conflicts and disasters. His memory included an underwater base they took him to, which he described as a pyramid structure. From there, he was guided through a tunnel carved into rock, eventually entering a chamber where he was given a sweet, honey-like liquid to drink. He recalled sitting on a stone seat as he received what he interpreted as a series of messages.
These non-human figures conveyed repeated warnings of global dangers and images of three pyramids connected by a ray of light, though Cárdenas couldn’t understand their meaning. He also observed advanced technology inside the craft, including consoles and screens he could not comprehend. During one session, he described undergoing a physical examination, feeling himself restrained on a platform as mechanical “arms” with suction-like devices covered his body. Though he felt no pain, the experience was deeply unsettling, and at one point, a bright light illuminated his face as the beings inserted an instrument into his ear.