Close Encounters: Missouri Deputies Pull Over UFO Headed to Roswell

Sheriff's deputies in Missouri recently pulled over an unusual visitor traveling through their state on the way to Roswell, N.M. — an Unidentified Driving Object.

The Crawford County Sheriff's Office said deputies pulled over a vehicle recently that "was a little out of this world."

Photos shared by the sheriff's office on Facebook show a UFO-shaped vehicle on the side of the road, after it was pulled over for a lane violation and an expired out-of-state license plate.

"These friendly humanoids, who have come in peace, are heading west to Roswell, NM for a festival. There was a brief conversation about his out of space, correction, out of state registration, but he assured us that he would take care of that issue when he returned to Krypton," the sheriff's office joked alongside the photos on Facebook. "He was also warned about our strict enforcement of warp speed on the interstate and to keep his phasers on stun only while traveling."

Despite the minor infractions, the pilot was allowed to continue on his way to Roswell.

It's unclear what event the driver was traveling to, but the annual Roswell UFO Festival ran July 5–7 this year.

Events took place throughout the city, including a Spaceport Roswell virtual reality experience, UFO tours, special museum exhibitions, the Galacticon sci-fi convention, multiple laser shows, an Alien Chase 5k walk/run, and a variety of talks and panels given by UFOlogists.

Roswell has been a hotspot for alien enthusiasts for nearly 80 years, since the U.S. Army Air Forces announced in July 1947 it had recovered a "flying disc" that crashed on a ranch in the area.

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The military then claimed it was a weather balloon, setting off speculation about a cover-up of alien contact.

Only decades later did the military reveal the weather balloon story was a cover for the use of top-secret listening devices searching for evidence of Soviet atomic bomb tests.

TMX contributed to this report.