Fans of the wildly popular "Men In Black" film franchise may only be vaguely aware that the action-comedy movies are based on a long history of reports about alleged, mysterious entities who have approached UFO witnesses. One of the more compelling accounts reportedly occurred in the spring of 2009 at a Sheraton Hotel on the banks of Niagara Falls, New York.

Reports of Men in Black (MIB) first become popular in the 1950's and 1960’s, though similar sightings have been recorded for centuries, with earlier accounts often associated with demonic or witchcraft beliefs.

Modern era MIB sightings are chiefly associated with UFO sightings, beginning in 1947. Mysterious looking men, often dressed in black suits, fedora hats and trench coats, wearing sunglasses and seen driving black Cadillac sedans have reportedly followed and conducted surveillance on UFO witnesses. Witnesses claim MIB have visited their homes, possessed detailed knowledge about them, have often tried to discount their UFO sighting and warned them not to discuss their UFO experiences.

Witnesses have described MIB as very odd looking and sounding, with a “swarthy” appearance, pasty white complexions, oversized eyes and no eyebrows, eyelashes or other facial hair. They have been heard speaking with strange accents, odd sounding giggles and using outdated slang. MIB have exhibited confusion over simple items such as pens, utensils and food. No wonder the subject is fertile ground for Hollywood comedies.

MIB’s have explained to some witnesses that they are representatives of a secret government organization, but when pressed for identification, they have often quickly departed. Other theories suggest they are aliens who, for all intent look human.

1966- Alleged Men In Black reported and photographed.

As with all reports of fringe entities, proof of their existence is elusive at best. A rare photograph of an alleged MIB was published in the Fall 1968 issue of “Saucer Magazine.” The photo of the MIB and the black car he was allegedly driving was accompanied by a detailed witness account reported from New Jersey.

Photograph of alleged Man In Black taken in October, 1986, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Credit: James W. Moseley









2009- MIB look for UFO witness at Niagara Falls hotel

A surveillance video of two alleged MIBs entering a Sheraton Hotel lobby on the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls was posted to YouTube (see below). According to an investigation conducted by The Ariel Phenomenon Investigations Team (API), a Washington, D.C., area based UFO research organization, the alleged MIB entered the hotel on May 15, 2009, and asked to see the general manager, who with a fellow employee working security for the hotel, had witnessed a triangle shaped UFO fly slowly and silently over the hotel seven months earlier, on the night of October14, 2008.

The UFO sightings

The two hotel employees described the craft they witnessed as approximately 240 feet long, with three white lights on all three sides, and a pulsing red light in the middle of the object. They observed the UFO for about 10 minutes as it slowly and silently flew at an altitude of around 500 feet, east to west, from over Niagara’s Horseshoe Falls toward their hotel. The craft emitted a beam of bright, white light directed downward toward the water. As they observed the craft, the light beam shifted direction and aimed directly at the two witnesses, which frightened them.

About a week later, the hotel manager was alone in the hotel parking lot at one in the morning, when he noticed another black triangle flying in the same direction but at a much higher altitude.

Illustration of large UFO over Niagara Falls as described by two hotel employees (Witnesses 1 and 2). Credit: Ariel Phenomenon Investigations Team

Description of size and fight direction of large triangle UFO observed by two witnesses over Niagara Falls on October 14, 2008. Credit: Ariel Phenomenon Investigations Team





MIB visit followed UFO sightings

About 7 months after the two sightings, on May 15, hotel employees reported a disturbing experience when two men, who looked and dressed identically in black trench coats and hats, entered the hotel lobby and asked to speak with the hotel manager.

They approached the hotel bellman, who told the two “extremely odd looking” men that the manager was not working that day. The bellman said the two men appeared to not believe him and began walking around the hotel, looking for the manager. When the bellman returned from some work tasks, the two men were gone.

The hotel manager returned to work the next day, and the bellman took him aside to tell him what had happened and how he felt “freaked out” by the encounter with the two men, who he described as extremely pale, tall and identical in looks and dress, including matching hats and trench coats.

Enlarged image of MIB entering hotel lobby.

Skeptical, yet alarmed, the manager went to the hotel security office and examined surveillance tapes of the previous day. He located the images of the two men entering the hotel lobby.

Sheraton Hotel at Niagara Falls where alleged MIB visited.

The next day, another hotel employee asked to speak with the manager in private, and described her encounter with the two men. As they asked her about the manager, she recalled that the two began to speak of things that made no sense to her, regarding “governments and conspiracies.” Fear came over her when she noticed that they had “no facial hair, no eyebrows, no nothing.” She said it appeared as though they were wearing wigs that were attached to their hats.

The woman told her boss about how large and blue looking their eyes were, and that she sensed they were hypnotic. As she continued to describe her experience, she became upset, crying as she explained how she felt that the two men were somehow able to read her mind about the manager, to the point that she tried to block thoughts of him. She also was disturbed by how the two men never blinked, “not once.”

API closed their investigation of the UFO sightings and the subsequent MIB encounter as unresolved. API's credibility has been under attack for publishing the alleged case. The information regarding the MIB incident was based on the manager’s account, which could not be verified by API, though their investigation concluded that the witness was credible. The video of the MIB entering the lobby was provided by the hotel manager.

Much has been written about efforts undertaken by the U.S. Government to play down the existence of UFOs, which contributes to public ridicule of the subject. For more on UFO cover-ups, read Michael Sella’s piece, Men in Black 3, Hiding in plain sight.

For related and more recent Men in Black sighting account, see MEN IN BLACK CAUGHT ON VIDEO- Recent images may be clearest yet.

