It is always a contentious topic when it comes to the credibility of paranormal, cryptid, or extraterrestrial sightings. Undoubtedly, there is a sense of thrill and excitement involved with the possibility of the discovery of the unknown, and people can’t help but get a sense of pride from having their name associated with it. According to statistics, one in every ten citizens of the United States claims to have seen UFOs or extraterrestrial objects without any solid proof or evidence, and a good number of them have featured in interviews on national television, which really drives home how strong the allure of fame is. Such was the case of Manhattan-based housewife Linda Napolitano, whose claim of having been abducted by aliens back in 1989 was allegedly the most well documented, evidence-backed case, which, according to the believers, was definitive proof of extraterrestrial existence in the universe.
But was it indeed the entire truth or a well-planned, calculated scheme to fool a large section of the masses? Netflix’s latest documentary series, The Manhattan Alien Abduction, doesn’t allow much of an objective perspective in this matter, as Linda Napolitano and her biggest skeptic, producer Carol Rainey, along with a number of alien abductees and witnesses, share their piece to provide a somewhat full picture of the story. For a documentary piece, the three-episode series is absurdly overdramatic at some parts, which can be disconcerting for viewers.
Budd Hopkins’ initial efforts
As the series highlights, much before Linda Napolitano’s claim to fame, Budd Hopkins, a so-called extraterrestrial investigator, came into the picture, who was fascinated by studies and research pertaining to the existence of life beyond earth. Budd was intrigued by the fictionalized accounts of human abduction and experimentations done by aliens and created a support group for people who claim to have witnessed or experienced such activities. Budd had published a number of books and done research on this topic, but quite obviously, due to a lack of solid evidence to back them up, his efforts were mostly denounced in the scientific community.
Budd’s wife, a filmmaker, Carol Rainey, who is revealed to have had a murky childhood due to her upbringing in a strict, fundamentalist cult like the Christian order, fully supported and documented her husband’s work. Due to her past experiences, Carol had developed a strong respect for scientific assessment and research. Using a method of hypnotic regression, which apparently tapped into the subconscious of people, Budd tried to pry out information from the personal experiences of the members of the alien abductee support group—which, right off the bat, feels like hokey-stuff, but for now we will choose to overlook that.
Linda’s Ground-breaking Claim
Budd’s work gained a new impetus after Linda Napolitano from Manhattan, a middle-class Italian American housewife in her 40s and a mother of two children, came forward with her claim of having been abducted by aliens while spending her time with her husband in the Catskill Mountains. Linda had an inexplicable surgical scar inside her nose, which was captured in an X-ray, and for Budd and his buddies, it became the closest thing to proof of aliens trying to probe inside the skull of their test subjects through the nose. But the real surprise was yet to come when, days later, Linda claimed to have been taken inside an alien spaceship—hovering from her apartment bedroom in Manhattan and moving through the building—and 23 eyewitnesses corroborated her claim. Shortly afterwards, Linda claimed to have been interrogated by two federal agents, mentioned simply as Dan and Richard, whose presence terrified Linda, and later, Budd received a recording from them, which acted as proof of Linda’s claim. These agents were identified as the security of the then Secretary General of the United Nations, as the agents sent a letter to Budd, where the signature of the Secretary General was revealed as well. Of course, the prevalent notion of American government cover-up conspiracies strengthened the foundation of such claims, and having a political hotshot’s name attached to it definitely ranked Linda’s credibility higher than a hundred other random sighting claims. One would wonder why a government agency would openly highlight their involvement even if that were the case, but reason takes a backseat when fanaticism of any kind takes over the mind.
Following all this, Linda became an overnight celebrity, appearing on talk shows, magazines, and commercials—even starring in Oprah. Budd was basking in Linda’s newfound fame as well, he wrote a book on Linda’s experiences, and went as far as to plan a biopic of some sort based on her life where he wanted Sharon Stone to play her part. All of this was happening way too fast for any of them to grasp, and Carol was somewhat skeptical of the progression of the situation at such a pace.
Why Did Linda Manipulate Her Own Son, Johnny?
By Carol’s assessment and from the footage of Linda’s interviews and public appearances, it becomes pretty apparent that she loved the limelight as much as the next person. Linda’s newfound fame distanced her husband from her to some extent, who claimed in the series that he couldn’t relate to her experiences, and Linda too never really shared her predicament with him the way she did with Budd and other extraterrestrial enthusiasts. But the first time Carol really became suspicious of her was when Johnny, Linda’s nine-year-old son, claimed to have seen an extraterrestrial presence in their household as well, and his conversation on the phone felt staged to Carol. The thought that Linda was not averse to exploiting an innocent mind to suit her goals was a horrifying thought for Carol, to say the least. Even a grown up Johnny refuses to show his face during the interviews, which drives the point home as to how ashamed he must be to be a part of the charade orchestrated by his mother.
Carol’s Suspicion
Budd was extremely disappointed with Carol’s skepticism and, on record, had an astoundingly strong belief in the fact that a young boy cannot remember elaborate details to blatantly lie in public. Budd went on to show a degree of sympathy for Linda and her son’s trauma of being tormented by an alien presence in public. Reasonably, Carol became concerned seeing Budd being emotionally so invested with this, and upon researching through his hypnosis sessions with alien abductees, Carol found a major difference in Linda’s sessions where she seemed in complete control of her speech and thought—unlike the trance-like state other abductees experienced. This poked Carol’s inquisitive mind, and she went down the rabbit hole to verify exactly how much of Budd and Linda’s ‘truth’ actually stood up to their claims. Linda once again claimed to have been temporarily abducted by agent duo Dan and Richard, who allegedly wanted to test whether she was part-alien or not—and the only eyewitness of her abduction, an elderly woman with failing eyesight, couldn’t even pinpoint the location of the incident. Budd was all too eager to go with the flow, as his own research, which had been collecting dust so far, had become a matter of public interest now, all thanks to Linda’s regular updates.
A look to Linda’s past reveals she used to be a lead singer in a band, where she performed in front of the likes of Mia Farrow and John Wayne, which implies she was no stranger to the spotlight. After her marriage, responsibilities for family took away that ambition, that life of glam forever, but it’s safe to say she wanted it back ever since. Irrespective of how much of her account is based on truth, the fact becomes quite clear that Linda had a wish to gain that position of becoming a well-known face and cherished every moment she had the opportunity to be there.
While doing her research on Budd and Linda, Carol found the signature of Secretary General, who had now become chief of UN, was exactly the same as another official statement of his issued elsewhere, and the minute similarities gave away a vibe of foul play. Additionally, Linda’s own handwriting matched with that of Agent Richard’s, as a forensic expert analyzed both the cases to confirm Carol’s suspicion. Linda’s nose X-ray, which showed apparent proof of alien probing, could have been easily fabricated with a foreign object as well, and when seen from that perspective, bribing 23 eyewitnesses as a small time investment to make a business out of a widespread hoax seems pretty logical compared to whatever Budd and Linda wanted to prove so desperately.
Was Linda’s case a complete hoax?
Carol went to her husband, Budd, to confront him about the discrepancies in her findings and was shut down completely for challenging his opinions and ideas. This was a familiar pattern for her, as during her young age, her inquisitive nature led to her puritanical father disowning her, and now she was certain that it was not Linda alone—Budd has quite a big part to play in this charade as well. Carol respected the person Budd was; irrespective of whether his work received recognition or not, he was a humanist, an empathetic and objective one at that—something he had lost in his greed to cash in on sensationalism. Carol went on to question Budd’s ‘research’ publicly through her own assessment and criticisms, including exposing the hypnosis manipulation of his, which preyed on vulnerable people. Budd’s work never achieved the success he wanted it to after this. Carol and Budd separated later on, with their associates, Linda and other believers, denouncing Carol as a jealous, alcoholic, old witch of an ex-wife, whose vindictive nature cost her husband his dreams. But that is the way things work anyway; discrediting a non-conformist, especially a woman, is easier than addressing the root cause of a problem.
As for Linda, it becomes apparent from the series, without discrediting anything majorly, that she saw an opportunity and exploited it, and for better or worse, made a name for herself by doing so. There is no way to sugarcoat it, but none of the evidence presented by her is irrefutable. Three decades ago, putting them to the litmus test might have been a bit tough, with the craze of extraterrestrials being at an all-time high, but similar incidents in the present day would have exposed the truth much easier—without having to build an entire cash grab setup built around it.
