Emilcin Abduction

Possibly the most prominent Polish close encounter that is suspected to be nothing more than a hoax

Name	Emilcin Abduction
Occurred on	May 10, 1978
Seen by	Jan Wolski
Investigated by	Zdzisław Blania

Annually, in May, UFO enthusiasts gather in Emilcin to commemorate an alleged extraterrestrial visit. However, the problem is that there’s a 1-in-2 chance that what they’re celebrating isn’t a genuine encounter, but the result of an elaborate prank between two ufologists.

It’s nothing new to question and debunk the validity of a claimed UFO encounter. What makes the Emilcin abduction stand out?

• Its uniquely ordinary witness.
• The background context of when it occurred.
• The elaborate story meant to explain its origin.

More than four decades after its occurrence, people remain divided about the case, despite repeated, unchanging statements from the key witness, a claimed thorough and unbiased investigation by a ufologist, and multiple arguments to debunk it.

Unfortunately, it seems as though the Emilcin abduction will have to remain a mystery, given that everyone involved has long passed.

What truly happened during Poland’s best-documented UFO case?

What Is the Emilcin Abduction About?

Nobody in Emilcin believed scientists when they claimed there was no life in space, but when a 71-year-old farmer claimed he saw aliens, almost everyone immediately trusted his word.

The Key Witness: Jan Wolski

One of the primary reasons the Emilcin Abduction gained notoriety was the character of its key witness. Jan Wolski was a humble farmer until the eventful day, May 10, 1978, changed his life, making him a Polish star overnight.

His story? He encountered aliens who, in his consistent accounts, gave him a tour of their spacecraft, a medical examination, and even offered him their food.

Skeptics have easily dismissed his narrative as inspired by numerous stories of extraterrestrial encounters and abductions. However, those who knew Wolski claimed the farmer hadn’t been exposed to television at the time of the case, and, despite his absurd story, everyone believed him and vouched for his truthfulness.

This precisely was what made a strong argument. Believers were impressed by the narrative the man had firmly held on to despite not being influenced by the media.

The Events on May 10, 1978

The farmer was returning to his home village by a horse-drawn wagon when he saw two 1.5-meter-tall beings walking along the forest path.

By their silhouette or the way they dressed, Wolski initially thought they were hunters or scouts. He only got a clearer look at them when he neared, and they suddenly jumped into his cart, sitting at either side of him. That was when he noticed their characteristics:

• Greenish face
• Slanted eyes
• A slit as a mouth

They were easily distinguishable from humans with their “lumpy thickening on their necks and the ‘small fins’ between their toes,” as Wolski described. They also wore dark overalls that covered their heads and reached down to their feet, with some kind of flipper at the bottom.

Throughout the drive, Wolski remained silent as the beings conversed, knowing it would be futile to join their conversation given the uniqueness of their language.

They spoke in some language, but I’m amazed that they could understand each other since they spoke like “… a petete petete te …” Their words were short and fast, and I don’t know how they can understand one another.

After a few hundred meters, they reached a clearing, and the beings signaled for him to stop. There, Wolski saw a craft hovering, almost motionless except for its up-and-down movement.

• The base was like a parallelepiped, and on top was an arching surface, perhaps a cylindrical longitudinal section.
• The base had barrel-like brackets at each corner, and from the brackets emerged long, drill-thread-like poles that spun continuously.

The Humanoids’ Medical Examination

Wolski was allegedly invited inside, entering through a door that only became visible when it opened, and a lift suspended by four cords came down so they could step in.

He described the craft’s interior as all graphite-black, with no lighting or switches, and with only the benches protruding from the walls.

Inside, I could see several crows—those black birds. They were lying under the wall, not that one with the entrance, but on the opposite side. In my opinion, they seemed to be paralyzed. They were moving with their wings, legs, and heads, but weren’t moving around.

There, one of the beings motioned for him to undress, which he silently obeyed. He stood before them half-naked, removing his jacket and blouse, and taking off his shoes. Why he did so without hesitation was never questioned by the media during his interviews.

One of the beings then appeared before me, holding an appliance shaped like two dishes. He neared “the saucers” to my front, then revolved me, holding my arm slightly. Then he raised my arm and began doing something at my side with those plates, then from behind and on the other side.

What Happened After the ‘Abduction’?

After this procedure, Wolski got redressed to leave. He took off his cap and bid goodbye, and the beings bowed politely. Once down, he immediately got on his wagon and drove back to his village, where he shared what had happened to his son and a neighbor.

The three of them set out back to the clearing, but the craft was already gone when they arrived. They, however, found some proof that something massive had been there:

• A series of almost rectangular marks on the ground
• Lots of bird feathers
• A part of the field evidently flattened

His story immediately spread around the village. At first, it went unnoticed by the authorities, but children at school began asking whether “Martians could land on Earth.” Some even stopped going to class in fear that other beings would come and get them.

The Police’s Reaction

Something had to be done, but that primarily revolved around school principals and teachers reassuring the kids that they were safe.

The Opole Lubelskie police also got involved after the news of an extraterrestrial abduction spread uncontrollably. Lieutenant Stanisław Plis sent a subordinate to Emilcin to question Wolski. However, after claiming that he found no evidence of aliens in the forest, the sergeant began spreading the story that the farmer fell asleep and everything was only a dream.

The wheel tracks prove this. They turn suddenly to the left, and the grass is eaten for about 20 meters. A horse would need at least an hour for that, and Wolski was asleep on the cart at that time.

While these findings could have easily closed the case, the local people believed otherwise. To them, this was proof that the authorities were covering something up. They emphasized that the man wouldn’t have known what aliens were, as he didn’t read newspapers or watch TV.

The whole commotion made Jan Wolski an interesting and busy figure. His once mundane tasks turned into a long list of interviews and examinations.

More Events and Witnesses

Over the years, more witnesses reported seeing UFOs around Emilcin, and although these occurred on separate occasions, believers were quick to connect them to Wolski’s story.

• Henryk Marciniak: Marciniak was on his way to collect mushrooms on September 27, 1978, when he saw an unusual craft. Curious, he rode his motorcycle towards the strange object and, like Wolski, allegedly saw a doorway where two beings greeted him.
• Stanisław Czyżewski: Czyżewski lived a few meters from the clearing where Wolski’s story happened. That day, he remembered hearing a loud bang.

I remember that bang! It was so powerful that one of my neighbors fell in her house during it. I thought then: someone fired something. I only regretted that I wasn’t outside like the others because I would have seen that UFO.

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Was the Emilcin Abduction Investigated?

The Polish media may have closely followed the case, but it had reached a global audience when Zdzisław Blania, a ufologist from Łódź, got involved.

The Key Investigator: Zdzisław Blania

Before the Emilcin Abduction story came to be, Blania had been publishing investigations and articles about UFOs. However, nothing had yet caused a media sensation. So, when he heard about Wolski’s story, he wasted no time and rushed to Emilcin.

People believed his investigation had an underlying motive: to present the story as credible, regardless of what it took.

Blania approached the investigation very professionally. He invited a psychologist and a psychiatrist to examine Wolski, and both tests confirmed the man wasn’t lying. The ufologist also found another witness, a 6-year-old boy, who also allegedly saw a bus-like craft.

Much like Wolski, Blania also became a prominent figure in Emilcin and the UFO community, recognized as the expert on the case. In the June 6, 1978 issue of the Kurier Polski newspaper, he commented:

I don’t believe that the witness could’ve given the details of the appearance or demeanor of the beings using only his imagination. He describes, for example, how their suits looked even though this information never appeared in Polish publications on UFOs. So, I believe this is an account of an absolutely real, authentic experience.

The Psychologist’s Findings

After examining Wolski’s state in detail, the psychologist concluded that the farmer showed no symptoms and was cleared of any mental anomaly.

He published three conclusions to close his examination:

1. Jan Wolski didn’t have any motivation to deliberately mislead the public.
2. It was unlikely that Wolski was under hypnosis to give false testimony, as he is very resistant to such suggestions.
3. It’s unlikely that what he experienced was a byproduct of a morbid psyche.

The psychologist emphasized that Wolski showed no signs of mental illness and that, despite his age of 71, his mental state was far better than that of others his age.

What Was the Truth Behind the Emilcin Abduction?

For 35 years, nobody questioned what Zdzisław Blania published about the Emilcin abduction in his book Zdarzenie w Emilcinie (The Emilcin Incident).

Given the credentials involved, the story must have been true. That was until 2012, when author and journalist Bartosz Rdułtowski obtained Blania’s archives and made shocking revelations.

In his book Tajne operacje. PRL i UFO (Secret Operations: The Polish People’s Republic and UFOs), Rdułtowski claimed that not only was Blania’s investigation unreliable, but the whole Emilcin affair was a hoax.

In 2012, I decided to find out what really happened because the case was virtually impossible to crack. The arguments were so convincing that I believed them myself. Even when I started my investigation, I believed that something extraordinary had happened there, but I was curious to find out what the answer would be … and the answer is that Emilcin is a clever hoax motivated by personal reasons.⁵

1. The Blania-Wawrzonek Prank  

This is where we’re introduced to another ufologist, Witold Wawrzonek, who, according to Rdułtowski, played a significant role in the entire Emilcin affair.

Wawrzonek and Emilcin’s lead investigator, Blania, knew each other before the incident. However, their relationship wasn’t amicable.

It started when the latter invited Wawrzonek to a show featuring a well-known hypnotist, Lech Emfazy Stefański, in March 1978. Blania wanted to see whether it was possible to induce false memories in someone under hypnosis. Thinking he wouldn’t allow himself to be hypnotized, Wawrzonek agreed, which he later regretted doing because he was humiliated.

Naturally, he was furious, and the only way he was going to get back to Blania was by making him a victim of some elaborate prank.

Hypnotizing Jan Wolski

Witold Wawrzonek already knew the Wolskis before the Emilcin abduction, a fact confirmed by the ufologist’s wife. Naturally, this made the innocent 71-year-old farmer the perfect subject for his hypnosis-revenge, and the reason why Blania was quick to react to the Emilcin news.

In Blania’s archives, he wrote that Wawrzonek had informed him of the incident, which, to Rdułtowski, was suspicious. After all, why would one ufologist share a case with another, especially something as impressive as the Emilcin abduction (unless it wasn’t true)?

For years, Wolski believed the false story planted in his mind and told it to journalists and tourists. This would have been a perfect revenge if not for Blania taking the investigation seriously. Before Wawrzonek could tell him about the prank, the abduction story had already gotten out of hand, with more people getting involved.

2. The Coerced Statement

Blania’s archives included cassette tapes with recordings of his investigation. After listening to them, Rdułtowski concluded that the alleged 6-year-old boy, who also saw the bus-like craft that day, was coerced into giving the statement.

Blania interrogated 6-year-old Adaś Popiołek in a way that forced him to give the correct account. The boy’s mother, who is on these recordings, said that her son told her everything after the incident. Blania ignored this and continued to question Adaś to change his testimony and make Wolski’s account credible.

While the whole story and its alleged proof seem reasonably real, they don’t explain the sightings claimed by the other witnesses. Unless, of course, we dismiss them as testimonies given only for notoriety.

What Is the Emilcin Abduction’s Significance in Ufology?

The Emilcin abduction remains one of the most polarizing cases in UFO history. Believers and skeptics make impressive arguments, making choosing a side challenging.

For years, this story has been reinforced by quasi-objective investigations and inquiry:

• It was closely broadcast by national television in the autumn of 1978.
• It played a significant role in the 1985 Ufological Congress held in Lublin 1985.
• It has been investigated by dozens of researchers, leading to several theories to this day.
• It inspired Grzegorz Rosiński to create a comic titled Przybysze (Incomers) in 1980.

The Emilcin abduction has shaped how modern UFO researchers approach these cases, especially within communities like UFO Connect and in any detailed UFO archive.

It represents the balance between scientific curiosity and human psychology, where investigations highlight the importance of witnesses’ psychological conditions rather than focusing solely on the craft. Cases like this also underscore the importance of accurate UFO reports and encourage people to report a UFO sighting when they encounter something unusual.

FAQ

Who was Jan Wolski?

Jan Wolski was a humble Polish farmer from Emilcin who was 71 years old when he claimed to have been invited aboard a hovering craft and to have interacted with green beings.

What happened in Emilcin on May 10, 1978?

The Emilcin abduction occurred on May 10, 1978. According to Jan Wolski, he was driving his wagon through the forest when he saw two small, green beings who led him to a hovering craft. There, he was invited inside and examined before being released safely.

Was the Emilcin Abduction ever proven or debunked?

No conclusive evidence has either proven or disproven the Emilcin abduction. Both skeptics and believers have reasoned about the experience, making it challenging to draw a conclusion. The case remains unresolved to this day.