In an interview with CBS News, Padilla recounted that he was just nine years old in 1945 when he and a friend encountered an “avocado-shaped” UFO in San Antonio, New Mexico. This encounter took place near the Trinity nuclear test site, famously known for being the location where the world’s first nuclear bomb was tested by Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project.
Padilla explained that upon hearing a loud crash, he initially thought it was another nuclear bomb test. “I told my friend, ‘It must be another test from the bomb,’ and he said, ‘No, it’s not a bomb, look at the smoke coming out of the ground,'” Padilla told CBS News Los Angeles.
The alleged encounter with extraterrestrials
Upon closer inspection, the boys discovered that the smoke was emanating from a crashed aircraft. To their surprise, three extraterrestrials emerged from the wreckage. Padilla described them as “sashaying and running in circles,” adding, “They had crashed at my father’s ranch, and they needed help.”
How Padilla acquired a piece of the UFO
According to Padilla, the military arrived to clean up the wreckage over the next ten days, during which he and his friend secretly observed the process from a distance, despite being warned to stay away. During a break in the cleanup operation, Padilla claims he and his friend entered the crashed aircraft. With the extraterrestrials no longer present, Padilla seized the opportunity to take a small ‘dial’ off the wall of the craft.
He kept this alleged artifact hidden in his garage for decades. In 2015, the object was analyzed by Frontier Analysis, an Ohio-based chemical testing lab.
The report indicated that the artifact was composed of a mixture of aluminum, silicon, and copper—materials commonly found in engine parts. Although the isotopic ratios were determined to be terrestrial, the report did not conclusively rule out an extraterrestrial origin for the metals. “No one knows what it is,” Padilla stated.
Padilla’s claims have generated both intrigue and skepticism, with many questioning the authenticity of his story and the origins of the so-called UFO artifact. While his account remains unverified, it has added another layer to the ongoing fascination with unidentified flying objects and extraterrestrial life.