Brandon Fugal is the proprietor of Skinwalker Ranch. Because the Chairman of Colliers Worldwide in Utah, Brandon is among the most outstanding businessmen and actual property builders within the Intermountain West. From an early age, he has additionally been fascinated with the mysteries of our universe and the query of whether or not or not we’re alone. In 2016, Brandon bought Skinwalker Ranch from aerospace tycoon Robert Bigelow so as to examine and research the unusual and unexplainable phenomena that has been reported there for greater than two centuries.

Alejandro Rojas: When was it you first heard in regards to the ranch and what’s it that you just heard?

Brandon Fugal: The ranch was first delivered to my consideration after I was at Barnes and Noble, again in 2006, and noticed Dr. Colm Kelleher and George Knapp’s ebook The Hunt for the Skinwalker on the shelf. I truly purchased it and browse it on the weekend. I discovered it to be very fascinating. And that was about it. 

I learn the ebook, discovered it fascinating, particularly because it pertains to being a Utah property and, you realize, a really intriguing account of unusual exercise not far, simply hours, from the place I reside. However upon ending the ebook, I put it on the shelf and didn’t actually give it some thought any additional till 2015 after I was contacted by two of Robert Bigelow’s science advisors with the query as as to whether I’d be prepared to entertain a possible three way partnership or acquisition of the property for the aim of advancing the analysis past what Mr. Bigelow had performed for 20 years. I had developed an excellent relationship with these science advisors by way of one other effort that I had been concerned with a decade in the past.

That they had a excessive diploma of respect for me, fortunately, and confidence that I’d be a worthy successor to Mr. Bigelow’s curiosity in a program relating to the property. I shortly agreed. I used to be intrigued and shortly agreed to satisfy with Mr. Bigelow to debate a possible three way partnership or acquisition of the property. I flew right down to Las Vegas to satisfy with he and others, together with Dr. Kelleher, to debate not solely the historical past of the property and their investigation, however a brand new construction shifting ahead. Upon assembly them, I disclosed to them that I used to be approaching the subject as a wholesome skeptic and that I had by no means seen a UFO, ghost, or something of the kind. And that I consider that there was almost definitely a pure prosaic rationalization for what had been reported within the ebook and on the property.

They have been amused and shared with me the truth of what their investigation revealed. In addition they disclosed that the ranch had been a part of a five-year Pentagon black finances program learning the UFO phenomenon and that, though the outcomes of that investigation stay categorized and confidential – how do I say this? The phenomenon is actual. It was fascinating, so we took the dialogue ahead. I had my attorneys work along with his authorized counsel and in April of 2016 I acquired the property. 

I first noticed the property one week earlier than closing on the acquisition, flying in on my non-public helicopter with Jim Morris, who you see on the Historical past Channel sequence because the ranch supervisor. I’ve had an extended relationship with Jim Morris in that he was my first massive industrial actual property developer shopper after I was 18 years previous, again in 1991, when he was growing class A workplace buildings in our market. As a confidant and somebody with army expertise, I felt it was essential to convey him with me to examine the property for the primary time and set up this new section of possession and investigation.

He additionally was very skeptical and had by no means seen something uncommon in his life that will qualify as a UFO sighting or paranormal expertise. He has had a particular relationship with the Indian tribes spanning a long time, elevating hundreds of thousands of {dollars} for scholarships and offering monetary support,  and his nice respect for the Native American individuals has been a key a part of our group engagement.

Rojas: So are you continue to as skeptical as you have been about one thing uncommon occurring on the ranch?

Fugal: No. So individuals ask me on a regular basis whether or not I’m now a believer primarily based on what we have now seen and recorded throughout my possession of the ranch. The trustworthy, most direct reply I can present is that I’m not a believer. I’m an experiencer. I do know for a undeniable fact that it’s actual and have witnessed with my very own eyes, with different credible witnesses at my aspect, what can solely be described as daylight sightings of unique craft over Skinwalker Ranch.

Rojas: Do you thoughts describing a kind of incidents?

Fugal: Yeah. You wager. For the primary six months of my possession and stewardship of the property, I didn’t personally witness or see something uncommon. However, six months into our investigation, I had an expertise whereas entertaining a visiting dignitary and his safety element that concerned an simple sighting of what can solely be described as a 40 to 50 foot lengthy silver, grayish disc-like object that carried out maneuvers that have been beautiful and defy typical rationalization.

This was in broad daylight with a number of witnesses current. Throughout that very same afternoon, we skilled the whole lot from our smartphones being utterly drained from about 80% cost to zero to different electromagnetic anomalies, even acute medical episodes that attended the incidents that occurred on that fateful day.

Skinwalker Ranch as featured on HISTORY’S new sequence “The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch” premiering March 31 at 10PM ET/PT Photograph by Historical past Copyright 2021

Rojas: Lue Elizondo, who labored on that Pentagon program that you just had referred to earlier had acknowledged that a whole lot of the pushback within the Division of Protection (DoD), and one of many major causes they sort of pared it right down to a UFO challenge, versus the opposite paranormal phenomenon that they have been taking a look at, is that there have been a whole lot of insiders who felt what they have been coping with was demonic. Do you consider that there’s something angelic or demonic associated to the phenomenon occurring on the ranch?

Fugal: Good query. I’m requested every day whether or not I consider that what we’re observing is extraterrestrial, inter-dimensional, or non secular in nature. And my trustworthy reply is “the entire above.” I consider what we’re observing and documenting entails the entire above. I believe there’s a non secular facet to what we’re encountering at Skinwalker Ranch. There are undoubtedly malevolent and benevolent forces at work and we’ve had damaging experiences sometimes which have resulted in individuals being hospitalized. 

Rojas: Yeah. I talked with Travis Taylor about a few of these incidents.

Fugal: Yeah. Travis Taylor himself. I imply, Dr. Taylor, he ended up going to the hospital with accidents that have been troublesome to clarify.

Rojas: How did you’re feeling in regards to the outcomes of the primary season of the present?

Fugal: More than happy. In truth, after we commenced filming the staff for season one of many investigative sequence, I gave the disclaimer to the crew and the Historical past Channel you can’t schedule or conjure up the paranormal or unusual exercise. It doesn’t work that means. The phenomena witnessed on the ranch is transient in nature and unpredictable. So I used to be stunned when, throughout the first day of flying Dr. Taylor out to the ranch for the primary time on the helicopter, inside minutes, he and our staff began seeing issues occurring that have been uncommon. And it solely obtained extra pronounced as days and weeks handed by.

We performed a sequence of experiments over a number of months, together with, rocketry, balloon, instrumented, balloon experiments, floor penetrating radar, resistivity research, and different analysis. Each time, each our staff and third-party specialists and consultants concerned, skilled uncommon exercise and occasions.

Rojas: Relating to the primary season of the present, is there one incident or investigation that stands out to you as being essentially the most compelling or surprising to you?

Fugal: Yeah, the cow dying and upon investigating the physique, having quite a lot of uncommon occasions happen. These included a number of kinds of smartphones malfunctioning whereas within the presence of the lifeless animal, trifield meters going loopy, after which, upon reviewing the cameras, surveillance footage, seeing an alien ship up there, above the animal, simply earlier than its loss of life. All of it mixed to current a few of the most compelling proof of excessive strangeness on the ranch. I imply, I’m typically reminded that correlation is just not causation. Nevertheless, you can’t ignore a fast hearth mixture of occasions, together with electromagnetic anomalies, bodily misery, and what can solely be described as UFO exercise occurring with out giving it some credibility. We instantly delivered to the positioning a veterinarian to review the animal on digicam and he concluded that the animal died of stress induced pneumonia. The circumstances surrounding the fast loss of life of the animal and the correlating unusual occasions proceed to baffle the staff. As well as, the truth that the animal carcass has remained untouched by any scavenger exercise since, underscores how uncommon this occasion.

Rojas: I’ve talked to a few of the earlier investigators and your investigators. One thing they’ve in widespread is that this factor referred to as the, I believe it’s been labeled, the hitchhiker phenomenon, the place once you go to the ranch and have an expertise, typically they’re having uncommon experiences after that, in their very own properties. Have you ever skilled that?

Fugal: No, fortunately I’ve not had that have, personally. However I do know members of my staff and guests which have had that have. Unusual exercise following them house and even terrorizing their household.

Rojas: I’ve even obtained to speak to a few the spouses who are usually not completely satisfied about that, the weirdness that they’ve skilled after these guys would come house.

Fugal: Properly, it’s a recognized undeniable fact that quite a few contributors, together with army operatives, refuse to ever set foot on the property once more as a result of damaging experiences that they’ve had, together with phenomena following them house. Even Mr. Bigelow has had experiences which have adopted him, leading to his refusal to ever go to the property ever once more.

Rojas: Wow. So, season two. I do know Dr. Taylor’s very enthusiastic about what they’ve discovered and been in a position to report for season two. Are you able to inform us a little bit bit in regards to the quantity of compelling stuff that we’ll be seeing in season two of the present?

Fugal: Completely. What you will notice is a particular development relating to our efforts and investigation. We take extra aggressive measures to review not solely what’s under, however above the ranch with this new season, and produce to bear our superior instrumentation in service to studying the key of Skinwalker Ranch.

Rojas: I assume my final query, as a result of we’re about out of time, is, how do your colleagues really feel? How have they reacted to you shopping for this ranch and taking part on this form of analysis?

Fugal: The enterprise group has been surprisingly supportive and I’ve had quite a lot of executives attain out to me privately with their very own experiences. I by no means supposed to disclose my identification as proprietor of essentially the most notorious, scientifically studied paranormal scorching spot on the planet. However I elected to go public final 12 months so as to current the totally clear account of our investigation. And my stewardship, though the hassle at Skywalker ranch is a dramatic departure from what I concentrate on 95% of the time in my typical enterprise efforts, it’s an inspiring and intriguing a part of my life.