What do you do when the thing reaching out to you in the forest isn’t human, but something thin, green, and plant-like, with needle-sharp fingers that feed on your life force? In 1968, a West Virginia man claimed to have encountered a strange humanoid, now remembered in UFO folklore as 'The Vegetable Man.' Was this a visitation, a psychic parasite, or something stranger still?

The Encounter

In August of 1968, 28-year-old Jennings Frederick of Fairmont, West Virginia, reported one of the most peculiar alien encounters ever to surface in American UFO lore. According to Frederick, he was hunting near Grant Town, a rural community surrounded by thick Appalachian forest, when a sudden high-pitched sound pierced the air—a noise unlike anything he had heard before.

Drawn toward the sound, Frederick claimed he came face-to-face with a bizarre entity. Unlike the metallic “space beings” described in many mid-20th-century UFO cases, this one looked more like a humanoid plant:

Thin, elongated body with greenish skin

Slender arms and hands tipped with long, needle-like fingers.

Large, unsettling eyes and a faint, vegetal appearance

Before Frederick could react, the entity extended its reach. Its strange fingers attached to his hand, like syringes piercing flesh. He felt them latch on, and in that moment, a voice echoed in his head. The communication was telepathic.

The Message

Frederick reported that the entity’s voice was calm, almost apologetic. It allegedly explained that it did not wish to harm him, but that it required sustenance energy taken directly from Frederick’s body.

“Its fingers latched onto my hand, like needles drawing out energy. A voice in my head said it needed sustenance from me.”

Within seconds, Frederick felt drained, weak, and dazed. Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the creature released him. The sound faded, and the being slipped back into the wilderness, leaving Frederick stunned and shaken.

Aftermath & Reporting

Frederick did not initially go public, fearing ridicule. Eventually, his account came to light through Gray Barker, the notorious UFO writer and promoter based in West Virginia. Barker, known for his blend of fact, folklore, and sensationalism, circulated Frederick’s story through UFO networks.

Unlike recurring cryptid reports such as Mothman or Bigfoot, the “Vegetable Man” encounter was a one-off case—strange, folkloric, and never repeated with the exact details. Yet it lingers in UFO history as one of the most unusual alleged close encounters of the late 1960s.

Timeline of Events

August 1968 – Jennings Frederick reports his encounter near Grant Town, West Virginia.

1968–69 – Case enters UFO lore via Gray Barker’s network.

1970s onward – Mentioned occasionally in UFO and cryptid publications as an “oddball case.”

Present – Survives as one of West Virginia’s most eccentric pieces of paranormal folklore.

Research Notes & Leads

The Gray Barker Collection, housed at the Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library, could contain correspondence or firsthand notes on the case.

Local radio station logs – small-town stations often aired UFO call-ins or interviews during the late 1960s.

Folklore archives – West Virginia folklorists may have preserved oral traditions tied to Frederick’s story.

Family contacts – Local records in Grant Town may trace living relatives of Jennings Frederick.

NOTE: This remains a sporadic case, blending elements of alien abduction, vampirism, and Appalachian folklore. Its folkloric power lies in its singularity: a green, plant-like humanoid siphoning human energy, remembered as The Vegetable Man. Whether it was a hoax, a hallucination, or an authentic encounter, its strange imagery has cemented it in Fortean history. Lon