“I am Indrid Cold”: The Woodrow Derenberger UFO Encounter

It was November 2nd, 1966. Just outside of Parkersburg, West Virgina, Woodrow Derenberger, a 50-year-old sewing machine salesman, was driving home from a business trip in Marietta, Ohio, when his life took an unexpected turn. It was around 7:30pm when Derenberger noticed something unusual in his rearview mirror. A vehicle, unlike any he had ever seen, was approaching him at high speed. This vehicle eventually passed him and then swerved to block his path, forcing Derenberger to come to a stop on the side of the road.

What Derenberger described next was nothing short of extraordinary. The vehicle in question was not a car, but a dark, wingless, bullet-shaped craft hovering a few inches above the ground. As Derenberger watched in awe, a hatch opened, and a being emerged.

The entity that approached Derenberger introduced himself telepathically as “Indrid Cold.” Derenberger described Cold as having a friendly demeanor, standing about six feet tall, with slicked-back hair and wearing a long, dark coat. What struck Derenberger the most was Cold’s constant, almost unnerving smile, which earned him the nickname “The Grinning Man” in subsequent UFO literature.