May 25, 1999: Rods - Jose Escamilla

Art Bell presents what he calls broadcast history as researcher Jose Escamilla returns to discuss rods, mysterious elongated creatures captured on video that appear to coexist with humans on Earth. For the first time, Art simultaneously streams Jose's rod footage via internet video while broadcasting the radio discussion, allowing online viewers to see the evidence in real time.

Jose describes how he first discovered rods in 1994 near Roswell, New Mexico, while filming UFO activity. After five years of research, he explains that these creatures propel themselves using undulatory wave fins similar to a cuttlefish, effectively swimming through the atmosphere at speeds reaching 200 miles per hour. The evidence includes footage from a Mexican cave system, National Geographic underwater video from the Yucatan Peninsula, and shots of rods maneuvering around human subjects without contact. Even skeptic Philip Klass declined to debunk the findings.

Callers who watched the streaming video share their reactions, confirming the footage is unlike anything depicting ordinary insects or birds. Jose reveals that rods appear in every environment, from oceans to living rooms, and that birds and cats seem able to perceive them. He appeals for scientific funding to mount an expedition to a Mexican cave where rods are consistently present.