The 24-year-old was traveling down U.S. Highway 183 --between Cuero and Gonzales --on his way home from a New Year's party when he said he spotted a UFO in the cool, night sky.
"It reminded me of a planet or an airplane," the business care associate said. "But it never moved, so I knew it wasn't a plane."
As he leaned forward to change tracks on his CD player, though, the mysterious light shot into the sky and disappeared.
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When it returned about 30 minutes later, he made an anxious attempt to make it to his Victoria home without incident.
"I was kind of freaked out by it,"he said. "It was only me on the road, and I wondered if they noticed me. I was thinking, 'I'm not trying to be abducted.'"
But as he eased into his driveway at about 5 a.m. --taking note that the glowing object still hung in the air --he ran inside and grabbed a video camera to capture the object, which he said was moving and spinning.
"It was changing from blue to purplish to red and back to white," he said. "In the video it gets blurry every once in a while, but I only zoomed in once. It got blurry when it moved closer to the camera."
A portion of Garcia's video is posted online at www.YouTube.com. To find it, search Victoria, TX UFO. [Editor's note: video is here.]
Sightings such as Garcia's aren't uncommon, said Ken Cherry, state director for Mutual UFO Network, a nonprofit organization that scientifically studies the UFO phenomenon.
Texas typically falls among the top two or three states in terms of UFO sightings, he said, averaging 15 to 20 each month.
"Nine times out of 10 we can determine that it is probably something of an explainable nature," Cherry said, "but there is always that small percentage that falls into that UFO category."
But Garcia isn't the only area resident seeing things in the sky.
In early January, Nancy Adams was on her way home from work at about 6 p.m. when a light streaked across the sky and fizzled away like a firework.
Her home sits on a tall hill about two miles from U.S. Highway 87, she said, and with the cloudless sky, she had a clear view.
"I've seen shooting stars many times in my life, but that wasn't what this was," said Adams, who works at an area pharmacy. "This had a trail of fire behind it."
Adams described herself as "as big a believer as the next guy," but said she never thought the incident was anything more than a meteor.
"They say those things fall to the ground all the time," she said. "It was neat."
Cherry noted a recent rash of sightings nationwide and said his organization has kept busy.
While the increased sightings have heightened public interest, he also attributed the shift to the public's changing attitude in the past 10 to 15 years.
The types of witnesses coming forward now come from virtually every profession, he said.
"They're good, middleclass, solid folks that aren't prone to telling stories," he said. "And the public is taking notice."
To report a sighting to the Mutual UFO Network, visit the organization's Web site at www.mufon.com.
Adams holds firm that her sighting was nothing to be alarmed about. But, she said with a laugh, you never really know.
"The skies are clear this time of year," she said. "Who knows what everybody's seeing?"
Allison Miles is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6511 or amiles@vicad.com
The Mutual UFO Network offers 10 tips for those who see a UFO:
--Don't panic but do protect yourself.
This could be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and you'll want to remember what you see.
--Remain objective.
Attempt to determine what else the object might be. Not all flying objects are extraterrestrial.
--Record the event through photos or a video camera.
If you don't have those items with you, attempt to draw what you've seen.
--Make an audio recording of what you see as it occurs.
If you don't have a recorder on hand, write the information down.
--If other people are with you, ask them to record their observations.
Don't discuss it with them until after you're done compiling what you've seen.
--If the UFO left evidence behind, don't disturb it.
Take pictures of the site and take precise notes. Take precautions before touching anything.
--If the UFO is far away, attempt to give some idea as to its size.
At arm's length, determine what could cover the object from view, such as a quarter, dime or tennis ball.
--Attempt to determine how far away the UFO is and how fast it's traveling.
How long did it take to cross the sky? How far off the ground was it?
--If you come upon an extraterrestrial being, protect yourself.
Reach a safe distance from the being and record any information possible, as long as you remain safe.
--Report your sighting to a research organization.
You can report directly to the Mutual UFO Network online [HERE]
Source: Mutual UFO Network Web site
To file a report with the Mutual UFO Network:
--Go online to www.mufon.com and fill out an electronic form
--Call 888-817-2220
To see a graphic/document:
--Do you believe? [PDF]
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