In January 1996, people in Varginha, a city in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil, reported a crashed craft and strange creatures that witnesses say the military captured. On Jan. 20, 2026, close to the 30th anniversary, filmmaker James Fox brought Brazilian witnesses to the National Press Club in Washington for what he called a grassroots press conference. His aim, he said, was to push Congress toward a formal investigation. His new documentary, Moment of Contact: New Revelations of Alien Encounters, had come out earlier that month.

The panel included Carlos de Souza, who says he saw an object hit the ground and picked up a metallic sheet that sprang back into shape after being crushed, before soldiers forced him away. Neurosurgeon Italo Venturelli says he saw a small being in hospital care. “It was not a being from our planet,” he has said. Forensic pathologist Armando Fortunato reportedly analyzed tissue from a soldier said to have died after handling one of the beings. A second session featured Americans claiming knowledge of crash retrievals. Fox says the witnesses would give documents and sworn statements directly to lawmakers.

Rep. Eric Burlison, a Missouri Republican, attended. He spoke in favor of disclosure legislation and whistleblower protections and said he wanted to get his hands on real physical evidence.

None of the claims has been independently verified, and no physical evidence was shown.