Otherworld – Episode 150: The Overpass
Release Date: January 5, 2026
Host: Jack Wagner
Guest: Chris Nas

Episode Overview

In “The Overpass,” host Jack Wagner introduces a profound and inspirational true story from Chris Nas—a Palestinian-American with a remarkable family history and an even more extraordinary near-death experience. Exploring themes of war, immigration, premonition, synchronicity, and survival, the episode dives deep into the mysterious intersection of fate, trauma, and recovery. Unlike most tales set in the famously spooky Sleepy Hollow, this story offers not fear, but hope, resilience, and transformative insight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chris's Family Journey and Roots

[02:36–07:20]

• Chris introduces himself and his background as a Palestinian-Greek American who grew up in Sleepy Hollow, NY.
• Shares his father’s journey as a Palestinian refugee who fled the violence after the Six Day War in 1967, attending Columbia University and settling in New York.
• Vivid recollections of his father’s traumatic experiences during war, including losing friends and dangerous crossings through conflict zones.
  • Quote: “My dad, from the age of seven, had honestly, he'd grown up putting his friends' body parts in burlap sacks and bringing them back to their parents.” (04:18, Chris Nas)
• Parental immigrant story: meeting in Tarrytown while working as chemical engineers; Chris’ multicultural upbringing in a town shrouded in legend.
• Reflections on how growing up in Sleepy Hollow fostered a fascination with the unknown and a sense of belief in things beyond concrete evidence.

2. Premonitory Childhood Nightmare

[09:50–12:44]

• Chris recounts his recurring childhood nightmare—lying immobilized on the side of a road near an overpass, blinded by approaching headlights.
• Recurrence of the dream stopped and faded but returned to memory when, at age 14, he moved to a new house and saw the very overpass from his nightmares.
  • Quote: “Seeing that overpass just made it all click, like a eureka moment—that this road, that was the road from that nightmare.” (12:30, Chris Nas)
• The dream instilled lingering unease, shaping behaviors into adulthood.

3. The Accident—A Real-Life Echo of the Nightmare

[14:46–25:13]

• Fast-forward to September 13, 2024 (Friday the 13th, emphasizing the show’s penchant for the uncanny).
• Chris describes his non-eventful, sober evening in Sleepy Hollow before driving home late at night on Old Sleepy Hollow Road.
• He’s suddenly blinded by a bright light and loses control, crashing into a tree near the childhood overpass of his dream.
• Details his grave injuries: both legs smashed, severed femoral artery, collapsed lung, traumatic brain injury.
  • Quote: “My driver’s side tire had been pushed into my cabin and ran over both legs…severed my femoral artery.” (17:20, Chris Nas)

4. Near-Death & Out-of-Body Experiences

[18:30–26:21]

• As Chris hovered on the edge of consciousness, he entered a strikingly peaceful state, despite the dire situation.
• Describes a sequence where he mentally reviewed his life, accepting possible death with equanimity.
  • Quote: “There was a moment...I was ready to embrace death, not scared at all, just almost what will be, will be.” (19:50, Chris Nas)
• He then perceived his “life leaving his body” as smoke drifting upward into a black hole, experiencing ego dissolution and emptiness.
• Visions of his family followed—seeing how their lives might unravel if he died, particularly his mother’s declining health.
• This compelled him back into his body, resolved not to close his eyes, feeling certain that closing them meant passing on.

5. Survival, Recovery, and Loss

[26:21–37:45]

• Chris describes briefly experiencing a floating, third-person view of himself and the rescue scene—an out-of-body perspective—while also feeling trapped in his body.
  • Quote: “I guess you could call it an out-of-body experience…but I was very much still myself trapped in the cockpit.” (24:36, Chris Nas)
• Awakening in the hospital ICU after three days in a coma, disoriented and unable to speak.
• Grapples with the severity of his injuries: permanent nerve loss in his right leg and the decision to amputate above the knee within minutes after a plainspoken discussion with his doctor.
  • Quote: “You got to hack it off.” (33:50, Chris Nas), recalling his immediate acceptance of amputation.
• Prolonged recovery: endured 24 surgeries, phantom pain, and dependency for basics.
• Emotional torture in the ICU: deprivation of water post-extubation.

6. Synchronicity, Premonition, and Support

[37:45–42:55]

• Voicemail from business partner: had a vivid dream foreseeing Chris with a prosthetic leg, a future wife, and children—a vision of hope and continuity.
• Days later, friend Saeed reports a dream of hiking with Chris, who had a prosthetic limb.
• These spontaneous visions of survival and adaptation deeply motivate Chris.
• Realizes the old nightmare was a premonition of the actual event—a fated milestone he couldn’t avoid, but also something he navigated and survived.
  • Quote: "It was almost as if that dream had been a premonition of something that was going to occur in my life. And I think I negotiated my way through it." (41:30, Chris Nas)

7. Resilience, Recovery, and Giving Back

[43:00–48:30]

• After 75 days, Chris is released home on Thanksgiving Eve—another moment of meaningful synchronicity.
• Ongoing adaptation: advanced prosthetic leg brings him to 80% of former abilities; back to biking and rediscovering passions.
• Encounters the firefighter who helped save his life—who emphasizes Chris’s own role in his survival.
  • Quote: “You were awake for the two hours it took to get you out of the car…if it weren’t for your responsiveness, we would have had to amputate both legs.” (46:50, Firefighter recalled by Chris Nas)
• Epiphany: his mother, while still battling cancer, is alive and their bond through parallel struggle has deepened.

8. Full Circle: Matching Fate and Purpose

[48:30–49:40]

• Chris had previously formed “Kollective,” a group supporting Palestinians and providing prosthetic limbs to children in Gaza—a cause that became far more personal after his own limb loss.
• Chris aims to continue his advocacy, mentoring, and plans to start a foundation for amputees in Palestine, seeing his suffering as a potential calling to help others.
  • Quote: "This is kind of like some kind of a higher calling. It's definitely made me stronger...Because honestly, without those two things, especially my will, I wouldn't be here." (49:25, Chris Nas)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Premonition Rematerialized

  • "Seeing that overpass just made it all click, like a eureka moment—that this road, that was the road from that nightmare." (12:30, Chris Nas)

• Surrender and Clarity at the Edge of Death

  • “There was a moment...I was ready to embrace death, not scared at all, just almost what will be, will be.” (19:50, Chris Nas)

• Immediate Acceptance of Amputation

  • “You got to hack it off.” (33:50, Chris Nas)

• Synchronicities from Loved Ones

  • “He described her features like olive skin, darker hair, bright green eyes...He summed the dream up by saying, I gave him, like, so much faith that I'm gonna be just fine.” (39:11, Chris Nas, paraphrasing his business partner’s dream voicemail)

• Purpose from Hardship

  • "When I had to make the decision to amputate, I thought of the kids that I had been supporting for a year and a half that I watched crawling in dirt...It just put everything into perspective." (47:58, Chris Nas)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:12] – Introduction & context for the episode
• [02:36] – Chris Nas's family background; early life and influences
• [09:50] – The recurring childhood nightmare and its meaning
• [14:46] – The night of the accident, bright light, and the crash
• [18:30] – Near-death experience and visions while trapped in the car
• [24:36] – Out-of-body experience as rescue unfolds
• [26:21] – Awakening in the ICU, medical crises, and making choices about amputation
• [37:45] – Synchronicities and the significance of premonitory dreams from loved ones
• [43:00] – Hospital release, recovery journey, and life with a prosthetic limb
• [46:50] – Reunion with first responder and affirmation of resilience
• [48:30] – Reflections on fate, surviving for a purpose, and commitment to advocacy

Episode Tone & Takeaway

Despite its supernatural overtones and brushes with tragedy, the episode is uplifting and contemplative, marked by Chris’s grounded, candid storytelling and introspective voice. Jack Wagner presides with attentive curiosity and respect for his guest’s vulnerability. The emotional arc transcends horror or morbidity and lands on meaning, resilience, and interconnectedness—with a gentle insistence that some mysteries of our world hint at patterns or purpose beyond our immediate understanding.

To learn more about Chris’s advocacy or support his work:
Check out his organization Kollective (KULLECTIVE) (as mentioned by Jack Wagner in the closing segment, [49:42]).

Final Reflection:
Chris’s journey—from repeated childhood terror to the fulfillment, literalization, and ultimate transcendence of that nightmare—offers a moving meditation on fate, survival, and the unknown workings of the universe. His commitment to transform personal suffering into empathy and action for others lies at the episode’s heart.