Otherworld Podcast
Episode 160: The Runaway
Date: March 16, 2026
Host: Jack Wagner
Guest: Antonio

Episode Overview

In this episode titled "The Runaway," Jack Wagner welcomes Antonio, a designer and DJ from Los Angeles, to share a deeply personal and extraordinary story. Growing up between different households and cultures—sometimes on the Navajo reservation, sometimes with his parents in various parts of the Southwest—Antonio tells of a tumultuous childhood marked by instability, abuse, and frequent episodes of running away. The core of this episode revolves around one night during his adolescence when, while hiding from the police after running away from home, Antonio witnessed an inexplicable, enormous triangular craft in the night sky. Through an honest and reflective conversation, Antonio describes his struggles with family, identity, and how this close encounter with the unknown left a lasting impact on his life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Antonio’s Early Life and Challenges

[02:09 – 12:12]

• Multiracial identity and family background:

  • Antonio grew up moving between Utah, Arizona, California, and the Navajo reservation, struggling to fit in due to his mixed Navajo, Hispanic, and white heritage.
  • Quote:

    “I think part of being like, mixed race is like, you don’t really have a step family. ... So, my white side and Hispanic side really didn’t take me in too well. So I always spent a lot of time with the Navajo people. They never asked me about my race or anything ... they just kind of accepted me as family.”
    (Antonio, [03:13])

• Abuse in the home and running away:

  • Antonio recounts abuse from both his mother’s and father’s partners, isolation at school due to racism, and frequent feelings of being unwanted or misunderstood.
  • The first major escape happened when his father's boyfriend, a wrestling coach, physically abused him, prompting Antonio to run into the desert for hours ([05:50]).
  • Quote:

    “He had pinned me on the ground and, like, was, like, contorting my body in a certain way to where I was in a lot of pain. ... I knocked the wind out of him, and I was out of that door, and I ran into the desert for, like, six, seven hours, eight hours or whatever.”
    (Antonio, [06:35])

• Pattern of running away:

  • Running away became a repeated coping mechanism whenever home life became unbearable.
  • He survived by collecting spare change at laundromats, staying with friends, or taking buses all over the Utah region ([10:50]).

What Kept Him Coming Back

[12:12 – 12:53]

• Despite the hardship, Antonio often returned home, motivated mainly by concern for his grandmother and, occasionally, his mother.
  • Quote:

    “My grandmother, just because I know she likes to worry a lot, you know, and I just could not imagine her getting worried. ... it just became a thing where like, I miss being home.”
    (Antonio, [12:19])

The Night of the Encounter

[17:33 – 27:14]

• Escalation and flight:
  • After a major argument with his mother, Antonio used his usual escape plan—waiting for everyone to sleep, then sneaking out his window.
  • His mother caught him in the act, called the police, and a major search ensued. Antonio hid in an apartment complex, under cars and behind a dumpster, trying to evade a seemingly impossible number of police units ([17:40]).

The Sighting

[20:45 – 27:14]

• First noticing the anomaly:

  • While hiding behind a dumpster, Antonio observed an enormous, nearly invisible triangle in the sky, reflecting the lights of patrol cars from below but also showing the stars through it.
  • Description:

    “It was massive. It was big. It was like it was covering this whole area ... It was reflecting lights from down below at the same time. ... You could see through it and see the stars behind it. So it was very well hidden, if that makes any sense.”
    (Antonio, [20:50])

• Features of the craft:

  • The object was completely silent, stationary, and seemed “darker than black” at its edges, bounded by nine extremely dark orbs along its underbelly.
  • He estimated it spanned from Ben Lomond peak to Ogden Peak—miles of coverage, “about half the size of a small city.”
  • Quote:

    “It looked sleek. ... Like the stealth bomber, but this thing was about half the size of a small city. It was a triangle shape. It had these not black, but, like, darker than black orbs that outlined the bottom ... so dark ... it was like the absence of light.”
    ([21:35])

• Emotional impact:

  • The fear Antonio experienced was elemental, eclipsing even the panic of being chased by police.
  • Quote:

    “I try to ... talk about the level of fear I had at that moment. ... I felt small, I felt minuscule. ... Like, I was in trouble, like, all encompassing doom. Like the world was going to end.”
    ([22:43])

• After the object left:

  • As Antonio summoned the will to move, the craft silently glided away, leaving a deep ringing or humming sound in his ears.
  • Quote:

    “...it just left. ... Not in a traditional way. ... like, no noise, nothing. Almost like somebody wiping away a stain on a window—that’s how fast it went away.”
    ([25:30])

The Aftermath and Officer’s Reaction

[27:15 – 32:14]

• Arrest and shared bewilderment:

  • Antonio was soon apprehended by police. Remarkably, the officer transporting him appeared visibly shaken, repeatedly glancing skyward.
  • Antonio asked him about the triangle in the sky. The officer acknowledged seeing it:

    “‘Did you see that triangle in the sky?’ ... And I remember him saying, 'Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s pretty normal ... they do their thing.'”
    ([29:11])

• The officer was so unsettled he ran a red light, then pulled over to pray with Antonio and quoted Bible verses, specifically referencing Zechariah 5:1.

  • Antonio interpreted this as a sign of just how disturbed the officer himself had been ([30:45]).

• Lasting effects:

  • Antonio never spoke about this sighting for years; the trauma of being in trouble at home and with the law overshadowed any urge to speak about the UFO.
  • He later told his mother and girlfriend, both of whom believed him—a source of comfort after years of silence.
  • Quote:

    “When you see it and you’ve never seen it before and you’ve never experienced it before, I want to let you know that the first time it happens, you’re going to be afraid. ... and you’re going to want to run back to the people that you care about.”
    ([31:30])

Post-Interview Reflection

[32:14 – 32:50]

• Jack Wagner attempted to help Antonio confirm details about the event via arrest records, but since Antonio was a minor, the records are sealed or now destroyed. Antonio expressed relief, wanting to fully move on from this chapter of his life.
• Jack also shared a lighthearted aside about discovering the International Gay Rodeo Association, related to Antonio’s father ([32:30]).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On being accepted by the Navajo side:

  “They just kind of accepted me as family...I became very close to them in particular when I was younger.”
  (Antonio, [03:35])

• On abuse and feeling alone:

  “It’s like they also did nothing. You know what I mean? ...I don’t know if that makes sense.”
  (Antonio, [08:49])

• On the UFO’s presence and emotional impact:

  “This fear I had at that moment... like, all-encompassing doom, like the world was going to end.”
  (Antonio, [22:43])

• On the aftermath and seeking connection:

  "I want to let you know that the first time it happens, you’re going to be afraid … and you’re going to want to run back to the people that you care about.”
  (Antonio, [31:30])

• On telling his mother the story, years later:

  “I did tell my mom the story recently, and she totally believed it, which is, like, you know, a nice thing to hear.”
  (Antonio, [31:46])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:09 – Antonio introduces himself and background
• 05:50 – Description of home abuse, first running away
• 10:50 – How Antonio survived as a runaway
• 12:12 – Reasons for returning home
• 17:33 – Night of the major incident begins
• 20:45 – Observation of the triangle UFO
• 22:43 – Emotional and physical impact of sighting
• 25:30 – Craft departs, leaving ringing in ears
• 27:15 – Antonio’s arrest and interaction with officer
• 29:11 – Officer acknowledges triangle in the sky
• 31:30 – Reflections on family, fear, and meaning of sighting
• 32:14 – Jack Wagner’s reflection and epilogue

Tone and Presentation

The episode is personal, introspective, and candid. Antonio’s storytelling is matter-of-fact, thoughtful, and direct, balancing vulnerable admissions with a sense of resilience. Jack Wagner brings a gentle, curious, and non-judgmental presence throughout, encouraging detail and reflecting on both the emotional core and the larger mysteries at play.

Summary

In “The Runaway,” Antonio’s story is not just a chronicle of an unexplainable encounter but a moving testament to a turbulent youth marked by hardship, identity struggles, and the search for acceptance. His firsthand account of seeing a massive, camouflaged triangle craft during a time of extreme emotional distress draws a profound parallel between the unexplained in the skies and the unresolved on the ground. The episode delicately examines how formative trauma and inexplicable phenomena can intersect, shaping one’s worldview and need for connection. Both gripping and compassionate, this episode is a standout in Otherworld’s ongoing exploration of the paranormal and the deeply human.