The Linda Cortile case.

Linda Cortile, also published under the name Linda Napolitano, said she was taken from her apartment by small beings and floated through a window toward a hovering craft. The story became prominent through researcher Budd Hopkins, who argued that other witnesses had observed parts of the event. The case remains controversial because key claims rely on accounts that are difficult to independently verify.

Unverified claim

1. The central claimCortile said she was in her Manhattan apartment when beings entered and transported her through a window toward a craft. In the most dramatic version, she appeared to float above the street while witnesses watched. The account was developed over time through interviews and became a major subject in Hopkins’s writing about abduction experiences.
2. Witnesses and secrecyHopkins reported that two men, described as security personnel, had witnessed the event and later contacted him. They were given pseudonyms in published accounts. Their identities and the full circumstances of their alleged observations have been disputed, and the public record does not allow an independent reader to verify all the key details. Anonymous or protected witnesses can be important sources, but their claims are harder to test.
3. The investigationHopkins interpreted the case as evidence that abduction events could be observed by bystanders and might involve unusual control over physical movement. Critics questioned the lack of verifiable documentation, inconsistencies in witness accounts, and the way the story evolved through a researcher’s involvement. The case illustrates how an investigator’s theoretical framework can shape which details are emphasised and how disparate statements are combined.
4. Evidence and alternative readingsNo publicly available physical evidence conclusively establishes that Cortile was transported through a window or taken aboard a craft. Alternative interpretations include mistaken observation, misremembered or embellished events, and a story that cannot be independently resolved due to missing records and anonymity. These alternatives are not themselves proof of a hoax; they identify why the strongest claims remain unverified.
5. LegacyThe Cortile case is frequently discussed in debates over witness testimony, hypnosis, and investigator influence. It is especially useful for distinguishing “multiple people are said to have witnessed something” from “multiple independently identified witnesses have provided corroborated evidence.” The former can be a lead for research, but it is not equivalent to the latter.

The case is documented in Hopkins’s published work and related accounts. The alleged levitation and abduction are disputed and not independently verified.

• Budd Hopkins — published case background
• UFO Casebook — Linda Cortile case index
• Encyclopaedia-style overview: alien abduction

These links are research starting points, not endorsements of every claim they contain. Some are secondary summaries or case indexes. Where possible, seek original interviews, contemporaneous documents, and independent analysis.