An alien space ship crash landed 18 years ago and the remains are still on top of a grocery store.
The Lathrop UFO is a well known roadside attraction, but the small town has a forgotten the history behind it.
"It’s been so long I can't remember who put it up." Lathrop Planning Commissioner Bennie Gatto said.
Fire Department records show the building opened in 1999, but the grocery store has changed ownership so many times that Gatto forgot who installed the UFO.
"It used to be called Tower Mart now its Power Mart." Gatto said.
Half of the giant space craft sits at an angle on top of the grocery store. On the inside is the other half of the ship which is broken open with green men hanging from the rafters. Some holding various groceries.
The creators name may have slipped Gatto's mind, but he does remember a little accident with the UFO.
"When they put the aliens up I guess they kind of tied them down... One of the aliens fell off." Gatto said. The alien that fell off ended up hitting a car during store grand opening and now the little green men have safety ropes tied around them.
The little misshape didn't prevent people from coming to the store.
"Everyone was pretty amazed when they walked in." said Gatto.
Despite multiple ownership changes, the aliens remained relatively untouched for 18 years. We may never know the full story behind the UFO, but Bennie hopes someone else steps forward with some answers before the back-story to this piece of quirky history is lost forever.