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“Jersey Devil” Sighting!

October 12, 2015

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The Jersey Devil is perhaps one of the strangest cryptic creatures commonly talked about, and one with a rich backstory.  Said to be the unwanted and accursed child of a witch who lived in the 1700’s, Mother Leeds, the creature is described as having hooves, a goat’s or horse’s head, bat wings, and a forked tail.  A Little Egg Harbor Township resident, Dave Black, recently snapped a picture of an unidentified life form while driving on Route 9 in Galloway, New Jersey.

Originally the observer thought that he was seeing a llama until the creature “spread out leathery wings and flew over the golf course.”  The observer took a picture, and describes what he saw as being a “large, flying mammal about the size of a deer.”  The photo appears to show something with dark brown fur, wings on its back, and cloven feet.  A video taken by a woman named Emily at about the same time also reportedly shows a reddish animal with a long neck and horns…delightful fare for this Halloween season!

Categories: animals, anomalies, cryptozoology, furry, unexplained, unidentified
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Flying Humanoid, Jersey Devil, Batsquatch…

February 27, 2014

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– – “Things that fly” might have been considered the unifying theme of a recent Monsters & Mysteries in America episode, one in which the segments again considered content previously aired on such shows as MonsterQuest, with Batsquatch essentially a rehash of a segment already done by Monsters & Mysteries itself.

Now Flying Humanoids have been reported dozens of times, both from across the United States and elsewhere. The occurrences reported on here, however, transpired in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri in Turkey Creek. Two bothers reported that in July of 1998, they had been looking for “a bit of adventure” when an unknown flying fiend was powerful enough to lift their vehicle slightly off the ground and shake it. The humanoid is reported to be tall and hairless, having red eyes and a great wingspan. Brothers Ed and Danny Overton reported that a humanoid flew at their car, causing it to go into a tree. Dan Overton returned to the Turkey Creek area in 2010, where he observed a freshly-dug cave, and heard the growl and sound of something large coming through the woods. Drag mark scrapes were seen, and tree limbs were broken and dropped around them. The humanoid was reportedly seen and pursued, but took off and subsequently disappeared.

The Jersey Devil is a classic cryptid native to the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey with a back story going to 1735 when a Mother Leeds gave birth to an unwanted 13th child and cursed it, wishing for it to be a devil. Be careful what you wish for, as they say, for Mother Leeds reportedly birthed something with the head of a horse, red eyes, and the wings of a bat that grew to be about the size of a small elephant. Considerable hysteria over the creature was reported in 1909, and in more recent times times Paul Pedersen Jr. encountered the devil as a child in 1963 while babysitting his sister at home. Hearing something hopping up the cellar steps, young Pedersen and his sister ran to the front yard to await the return of their father, who found the basement trashed, and removed a coal chute through which it was figured something had gained access to the house. Even more recently in 2008 a woman and her boyfriend while in a car heard screeches and the flapping of wings. Something then hit the top of their car, which was dented as a result.

The last segment of the episode was a recap of the Batsquatch sightings in the Rio Grande Valley area in 1976, with attacks having been reported in Raymondsville and also Hidalgo County near Houston. Please reference the earlier Sheepsquatch, Batsquatch, and Sasquatch post for additional information if desired…

Categories: animals, anthropomorphic, avian, creature features, cryptozoology, furry, mysteries, speculation, strange happenings, unexplained, unidentified
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Giving the Devil His Due…

May 6, 2010

– – Stories of the Jersey Devil have been in oral circulation since 1735, making it possibly the oldest reported “monster” in America.  Two schools of thought exist about the creature, one holding that it is truly supernatural…the “son of the devil,” as suggested by the original Mother Leeds account.  A second explanation for the creature holds that it is some sort of mutated animal that has not yet been identified by science.  Supporting this latter contention is the fact that the Pine Barrens location reported as the Devil’s stomping grounds has been known to have produced genetic malformations in reptiles and mammals, including humans, possibly due to heavy metal or other mineral deposits. Some abnormalities afflicting animals in this location have included odd colorations, extra appendages, and even extra heads.

Native Americans in petroglyphs, some dating back thousands of years, depicted an entity that has reptilian features.  In spite of this and the extensive oral history, the Jersey Devil has been treated satirically, making many reluctant to step forward with their beliefs due to fear of ridicule.  More serious study and treatment of the Jersey Devil may be fostered by a recently opened exhibit at the Paranormal Museum in Asbury Park, N.J. that features a variety of artifacts, including reproductions of a supposed Jersey Devil skull, drawings, and other artifacts.

Despite the lack of hard evidence, the Pinelands area of New Jersey covers more than a million acres…a perfect environment for an unknown animal to hide in!

Categories: creature features, cryptozoology, furry, unexplained
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Devils in New Jersey

February 26, 2009

jersey-devil–There’s a special place in my heart for the Jersey Devil, having resided in New Jersey for years in the past.  I never liked portrayals of the Jersey Devil that were on the comical side, however, for he’s an awesome cryptid.

A recent episode of MonsterQuest gave the Devil his due, portraying him with proper respect.  This blog has featured both the Jersey Devil and the Montauk Monster in the past, and I don’t want to repeat what I’ve already covered.  Suffice it to say that the Jersey Devil has a rich and far-reaching history extending back around 250 years to the 13th child of a legendary Mother Leeds, who when pregnant with that child cursed him, saying “Let him be a devil!”–Well, be careful what ‘ya wish for, ’cause ‘ya may get it, right?  Not only was the 13th child a devil, but in some variants of the story, he consumed his mother and siblings before ascending up the chimney.– He’ll never get any presents on Xmas or  his birthday, but ‘ya gotta love the guy!

Now descriptions of the Jersey Devil vary, but in many accounts he’s described as a winged, horse-like creature with a long neck, red eyes, and a serpentine tail.  There have been many sighting of the creature over time, especially in the large, Pine Barrens region of southern New Jersey; in the early 20th century, significant numbers of people reported sightings, causing hysteria.  More recent cases include one in 1997 where a mother and child were outdoors and saw the creature in a tree, barely making it indoors before the beast landed on their roof and left footprints that couldn’t be identified as those of any known species.

The Jersey Devil should not be confused with the Montauk Monster, which is now thought to have been a decomposing canine (most likely a Boxer) that washed up on a beach.  The Montauk Monster briefly caused a stir when photos of  something weird and disgusting surfaced amidst rumors that it had been produced by the nearby Plum Island facility, reputed to be creating biological weapons for deployment against the Russians during the Cold War era (much like myself).

MonsterQuest presented alternative explanations for the Jersey Devil, including that it is actually a misidentified Great Horned Owl, or perhaps an African Hammerhead Bat.  For that matter, the Jersey Devils are also a professional hockey team in that state, and  far too many people in Jersey drive like bats out of hell…but I digress.

While MonsterQuest investigations in the Pine Barrens yielded nothing, eyewitness descriptions allowed creation of an awesome sculpture of the Devil which the 1997 observers said was much like what they saw; those same eyewitnesses also passed polygraph tests, indicating that they were telling the truth about what they thought they saw…and as it was said, it’s “Possible something is out there that could remain hidden for a significant time.”

…or at least, one can hope!


Categories: animals, cryptozoology, furry, rare animal, unexplained, unidentified
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