Post by Joanna on Apr 25, 2018 10:15:56 GMT -5
Bigfoot in New Jersey
On April 7, 2018, a woman spotted a tall, lanky, brown, hairy creature walking on two legs behind the car as she and her husband were leaving the Pine Barrens. Could it be ... Bigfoot? Who knows for sure, but their detailed description was deemed credible enough to be listed among the Sasquatch sightings in the database maintained by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO).
BFRO – which describes itself “the only scientific research organization exploring the bigfoot/Sasquatch mystery” – was founded in 1995 to figure out whether the Bigfoot species exists. Its database publicly lists close to seven dozen reported sightings across New Jersey.
Following are the counties with the most reports. (Note: The ratings are from BFRO’s database. “Class A” is a clear sighting in circumstances where misinterpretation of other animals can be ruled out with greater confidence. “Class B” are sightings at greater distances with poor lighting or situations in which witnesses do not get a clear view.)
Burlington County, 13 sightings
• Most recent: May 2013
• Location: Godfrey Bridge Road by Wading Pines
• Details: A camper was setting snares at midnight to catch food when he heard rustling about 50 feet away. As he turned to return to his campsite, he heard something walking parallel to him on two legs, then a loud crack before a huge branch landed in front of him. He fired his flare gun as a warning and the creature took off crashing through brush and trees. The camper said the creature sounded like “a very overweight person running,” but at a fast pace.
• Rating: Class B.
Camden County, 1 sighting
• Most recent: March 2016
• Location: Near Atco
• Details: Mother and daughter reported hearing screaming/howling coming from the forest near their home. The noises were described as angry, guttural, extremely loud and lasting 30 to 60 seconds. The mother and daughter also reported seeing Bigfoot cross the road the previous August. The creature was described as around 7-foot-tall with a muscular build, a 5- to 6-foot stride and brownish black matted fur.
• Rating: Class A.
Cape May County, 3 sightings
• Most recent: November 2016
• Location: Ocean City
• Details: A group of friends watching football at home noticed a humanlike creature walk away from the front of the house. The creature was described as “long-limbed,” but not human. Because of the lighting, the men could see a silhouette, but said it appeared to be covered in hair. It was approximately 5- to 6-feet-tall, hunched over with broad shoulders.
• Rating: Class B.
Hunterdon County, 2 sightings
• Most recent: August 2007
• Location: Flemington
• Details: Two outdoorsmen heard vocalizations about midnight while fishing at the Round Valley Reservoir. One of the men said the noise did not sound like a coyote, but rather the “Ohio Howl,” a moaning howl sound caught on a recording that is attributed to Sasquatch.
• Rating: Class B.
Mercer County, 1 sighting
• Most recent: Spring 1977
• Location: On a trail near John A. Roebling Park near Bordentown
• Details: A man recalled seeing Bigfoot as a young boy when he and a friend were on their way to go fishing around 5 or 6 p.m. The creature was approximately 6- to 7-feet-tall with dark brown to black fur. It crossed the trail about 50 yards in front of the two, pausing for a moment to look at them.
• Rating: Class A.
Middlesex County, 2 sightings
• Most recent: July 2000
• Location: Route 535 Cranbury
• Details: A family was driving home from fireworks when the parents heard shrieking as they drove through a wooded area. Unable to determine what caused the sound, they turned around and again heard the shrieking noise. About a month later, the parents returned to the area and spotted a depression in the ground that appeared to look like a footprint that measured 15-inches long, 7-inches wide at the ball of the foot, and 4-inches at the heel. They also noted a passing “skunky” smell.
• Rating: Class B.
Monmouth County, 1 sighting
• Most recent: August 1966
• Location: Allaire State Park
• Details: A man recalled seeing Bigfoot 40 years earlier as a teen when he was driving with three other boys. Around 10 or 11 p.m., they heard a high-pitched scream directed at them. As they turned on the road, they saw a reddish brown creature towering in front of their car. He estimated it to be about 7-foot-tall. They also noticed a musty smell in the air.
•Rating: Class A.
Morris County, 6 sightings
• Most recent: April 2011
• Location: Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
• Details: A man camping with his sons returned to his campsite from a hike when he saw a tall, bulky figure that was entirely black. It had a dome-shaped head close to the shoulders and swung its arms in large motions. After meeting with a BFRO investigator, the camper estimated the creature was 7½- to 8-feet-tall and “much wider” than a human man.
• Rating: Class A.
Ocean County, 8 sightings
• Most recent: April 2018
• Location: Pine Barrens off Routes 70 and 539 near Brown Mills
• Details: A woman saw “something” around 6-feet-tall behind the car as she and her husband were leaving the Pine Barrens, where they had been walking with their dog. They turned around in an attempt to get a better look at the creature and heard something crashing through the woods and splashing in the water. They also heard what they described as huffing or grunting noises. They checked their car to see if something was stuck underneath, but there wasn’t.
• Rating: Class B.
Passaic County, 3 sightings
• Most recent: Fall 2004
• Location: Near Wanaque Reservoir
• Details: A deer hunter was walking back to his truck when he smelled a strong sour, musty odor somewhat like deer union, but different. He prepared an arrow for a potential deer shot, but a different creature that was neither deer nor bear stepped onto the trail in front of him. The creature looked at the hunter and returned to the woods. The hunter estimated it to be 7- or 8-feet-tall and 400 to 500 pounds.
• Rating: Class A.
Salem County, 2 sightings
• Most recent: December 2012
• Location: Woodstown
• Details: A man was driving home from his girlfriend’s house when he noticed something reflective beside a telephone pole. As he got closer, he realized the reflectors were eyes on a figure, about 7½- to 8½-feet-tall, that ran into the woods. He stopped his truck and heard grunting, a screech in the woods. The creature had dark brown-to-black matted hair with long arms, hands and feet. He also saw a dead deer in the adjacent field.
• Rating: Class A.
Somerset County, 1 sighting
• Most recent: Summer 1976, 1977 or 1978
• Location: Between Mendham and Bernardsville
• Details: A husband and wife were driving home from visiting family when a creature on two legs walked in front of their car, turning its head to look at them as it passed. They estimated it to be around 6-feet-tall in a hunched position, about 200 to 250 pounds and covered in straight brown hair except for on its face.
• Rating: Class A.
Sussex County, 17 sightings
• Most recent: June 2015
• Location: High Point State Park
• Details: Two brothers believe they encountered a Sasquatch while camping. One was sitting near a lake by their campsite when he had a feeling he was being watched. Soon after, he heard something that sounded like a “very large man aggressively exhaling.” The brothers also heard something walking on two feet to the forest, breaking branches as it went. The following morning after sleeping in their car, the brothers inspected their campsite and found what they described as a “makeshift bed” of matted-down vegetation and a possible partial footprint. They again heard the aggressive breathing as well as humanlike screams.
• Rating: Class B.
Warren County, 5 sightings
• Most recent: February 2007
• Location: Mansfield
• Details: A motorist was driving home from a criminology class when a creature on two legs and with swinging arms ran in front of his car. The man described the creature as covered in black hair about 4- to 5-inches-long, but running faster than a bear. He estimated it was 4- to 5-feet-tall, weighing 150 to 200 pounds.
• Rating: Class A.
According to BFRO, the following counties have had no credible Sasquatch sightings:
• Atlantic
• Bergen
• Cumberland
• Gloucester
• Hudson
• Union.
Source: Susanne Cervenka, App, April 23, 2018.