In 2016, WCHS-TV published a photo purported to be of Mothman taken by an anonymous man while driving on Route2 in Mason County. Could sightings of the legendary Mothman be explained by other supernatural phenomenon? His story took hold, and the town soon became iconic among conspiracy theorists, ufologists, and fans of the paranormal. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. Sightings and events that occurred before the original Mothman reports in 1966. In the witnesss words, he saw a body outline of a weird person. It had human arms and legs. It pursued them as far as Point Pleasant city limits. The creature flew up from the runway and disappeared into the sky. He pulled off the highway and took some hasty photos of the creature moving about and captured the now iconic image of it in flight. The creature was about 25' from the mother and daughter, who were watching with the lights turn off in the bedroom. An anonymous eyewitness reportedly encountered the Mothman near Alliance, Ohio, one night in 1982. She didn't think anything of it, assuming it was a fellow employee. Two University of Illinois roommates were terrorized one Friday night as they dressed to go out with their boyfriends. [27], According to the event organizer Jeff Wamsley, the average attendance for the Mothman Festival is an estimated 1012thousand people per year. The creature gripped the railing with its hands and didn't budge when the shuttle rumbled past it. The creature had brilliant red eyes. Flying humanoids are very commonplace in the northern region of Mexico. However, this eyewitness offered photos to back up his story. It also appeared as a see-through entity, almost like a spirit, unlike the traditional encounters with a creature possessing a solid corporeal form. Top 5 mothman sightings caught on camera. She glanced up from her cellphone and noticed a tall man standing about 20' from her car. According to Gallo, "people more likely to visit a paranormal-centric website like Strickler's might also be more inclined to believe in, and therefore witness the existence of, a 'Mothman'. Point Pleasants fame as the home of the Mothman legend hasnt waned in recent decades. Most of the sightings of the creature were associated with the collapse of the Silver Bridge, which connected Point Pleasant, WV, to Galliopolis, OH, in 1967, a tragedy that resulted in the deaths of 46 people. Recent sightings of the Mothman or Flying humanoid Creature Coal Barge near Silver Bridge collapse, Point Pleasant, WV (Ohio River). On November 12, 1966, in Clendenin, West Virginia, a group of gravediggers working in a cemetery spotted something strange. The film a supernatural horror and mystery offers no conclusions, communicating instead an eerie feeling of disjointedness that was both panned and praised by critics. Mothman Sightings. Mothman sightings have been relocated to Keelian.org in the Mothman Archive (66-67). UFO Clearinghouse has multiple reports of Mothman sightings. By now, they were only a few feet from the figure. Why is Sasquatch so abundant in the Buckeye State, and is it possible the creature may be more widespread in the eastern states than previously thought? UFO Clearinghouse reports a USPS employee at the sorting facility located at Chicago O'Hare International Airport came face-to-face with a Mothman creature. You may be surprised to learn that ghosts don't always appear like they do in the movies. [ 'Red-Eyed Creature' Reported in W. Va. Or is there a more logical and mundane explanation for sightings of this cryptid? The creature allegedly stopped about ten feet away from the car, and the witness and his friends could see the outline of the creature. It's believed the creatures have a colony or family units in the mountain regions. This theory posits that when the national press ran with the Mothman story, people who lived in Point Pleasant began to panic. When they lock gazes with the creature, these people report they are temporarily paralyzed as though in a trance. Another said: "The Mothman found on Google Maps!" "The Mothman" is actually West Virginia folklore, dating back to news reports in 1966 of a creature which lurked in the Point Pleasant area. [7], An annual festival in Point Pleasant is devoted to the Mothman legend. Sightings and events that occurred before the original Mothman reports in 1966. When the birdman turned to look at him, it was with bright red glowing eyes. The cameras snap photographs of the surrounding environment and stitch them together in post-production to create a virtual world. [ "Wild Story Produced in Wildlife Preserve" Newspaper, released November 1966 ]? With our cryptid road map of the U.S.A., you can do just that. Its eyes were a brilliant, glowing red. This explanation was compelling, especially given the number of early reports that had described the creature as bird-like.. The group organizing the event chose the Mothman to be the center of the festival due to its uniqueness, and as a way to celebrate its local legacy in the town. He described the creature as being 6.5' tall and covered in fur instead of feathers. The eerie sound is unearthly. I want to write this comment for anybody who saw this and then Googled it like I did - this is a fabrication. [ "Night Rider In Sky Afraid of Lights" Newspaper, released November 1966 ]? For other inquiries, Contact Us. The hiker described the creature as gray and had eyes like the devil. The creature then flew up about six feet off the ground and swooped down at the three hikers, almost knocking them over. Following the Mothman sightings, the bridge collapse was the second terrible and bizarre thing to put Point Pleasant on the map in a years time. The eyewitness described it as being half man and half bird. With recent sightings of the Mothman happening all over Chicago, we thought that maybe you should know a little more about previous sightings of the famed, t. Though his bizarre features might be a joke, one user said they found it scary. It is said that Mothman usually appears just before tragedy strikes as a portent of impending doom. Only time will tell as patterns emerge whether this is urban legend, folklore, or something supernatural. The daughter ran into the bedroom in response to her mother's scream. These are unconfirmed and unofficial witness testimonies from the internet. I'm a sucker for skylines. After sightings throughout the next year the Silver Bridge collapsed on December 15, 1967, killing dozens of people. There are many scary tales of Mothman carrying off sheep, dogs, and even children. Newspaper, released November 19th 1966 ]. Thirteen people were killed and nearly 150 injured, with many people claiming to have seen Mothman. Unlike most other sightings, which appear outdoors, usually in the woods or forest, this witness encountered the creature inside their own home. Along the way, though, some odd scenes have cropped up over the years. [2][3], Due to the popularity of the Batman TV series at the time, the fictional superhero Batman and his rogues gallery were prominently featured in the public eye. In August 2011, a man and woman were traveling through Chicago, the man's hometown neighborhood was nearby and he wanted to show her around. As for sightings of the actual Mothman, theyve mostly declined since the late 1960s. Without warning, a single eyebar near the top of the bridge on the Ohio side cracked. It does this by using special 3D cameras, usually strapped to the top of cars or carried by Google workers on foot. The kids described the creature they encountered as tall and pale with glowing red eyes. [2] Wildlife biologist Robert L. Smith at West Virginia University told reporters that descriptions and sightings all fit the sandhill crane, a large American crane almost as tall as a man with a seven-foot wingspan featuring circles of reddish coloring around the eyes. From 2011 through 2018 Mothman was spotted in Chicago and near Lake Michigan multiple times (nearly 70) by numerous witnesses. She dashed to her car and managed to get behind the wheel and sped out of the parking lot and home. The first time he encountered the creature was when he was about 12 years old. Express. The frightened pilot reported that the winged humanoid had glowing red eyes. That was the moment the woman panicked, realizing what she was seeing wasn't a person. UK travel advice and guidelines, Travel expert predicts some flights will go ahead from March. There is now an annual festival in the area which celebrates this odd legend. Its glowing red eyes looked right at the pilot as he was passing it in the airport shuttle on his way to the terminal to pilot a plane out of O'Hare. The Mothman Festival began after brainstorming creative ways for people to visit Point Pleasant. An anonymous resident of Columbus, Ohio, reportedly encountered Mothman while hiking with two friends along forest trails one evening in 2003 as the sun began to set. Some people hypothesized that this crane was deformed, especially if it resided in the TNT area a name that locals gave to a series of nearby bunkers that were once used for manufacturing munitions during World War II. They glanced up from their work as something huge soared over their heads. The myth was written about extensively by Gray Barker in 1970, an America writer known for his books on UFOs and other paranormal phenomena, and John Keel in 1975. 12 Recent Mothman Sightings (and What They Mean). Just three days after the gravediggers initial report, in nearby Point Pleasant, West Virginia, two couples noticed a white-winged creature about six or seven feet tall standing in front of the car that they were all sitting in. Once the two women had calmed down, their boyfriends told how they'd been walking through the neighborhood park on their way to the apartment when they saw a 6'-7' tall creature perched on the basketball court hoop. It Was Seen Again" Newspaper, released November 25th 1966, (Mothman) George Wolfe Jr., Beaver Falls PA, November 1966 (Week: 20th - 26th), (Mothman) Ruth Foster, St. Albans WV, November 26th 1966, (Mothman) Shelia Cain and her younger sister, Route 60 near St. Albans WV, Nov 27th 1966, "Haunting Creature Seen Twice" Newspaper, released November 1966, (Mothman) Bob Bosworth and Alan Coates, TNT Area Mason County WV, November 1966, (Mothman) Faye Dewitt-Leport with her siblings, TNT Area Mason County WV, November 1966, (Mothman) Everett Wedge and four other men, Point Pleasant WV, December 4th 1966, "Strange plane turns out to be 'bird'" Newspaper, December 5th 1966, (Mothman) Around ten people, The TNT Area, December 7th 1966, (Mothman) Two women, Route 35 WV, December 8th 1966, (Mothman) Man and male child, TNT Area Mason County WV, December 11th 1966, "Giant Owl Killed On Area Farm" Newspaper, December 22nd 1966, "Not Mason Mothman, Is It An Owl?" Shining a flashlight toward the direction of the noise, Partridge supposedly witnessed two red eyes resembling bicycle reflectors looking back at him. [ The Number 13 . On October 26, 2020, a mother and daughter witnessed what appeared to be a winged demon creature. Eyewitnesses Roger Scarberry and Steve Mallett told the local paper, The Point Pleasant Register, that the beast had bright red eyes about six inches apart, a wingspan of 10 feet, and the apparent urge to avoid the bright headlights of the car. The creature was said to have a wingspan of 12'-15' and standing height was 6'-7' tall. At first, reporters were skeptical. [ "That Mothman: Would You Believe A Sandhill Crane?" One of the eyewitness stories retold is about Ernesto Campa. After the collapse, George Noory received multiple calls on his radio program Coast to Coast AM from people who said they had a Mothman sighting. The state of West Virginia has had its fair share of strang. It is possible that this witness experienced sleep paralysis, rather than anything paranormal. France, Italy, Spain and Greece latest Foreign Office travel advice, Pound to euro exchange rate 'promising' as GBP 'steady ascent', Spain & Portugal holidays could go ahead from May, Google Maps Street View: A weird creature scared some viewers, Google Maps Street View: Mothman is a legend in the West Virginia area, Netherlands holidays: Dutch government lifts UK travel ban, Holiday warning: May restart date might not 'go to plan', Cruise holidays: UK cruises get green light May 17 sailings, Italy holidays: New FCDO update as Covid test rules for Britons change, Portugal holidays: FCDO issues update on quarantine rule, Portugal, Cyprus and Spain to welcome Britons from May, Cruise holidays: P&O Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean update, Benidorm expat 'never considered' moving back to UK- resort's appeal, Is it safe to book a holiday for 2021? As with residents of Point Pleasant, Galliopolis residents reported hundreds of sightings of the Mothman as well in the years surrounding the Silver Bridge collapse. Brunvand found elements in common among many Mothman reports and much older folk tales, suggesting that something real may have triggered the scares and became woven with existing folklore. So scary! they wrote. His first sighting as a child was at night when the creature landed only a few feet from him. What is the wild cat of Warwickshire and how many other big cat sightings have there been? Its eyes glowed red. At first, the witness and his friends assumed it was a car, but it came up too fast. These theories paint the Mothman as either a harbinger of doom or, more sinisterly, its cause a legend that has its roots in the tragedy that befell Point Pleasant shortly after the Mothman arrived. Joe initially thought that he had encountered the boogieman as a child but decided it was more likely to have been the Mothman after noticing similarities between the creature he encountered and the creature described in The Mothman Prophecies.