Bigfoot in New Jersey
Peeping bigfoot or guy in a gorilla mask?
In June of this year I emailed famed West Coast psychic Nancy Bradley (www.nancybradley.org) after reading a very interesting account of a bigfoot encounter that she had as a girl while vacationing at her family’s summer cabin in Lake Owassa, NJ. For those of you who are unfamiliar with New Jersey, or who’s only familiarity with the Garden State is driving past the reeking factories along the northern stretch of the NJ Turnpike while passing through, you might be surprised to know that much of the fifth smallest state (and most highly populated per square mile) contains many miles of woodland and farms. The densely forested Pinelands in south Jersey actually covers about 1.1 million acres.
My family and I happen to live in the more populated and congested area of northeastern New Jersey, about 20 miles outside of New York City, but western NJ as you near Pennsylvania is another very rural and wooded part of the state, and this is where Ms. Bradley’s tale takes place. If you’d like to read her original article, here’s the link: www.trueghosttales.com/paranormal/bigfoot-of-lake-owassa-new-jersey). In my email to Ms. Bradley, I told her that I enjoyed her article very much and that my wife, Debbie, had a strange experience while in that part of the state a couple of years ago. Here is Debbie’s story as I recounted it to Ms. Bradley:
We live in the northeastern part of the state, not far from NYC. I’m a website designer and my wife, Debbie, teaches special education. Each June she accompanies her seventh grade class for a 3-day outing at Stokes State Forest, which is in Sussex County and pretty close to Lake Owassa. Well, one night one of the students staying in the same cabin as Debbie had a severe asthma attack. The girl’s parents didn’t bother to notify the school about her condition and neglected to pack her inhaler, so my wife ran out of the cabin at about 3 AM and proceeded to cross the compound to the infirmary where the nurse slept. As she ran toward the nurse’s station she heard an awful yowling/screeching noise. It was high-pitched and very loud, and unlike anything she’d ever heard before. It frightened her greatly. She did what she had to do, however, and alerted the nurse about the young girl’s condition and an ambulance was called (the girl recovered, fortunately).
The horrible screeching and yowling continued for several minutes after Debbie arrived at the nurse’s station, and when a police officer arrived alongside the ambulance, my wife described the horrible sounds that she just heard and asked the office if he’d heard them or if anyone had reported them. He looked at her and said in a very serious tone, “there have been a lot of bigfoot reports in the area over the last few nights”. After my wife told me this, I began doing some research and found a surprisingly large number of bigfoot reports in New Jersey. I had always associated bigfoot sightings with the Pacific Northwest and certainly wouldn’t have thought there would be any similar reports in such a highly populated state as ours, but apparently people in the more rural northwestern part of New Jersey are familiar with these sightings. In this part of New Jersey the sightings are frequent enough to have garnered the big furry fellow a nick-name of “Big Red Eye”. This is because witnesses often describe the creature as having glowing red eyes (not sure if this is specific to New Jersey sightings, as I don’t recall hearing about this trait having been reported elsewhere). Weird NJ has an article about Big Red Eye that you might want to check out here.
In the course of my research I also came across a couple of websites that had audio recordings of what was thought to be bigfoot vocalizations, and when I played them for Debbie she remarked that that was exactly what it sounded like. Recently, the Discovery Channel aired the excellent “Bigfoot: Where Legend Meets Science” and at one point they played an audio recording that was supposedly from a sasquatch, and again my wife said that what she’d heard sounded just like that.
I just thought I’d share that experience, even though it wasn’t exactly firsthand. My wife is very level-headed and not much of a believer in anything paranormal or out of the ordinary, so I was impressed by the fact that she was so shaken by this and that she would even entertain the idea that it could have been bigfoot.
Ms. Bradley was kind enough to respond to my email and even went so far as to invite my wife and me to explore the area around Lake Owassa with her and her husband when they visit New Jersey next year. Obviously, I said “yes” to that immediately, but my wife’s response when I told her of Nancy’s offer was predictable: “No way”, she said. Debbie does not share my interest in the unexplained and was sufficiently shaken by the experience that she has no desire to seek out whatever it was that was source of those unearthly screams. I’ll post an article after I explore the area around Lake Owassa with Nancy and her husband, and let you know if there was anything interesting to be found.
If you live in New Jersey and have had a bigfoot encounter, I’d love to hear about it. Also, you may want to report your experience to Drew Vics’ New Jersey Bigfoot Reporting Center.
John Carlson is a husband, father, and business owner. He’s been a self–employed Web designer/developer and consultant for almost ten years. John was raised in New Jersey USA where he currently resides with his wife and two sons.
Why doesn’t anyone ever consider the possibility that a “researcher”might have been call blasting? It’s easy enough to download sounds and make a cd with some audio software.
It’s a real possibilty that when a witness says she heard the same sounds,she might actually mean that literally. She might be hearing sounds dowmloaded from a website.
Can’t argue with that. A hoax is always a possibility that can’t be ruled out.
BTW – Thanks for being the first person to post a comment on my site.
Down here in South NJ where I live, right outside the Pine Barrens actually, there is the story of Ol’ Red Eye I think he is called. I believe the last reported sighting was in the 70s in Manahawkin. . .when it was mostly wooded of course.
Yeah, Manahawkin is pretty suburban these days. Nice area, though. Real estate’s a lot less than here in north Jersey, too.
According to the NJ Bigfoot Reporting Center, http://strange.myeyez.net/bigfootnj/index.php, there have been a few more recent bigfoot sightings in the Pine Barrens. People forget, or don’t know, that the Pine Barrens are 1.1 million acres of forested area. I’d like to know if that’s a big enough area to support a creature of that size.
I’m going to take a good, long day hike in the Pine Barrens this month, and I’m going to bring my camera — just in case! I’m also hiking the Batona trail in April, which should take about four days. Maybe I’ll have a sighting if I’m lucky. Or maybe of the Jersey Devil.
Hi John,
It’s great to hear stories like that from credible upstanding citizens. I’ve taken interest in the subject of bigfoot when a good friend of mine had me do research into this mystical creature.He wanted me to do him a favor and attempt to debunk the phenomenom by aggresively researching the subject. Well, I never in a million years thought I’d say this, but (for what it’s worth) I am 99.9% positive this is a real animal. I’d bet my house on it.
Thanks. I’d love to hear about the nature of your research and where it took place. Was it in New Jersey, or elsewhere in the US or Canada? The East Coast of the USA is not where you’d typically think to find Bigfoot (for those who even entertain the possibility of its existence), yet there are a lot of reports of sighting in more heavily populated states.
You called it a “mystical creature”. Do you believe it’s simply an undiscovered species, or something that is perhaps interdimensional or metaphysical? That’s what I’m struggling with. I certainly do believe there are undiscovered species out there, but I also think that some are of a paranormal nature. I find that question very interesting.
John,
That is a question that most of us, at one point, have to stop and think about. However, what most of us fail to understand is that just because we have a high intelligenc does not mean we have the highest intelligence in every habitat.I firmly believe this animal is an undiscovered (unrecognized would be more fitting) species. These animals are rare to begin with and nomadic in nature.From that standpoint alone, there needs to be such a concentrated effort to document them (not some BFRO 20 man search team, the expeditions results speak for themselves, with exception to a few that yielded intriguing yet inconclusive evidence).
Have you ever walked through the pine barrens? Even if you were alone, the noice/scent you will give off by just walking does not go unnoticed. Now throw in an animal in the equation that is A) large B) quick/fast/swift C) nocturnal D) camoflaged E) nomadic F) rare G) apprehentious of human unpredictability H) well aware of it’s environment (which includes the sounds/scents/appearance of other flora and fauna inhabiting it) AND FINALLY I) slight intelligence, and you have an undocumented species that is very difficult (not impossible) to prove its very own existence. The reason I stated “slight intelligence” is because that is all the animal will need to go unnoticed for the most part. Now imagine if I underestimated that animal’s intelligence…
J,
It may well be an unrecognized, flesh-and-blood creature. Although, I don’t necessarily feel that the physical and paranormal aspects are mutually exclusive to each other. Most of the Native American tribes feel that Bigfoot is both physical and spiritual and can walk between worlds. If you read Hunt for the Skinwalker, the huge wolf described is definitely “real” in a physical sense, but it exhibited otherworldly behavior and mysteriously vanished when it was pursued.
The NJ Pine Barrens is a very large area (1.1 million acres), and I have hiked in it many times. I’m doing a 4-day 50-mile hike in April along the Batona Trail, and I’ll bring along my digital video recorder in the event that I spot something of interest. It’s an area that could be large enough to possibly have a large animal remain undiscovered, I suppose. I’m certainly open to the idea, whether or not I feel it’s likely. The fact that there are so many Bigfoot reports in populated states like New Jersey must mean something, unless they’re ALL hoaxes and misidentifications; but I’m hesitant to chalk them all up to being lies or mistakes.
Thanks for the input. I’m going to finish the second part of my article about Cryptids in Suburbia tonight, and I also had a very interesting conversation with cryptid researcher Adam Davies. I’ll post that as well. Feel free to comment – I enjoy the feedback and the exchange of ideas.
Hi again John,
Do you know of any New Jersey BF expeditions or lectures that are in the near future? I was just curious because I have never got a chance go.
Have you yourself ever went on an expedition or attend a lecture?
Like I’ve mentioned before, I am not so much a fan of large team expeditions. However, I would love to get the chance to talk to some of the people who attend.
Just thought I’d ask.
Thanks
J
Hi J,
No, not off the top off my head, but I can look into it. I’ve met Drew Vics who created and runs the NJ Bigfoot Report Center database, and I know he’s given a few talks in the past. I’ve also been in touch with psychic Nancy Bradley who grew up spending summers at her folks’ vacation home in Lake Owassa in Sussex County, and she and some of her family members claim to have had some bigfoot experiences out there. She invited me to go explore the area with her and her husband when they visit in the spring.
I’ve never been on a real expedition, but I plan to definitely do that if her offer is still open. Being that it’s nearby, Lake Owassa might be a place to check out for newbies like us. Interestingly, it’s just south of Stokes State Forest where my wife had her “experience” and was told by the police officer about recent sightings. Don’t know if you’re familiar with the area, but it’s very rural and there’s a lot of woods. Looking at the BFRO website, Sussex County is second only to Burlington County (Pine Barrens region) for the number of bigfoot reports in the state. I’m doing a 50-mile hike on the Batona Trail in the Pines in April, so I’ll have my eyes open when I go on that one.
If I hear of anything I’ll let you know. Maybe we can get a small group together for a short expedition sometime.
John
I would love to. I did happen to read of your wife’s encounter. Very interesting, considering I went there with my whole 5th grade class for a couple day stay class trip years ago. Probably in the same quarters as you explained in your report.
I’m still blown away by the story. Amazing.
They probably were the same quarters! Sightings in that region are not uncommon, and I thought it was interesting to hear of Nancy Bradley’s experience in an area so close to where my wife had had hers. There could be something to it worth investigating. Let’s consider getting a few people together and maybe checking out the area in the spring.
When your wife explained to the policeman (or policemen) what happened, what gave the policeman the impression that it might have been an animal related to recent bigfoot sightings that had occured near that area? Was the report your wife gave of the sounds she heard reported by others? Did the policeman give any more information? Was the officer implying that he believed there was some truth in the sightings/sounds?
Apologies for the multiple questions.
On a random topic but same subject, are you familiar with the famed grizzly bear hunting guide, Clayton Mack? He unfortunately passed away years back but got to pass on some of his experiences with bigfoot that I believe are documented in the book “grizzly bears and white guys” (could be wrong on the title). Anyway, he’s had some pretty interesting stories.
And yes, I will talk to some people and try to get a small spring trip in the works.
When my wife described the noises to the police officer he responded by saying that they’ve been having numerous reports of Bigfoot sightings over the last several days and nights. My wife’s impression was that these sounds were associated with the sightings, although she doesn’t recall if the officer stated that explicitly. The entire girls’ side of the compound was roused when the student was rushed to the infirmary and the ambulance and police arrived. My wife said all the girls and female teachers heard the sounds, approximately twenty people. She was quite convinced that these cries were non-human, and she described them as being very loud and not like anything that she’d heard before. It really frightened her, and my wife doesn’t scare easily. Whether the police officer was implying if he believed that the source of these screams were from a Bigfoot, I don’t know. My wife said that policeman seemed quite serious when he told her about the reports. These noises are pretty commonplace among Bigfoot encounters, as I’m sure you know.
I was just asking my wife about this again, to be sure of the number of people who heard this, and she added something that I didn’t know or might have forgotten: there was a forest ranger present with the police officer, and he also confirmed that there had been Bigfoot sightings reported in the area recently. Let me know how things progress. I might know a couple of people who’d be interested in going as well.
Just to get the record straight…its SUSSEX county…not Suffolk county…..The pine barrens is huge and there are deep , dark ,thick,wet spots galore that you couldnt walk into if you tried…..I have absolutely no doubt that the creature can and does hide there….I have been on the larger expeditions and they are both good and not so good. That is a whole other discussion though…………You al l should know that you are dealing with an extremely intelligent animal, and in my opinion that is all it is , a flesh and blood animal…..this animal is a master of one thing….HIDING…..they will belly crawl a good portion of the time when there is any risk of being seen…they use the terrain, low spots, high spots , trees , shadow , light…..all to there advantage. They are almost exclusively nocturnal and prefer to spend the day in heavy vegetation…..think of the navy seal or green beret sniper…now put him in the middle of the pine barrens and tell him to hide and never be seen….now give him blazing 35-40 mph speed and strength more then 20xs that of a human being …along with better hearing, smell and eyesight……still doubt that they can hide from us or live in the pines ??? Dont !……………….
Thanks for the correction – I just saw that myself in my comments. Lived on Long Island when I was very young (before moving to Jersey) and I have relatives in Suffolk County, so I catch myself saying that sometimes.
I don’t discount the idea of something large possibly being able to live in the Pines. Over a million acres of dense forests and bogs seems like it could be a habitat that of a large hominid, especially if it’s intelligent and deliberately trying to avoid human contact. I love the Pine Barrens. The terrain is so strange and haunting; very different from most places in the US. It’s very beautiful in its own unique way.
Sounds as if you’ve had some experience in this. Can you share any specific accounts of experiences or of physical evidence that you gathered? I’d love to hear about it. Thanks for posting the comment.
I have a friend that is experienced and has found 3 prints so far here in southern Ocean county. They (Bigfoots) are extremely careful(most of the time)about leaving prints in areas they might be seen..They are thought to live in family groups and spend there days positioned in “lookout” positions..working as a team to help each other remain hidden…this is of course theory, grounded in some knowlege and I agree with it for the most part…I personally dont believe they are always doing this or in this “mode”…but I do believe it is a tactic they employ often….I am putting together and expedition in early April myself in Bass river. The participants are all experienced”squatchers”…some very experienced and there is a ton to learn in just being around the conversation…you should stop by our cabin for a visit and some lunch….
also…..i have found tree structures and recieved a wood knock response while investigating in Ohio…and just found my first print this week in southern Ocean county…I have seen video that no one else has seen and heard stories from people I do trust…..just so you know. Dont believe everyone….Many are just making up stories…even on the bigger expeditions and even members of some of the bigger”organizations”…get to know people and weed out who you trust and who you can believe…….
I’d definitely like to stop by to visit and meet the group. I’ve camped frequently in Bass River State Forest and know the area pretty well. If you’d like to email me the date, time and place, that’d be great.
I’ve had a sighting in NJ a few years ago in Livingston while driving near the waterworks over there, I contacted Drew’s sight and eventually got in touch with Mike Aragona BFRO’s guy in NJ..we went back at a later date and beat the bush and found and casted a footprint that was 14 inches or so long (dont recall the exact figure) . Mike is a big guy and I go at around 220 neither of us left a print in the icy muck but this print was stomped a good inch into the ground. I also did a late night outing in NW Jersey and a pine barrens overnight with Mike. He’s a good guy and has some equipment (night vision/thermal viewers) and has the experience of having attended the bigger BFRO expeditions so he’s your contact to get out with someone who knows what they are doing.
Joe
Joe – Thanks for sharing that. I know Livingston a bit (I’m about 40 minutes east), and I know that’s a pretty heavily populated suburban area. Definitely not one of the more remote rural areas of New Jersey. I’m finally finishing up the second part of my “Cryptids in Suburbia” article, and I may have to make mention of your story, if you don’t mind. It’s always particularly interesting to me when I hear about Bigfoot and creature sightings in more populated areas. When I interviewed Drew a couple of years ago he’d mentioned that he’d gotten a fair number of reports of sightings in Newark, of all places! Of course that led to about 20 minutes of inappropriate jokes about the residents of Newark that I’m sure Mayor Booker wouldn’t have appreciated. Seriously, though – Newark? Creatures sightings in urban areas are really bizarre. At least in most suburbs there are some wooded areas to provide some kind of cover, but it’s hard to imagine in a city. BTW – was your sighting at night or during the daytime?
First let me say, this forum post took me by surprise,very interesting.I’m a 46 yr.old man who grew up in Essex County,N.J….My uncle owned a home in Layton,Sussex Co.,and my dad and I spent many days up there,hunting ,fishing and hiking.My uncles property consisted of 40+acres, which bordered the Big Flatbrook W.M.A.,teeming with wildlife including whitetail deer,grey fox,raccoons,bobcats,pheasants,etc. I loved it up there,for a city kid like me this was a wilderness,where I learned alot about nature. Back in the mid 70’s to mid 80’s,Stokes St. Forest and the Walpack valley were my favorite areas to go exploring,absolutely beautiful areas!! I spent one weekend,in the winter of ‘79,all alone at the house because a severe snowstorm trapped my dad and his brother in the city ( Irvington ).There was no cable back then and reception was limited to a few channels of local t.v. ,so I spent my first night in front of the fireplace reading old issues of Outdoor Life. Sometime after midnight I began to hear a screaming noise off in the woods behind the house,distant at first so I thought the howling wind was playing tricks on me.The screams came at intervals every few minutes and were getting closer.I was so rattled by this,I went to the garage and let Molly,my uncles German Shepard in the main house,and she was NEVER allowed in the house,my uncle would have kicked my butt if he had ever found out. The dog was spooked by the noises too,we spent the next couple hours huddled together near the fire until the screaming finally faded away. My terror ended as the morning came,and even in a heavy snowfall,the dog and I went outside to the edge of the woods to look around.The snow was over a foot deep and blowing around in the winds so I did’nt see anything and headed back into the house,dreading another night alone and hoping my dad would somehow make the 70 mile trip and get me the hell out of there! That was wishful thinking and I can’t tell you how scared I was at the thought of being alone another night,but nothing wierd happened again.I felt foolish when my dad and uncle finally pulled in the driveway the next afternoon,but I spoke up about the noises from the woods,kind of playing down the fact that it scared the crap out of me. I must admit the nieghbor ( about a quarter mile away ) did have a couple hunting dogs,but these were not the sounds of dogs howling,that would not have spooked Molly.That dog was as scared as I was,never saw her like that,never. These sounds were wild ,gutteral screams and like nothing I’d ever heard before or since. I just thought my story might be relative to this forum.I hope someday to revisit that area of N.J.,but living in Florida on a limited budget,I guess I’m just dreaming. Thank you for your time,Rob.
Thanks, Rob. That’s a very interesting account, and what you’ve described sounds very much like what my wife had heard. Those screams and yowls she heard really shook her up, and as I’ve mentioned a few times, my wife is not the excitable type in the least. And she claims that the patrolman was very earnest when he made that comment about the Bigfoot sightings in the area. He didn’t appear to be joking at all when he said it. More food for thought. Thanks again for checking in!
Hi John,
It has been a little while. I just wanted to ask if you have ever been camping in upstate NY? I am most likely planning a trip with my friends in May for a little R & R and a little research during down time. Last year we camped near the northwestern tip of Lake George. It was beautiful, yet primitive. We went in september, and stayed in the back of the campground where there was only one group of campers 100 yards from us. I’ve read reports of bigfoot in the surrounding areas of Sabbath Day Point and whitehall, NY. We are leaning towards a Sabbath Day Point campground, but looking for some advice. I know you are originally from NY, but was wondering if you have had (or heard of) any sites of interest.
J
Hi J,
Good to hear from you. I was born in the eastern end of Long Island (Nassau County) and my family and I moved out of there on my fourth birthday. I grew up in northeast New Jersey, but my older brother has been living in Sullivan County NY for the past 22 + years. More of the camping I’ve done has been in northwestern NJ (mostly Sussex County) and south Jersey, in the Pine Barrens. My bro is a big camper and fisherman, and I’m sure would be more familiar with some of those areas, although I don’t know think he has any particular interest or belief in Sasquatch. He and his family have had some interesting UFO sightings up his way, however. He lives close to Pine Bush, NY where there have been many UFO sightings.
I’ve been in touch recently with an author named Bruce G. Hallenbeck who is a NY state resident and co-wrote a book called Monsters of the Northwoods. He contacted me to ask if he could site my blog in a new book that he’s writing about New Jersey monsters. Monsters of the Northwoods is specifically about NY state Bigfoot sightings, so I’d bet that Bruce would be a good person for me to ask about good areas to research. I’ll shoot him an email and let you know if he has any suggestions.
That is very nice of you John. I thank you very much.I have heard of the book Monsters of the Northwoods, I believe through passive research.Let me know if he gets back to you. Talk to you soon John.
J