YEAR: 2004

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: June

DATE: 20

STATE: New York

COUNTY: Monroe County

LOCATION DETAILS: location ny interstate 390 north too the ny state pkwy going west at or over iland cottage rd there is a little pond in the middle of entrance and exit from 390 to pkwy and iland cottage rd is on the norteast side

NEAREST TOWN: rochester ny town of greece

NEAREST ROAD: iland cottage rd / ny state pkwy

OBSERVED: well here is my sighting. on june 20th 2004, [near] rochester [and] greece, me and 2 friends where out on a bike ride like we do three times a week. we start at 104 and fetzner rd in rochester new york and travel down the bike trail too the [parkway] and iland cottage rd. we always stop at the pond and [our] bike rides are well into the night around 12 - 1 am. we hang out for a while then head back home. what would make it a 15 - 20 mile bike ride. while standing talking we all noticed something standing behind tree. it was about 7 - 8 feet tall tan in color or gray fur. it stood out in the black background. one of my friends start[ed] heading towards it and so did the other and then me with my headlight. when the first friend moved the thing started off too the woods on 2 feet. my one friend said he seen it turn around and look at him. i just seen it go into woods. when we got too the woods which woul be heading west next too parkway, one went in a little. me and other stayed on edge. we stood still and heard alot branches and then silence. don’t know if it was related too [our] sighting but seemd like the only sorce at the time because [of] what was seen. it was pretty chilling and strange. felt very weird like it wasn’t happening.

ALSO NOTICED: the whole thing was very stange like just felt wierd chills just before i almost felt like we where being watched for some reason

OTHER WITNESSES: there was myself and 2 other friends that seen this

OTHER STORIES: havent heard of anything like this never really was looking or paying attention so i wouldnt know i have herad of a black panther a little further west on pkwy a couple years ago but nothing like this

TIME AND CONDITIONS: it was between 12-- 1 am weather was nice and warm around 68 degrees withe a cloud here and there complete blackness

ENVIRONMENT: the envirement is lots of woods that stretch for miles anlong the lake ontario and ny state pkwy location was next too small pond also the area has somw wet lands swampy

Follow-up investigation report:

I was visiting relatives in the area of this report when it was filed so I contacted the reporting witness and subsequently met him and one of the other witnesses at the sighting location. Both men recounted the events of that evening with eagerness reflective of the apparent excitement experienced during the event. The witnesses were 36, 43 and 45 years of age at the time of the incident. I met with them one week after the incident.

The witnesses explained how they were on an evening bike ride along a designated bike/walking path when they stopped to rest upon completing the first half of the ride. They explained they try to take these late evening rides two or three times a week and always stop and hang out for a while before returning home. This area is in close proximity to the south eastern shoreline of Lake Ontario and is on the edge of dense woodland, wetlands and various waterways feeding to/from the lake.

The specific area where they stop to rest is approximately 100 feet down a slight grade from an entrance/exit ramp at an interchange (clover leaf) of two roadways. The area leading up to the road is grass with sporadic small to medium sized trees and the other side consists of some woodland which surrounds a small pond. The witnesses were stopped on the path talking when one of them (the reporting witness), facing northward in the direction from which they had just come, noticed “a shadow move closer” to one of the trees growing in the grassy area. It then appeared as if someone was looking out from behind this tree at them. He alerted the two others and they all agreed there was something odd near the tree at which time, one by one, they started towards it. I determined the witnesses were approximately 70-80 yards away from this tree and based on the height of a tree branch which was just above the figure, according to the witnesses, it was approximately 7 ½ feet tall.

As they approached, they observed an apparent bi-pedal figure move from behind the tree and run from their left to right across the path to the wood line. One of the witnesses indicated the figure turned and looked in their direction while it was running but he could not discern any facial features. The witnesses followed and the figure continued along the wood line in a north-westerly direction for approximately 100 yards before it finally entered a larger, denser wooded area. They felt the figure was either grey or tan in color as it contrasted well with the darkness of the wooded area behind it. Some intermittent and residual illumination from vehicles and street lamps on the roadway above also enhanced their ability to see the figure.

Upon reaching the point where the figure entered the wood line, one of the witnesses also entered for approximately 10-15 yards before stopping while the other two remained on the perimeter. They indicated they heard something moving through the woods away from them for 10-20 seconds and then silence. I examined this area and found nothing evidentially noteworthy. I am classifying this report as a Class B due to the visual obscurity created by the low light level and the lack of any physical evidence.