Geographical Index > United States > Pennsylvania > McKean County > Report # 46320
(Class B)
Submitted by witness on Thursday, August 21, 2014.
Possible sightings and strange occurences close to a couple's home east of Bradford
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YEAR: 2014
SEASON: Summer MONTH: August DATE: 8/19/2014 STATE: Pennsylvania COUNTY: McKean County LOCATION DETAILS: Specific directions omitted NEAREST TOWN: Bradford, Pennsylvania NEAREST ROAD: East of Bradford OBSERVED: My wife and I took an early evening stroll on private land by our residence. We arrived at a campsite about 7:15pm and as we were sitting on a picnic table, we looked out over a small pond and noticed a leaf on a tree fluttering very fast, as if someone was intentionally doing it. There was absolutely no wind at all. To the right of this leaf was a very large black mass moving back and forth methodically. It was between a couple of medium size trees, blocking out the background behind it. The sun was hitting the exact spot, and you could clearly see a large black mass of at least 7 feet tall, and 4 feet wide just swaying back and forth...we both witnessed this from about 30 yards or less, and my wife said the face looked like a gorillas...all I could focus on was the immense size of the body...this is not the first time we had encountered something. I filed a report back in 2013 which yielded a call from the BFRO. ALSO NOTICED: In 2013 I sent footprint pictures to the BFRO, and received a call from BFRO. My wife saw a black large silhouette jump the entire road in 2013 as well. Also found tree breaks and stick structure. OTHER WITNESSES: Just my wife and I. OTHER STORIES: The representative from the BFRO whose name I can't recall said that the area was a seasonal hot bed for reports in PA. TIME AND CONDITIONS: 7:15pm, clear, sunny, and mild...70's ENVIRONMENT: Heavily forested. Some places were logged years ago. Hardwood deciduous trees and conifers.
Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Jarrett Johnson:
The witness and his wife live on a remote property in a rural area of McKean County near Bradford. Over the past several years, they have experienced a number of interesting occurrences including two brief visual encounters near their home. In speaking to both witnesses, the husband and wife both observed a large dark figure, with a "gorilla-like" face, observing them while swaying methodically from the shadows at a distance of thirty yards this past August. This recent sighting prompted the husband and wife to contact the BFRO and led to the details within this report.
The couple stated that they had started to notice and discuss late night vocalizations past midnight in the woods near their home.
In August of 2013, the wife was driving home on a wet and rainy night when she saw a large black figure in the head lights leap across the driveway in two steps. She noted that she clearly saw that it was bipedal and was traveling on two legs with a distinguished leaping motion. It leaped across the ditch to the side of the drive, landed on both feet in the center of the driveway. It then bounded a second time and disappeared into the darkness of the woods. It happened so quickly that she could only describe a dark, large black figure jumping across the driveway. She described the encounter to her husband and they began to research the possibility of Bigfoot in Pennsylvania online. The husband stated that he had been interested in the subject since he was a child.
As a result of their research, they began to give their experiences to date more credence, especially the recent large figure crossing their driveway at night. As the late night vocals continued, they began to hear knocking sounds coming from the woods behind their house. The couple then began to more earnestly explore the woods in the daytime looking for evidence and signs.
In November of 2013, they again heard vocalizations at night near their home. After hearing screams around 4 AM, the husband ventured out into the woods the following day on November 6th and found several tracks. He measured the tracks and they measured 14.5" - 15" with a width of 5". Here is one of the photos:
One evening past midnight in August of this past year, the husband heard activity in the yard while lying in bed. It had rained heavily and he was awakened by the sound of heavy footfalls that could be heard from the bedroom. The witness described that he could audibly hear the "squishing" of the water from its footsteps. The dog that was on the bed had its hair bristling and standing up. The next morning, the witnesses found deep impressions in the yard 15' from the bedroom. Here are a couple photos of the impressions:
There is a healthy bear population in the area, its hard to say for sure what made these.
The witnesses described finding green tree breaks/twists and a stick structure they found strange in the area after this event. Within the past month, objects have started to be thrown at the house. One recent night in August, around 3 AM, the husband was woken by the sound of something hitting the side of the house. The next morning, he found a stone approximately the size of # 2 gravel laying next to the house.
The couple described that after this event, the family dog has began to act strangely. The mixed breed pup has begun to stare out the window in the evening for periods of time. They would look into the woods to study the area but were not able to see anything.
On August 19, 2014, the couple decided to take a walk in the woods to look for anything peculiar. There is a camp site in the nearby woods on private property. The site has a pond, a picnic table, and a fire ring. Around 7:15 PM, the couple were sitting across from each other at the picnic table. The female witness noticed the fluttering of leaves from the nearby treeline. As the moving foliage caught her attention, she then noticed the form of a very large dark creature peeking through the trees at them at a distance of thirty yards. She could see the creature from the waist up and it was swaying back and forth in the shadows. She described the creatures face as "like a gorilla". The lady witness then told her husband to slowly look into the woods over his shoulder. He briefly saw the dark figure swaying methodically and then it seemed to step back into the shadows to disappear without a sound.
I interviewed both witnesses. They described the creature as dark in color with a height at a minimum of 7' tall. Only the Mrs. saw the face of the creature. The man stated that he was initially focused on the body and its size. They described very broad shoulders four feet across. They saw hair hanging in its silhouette and could see that it was moving in a swaying motion. The man and his wife were surprised at how it seemed to "melt away or vanish" so quickly and without any sound.
I inquired about the eyes of which they were not able to provide any details. It does not appear the the creature decided to show or reveal itself and was watching them at the picnic table from the woods. The witnesses feel that their activities and encounters seem to be seasonal occurring at the same time of the year.
Their property is located down a long drive and is surrounded by woods. There is a pool and a shed near the house.
The witnesses were very pleasant, forthright, and honest. In speaking with them concerning their experiences, they do not feel threatened by their visitors. They also feel that there is more than one due to the vocalizations, tree knock communication, and varying sizes of track evidence. Their dog continues to act strangely and the couple continue to keep attuned to the activity in the area.
I spoke to him this past week and he stated that they continue to hear vocalizations in the evening. Due to the activity seeming to occur in the fall, we discussed his feeling that the creatures were in the area for the late summer - early summer corn and apple crop. The incidents seem to halt when the Pennsylvania deer season starts in late November. I encouraged him to contact me with any recurring activity.
About BFRO Investigator Jarrett Johnson:
Jarrett grew up in an area of western Pennsylvania that has historically experienced reported sightings regarding a hominid creature in the Hell's Hollow area. Having heard the stories as a child, he never gave the local lore serious thought... until years later when a family member revealed a personal encounter. He also spent a number years on the edge of the Florida Everglades where sasquatch activity has been reported for many years. In 1998, a Skunk Ape photo taken near Ochopee was posted along with a feature article in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper and his serious interest in the subject of sasquatch began.
JJ is an enthusiast of the outdoors including remote camping, hunting, fly fishing for native trout, seeking wild morel mushrooms, riding Harley Davidson motorcycles, and all things related to the sasquatch phenomena.
Jarrett has attended BFRO expeditions in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. He has also attended a number of private expeditions.
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