Investigator Manuel Navarette of UFO Clearinghouse conducted an interview with the eyewitness of a Mothman-like being seen at Oz Park in Chicago on the evening of April 7th:
Original report - UFO Clearinghouse
New 'Mothman-Like' Encounter in Chicago
Investigators Follow-up:
I managed to make contact with the witness to the original sighting and after some discussion over the phone, we were able to clear some time to meet and discuss the sighting in detail.
The witness, who did not wish to be identified due to professional reasons, agreed to be interviewed about her experience as long as no revealing information was given. For that purpose, I will call the witness “Tammy” in lieu of her real name.
Background:
Tammy, is an educated professional who has lived in the Oz Park neighborhood for over 10 years and after some basic questions appears to be a credible witness with no need to propagate a hoax.
The Oz Park area is located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago’s north side and sits about 4 blocks from The Lincoln Park Zoo and the Lake Michigan shoreline and about 10 blocks south of Wrigley Field. The area is mostly condo’s and apartment buildings. The neighborhood is mixed race and mostly upper-middle-class professionals and students attending nearby DePaul University. The park is a landmark and tourist attraction for its “Wizard of Oz” theme park and statues and is popular among the many residents for various activities.
The Sighting:
The witness stated that when she came to the spot where she saw the creature, it was looking away from her. It was not until it turned it’s head that it took notice that she was there. The dog (a Jack Russell Terrier) which she stated is normally very protective of her, was cowering behind her and whimpering softly. I note the breed of the dog because a Jack Russell is a breed that is only recommended for advanced dog owners due to high energy, fearlessness nature, and a very advanced prey drive. This is a dog that is not easily intimidated and to reduce one to a cowering mass, leaving its master in a vulnerable position is almost unheard of.
The witness stated that she never felt as if she were in any immediate danger as long as she stayed where she was. The witness reported that the creature’s eyes glowed with an unnatural glow as if illuminated from within and never seemed to blink. She reported that even though the creature was mainly black in color, the wings did have some gray to them (as best as she could see) and did not look like the had feathers like an owls wings, but appeared leathery and bat-like. She stated that the top part of the wings seems to rise at least a foot higher than the head of the creature and were folded behind the creature.
After staring at her for approximately 15 seconds, it unfurled its wings and they appeared to be about 8-10 feet from wingtip to wingtip and looked to be made of a membrane, again not unlike a bat’s wings. The creature leaped into the air with minimum effort and was gone within seconds. The screech sounded like an owl, only louder and raspier. She noted that the creature was above the treetops within seconds and out of sight just as fast. When asked if there was a possibility that other’s could have seen it, she stated that unless they were looking right at it, they could have missed it. Once above the trees, it would have been lost due to tree’s and buildings blocking the view as well as light pollution making it practically invisible. She noted that in the city, most people would have been too busy looking at their phones or talking to one another or aware of their immediate surroundings to notice anything flying overhead.
When asked why she never tried to take a photograph or attempt to take a photograph with her phone, the witness stated that she was frozen in place and that the thought of grabbing her phone (which was in her pocket) never occurred to her. She felt that part of her. She feels that part of the fear she felt was due to some unknown influence the creature might have had over her, a defense mechanism she hypothesized.
The witness states that since her encounter, she has resumed her jogging in the park in the early evenings when the weather permits. She did state that her dog has been very reluctant to continue visiting the park and the last time she took him with, he had to be coaxed into completing the run.
In conclusion, I feel that the witness had a credible sighting and believes that what she saw was real. I walked along the running trails of the park and saw the spot where she reported the sighting. I believe her statement that the creature would have been lost from sight once it was above the treetops making it difficult to see. Even with many of the trees with minimum to no foliage, they are bunched tightly enough to provide a canopy that would make it difficult to track anything in the air from within the park.
I feel that this is credible sighting and that the identity of the creature fit’s those of the “Mothman” that have been reported throughout the world. If this is the same creature or a different variant remains up to speculation. Identifying the creature only through eyewitness accounts and no physical or photographic evidence would be very difficult.
THE OWLMAN AND OTHERS
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The Mothman Prophecies: A True Story
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