2021- Another Active Year for UFO Sightings, Bigfoot, and Cryptid Encounters in Pennsylvania
From: Researcher Stan Gordon
Report UFO-Bigfoot-Cryptid Sightings by calling 724-838-7768 or via email at: paufo@comcast.net
www.stangordon.info
The public reported numerous UFO sightings from across Pennsylvania throughout the 2021 year. Some of the UFO observations that came to my attention were determined to have a natural or manmade explanation. Various UFO sightings could be explained as bright planets and stars, Starlink satellites and other space related activity, bright meteors, as well as other sources. There were other reports, however, of low level observations of aerial objects that the observers could not identify and are quite interesting.
During the year, many UFO sightings occurred in daylight and some were around populated areas. There were many sightings of cigar shaped objects observed from various locations in the state as well as observations of triangular shaped objects that were, in some cases, quite low in altitude. There were also reports of smaller spherical objects observed closer to the ground. Residents in various locations reported odd luminous anomalies had appeared on their game and security cameras.
Used with permission of Tom Barnes IV.
Various other phenomena such as mystery booms and other unusual audible sounds were heard over wide areas. Strange footprints were reported and so were mysterious creatures. Witnesses reported encounters with Bigfoot. Sightings of Bigfoot are reportedly yearly in Pennsylvania. There were a number of sightings of giant winged creatures as well. Some of these possible “Thunderbird” sightings occurred in daylight at very close range. Other cryptid encounters and observations of other unusual animals also came to my attention.
Strange incidents continue to be reported from areas on and along the Chestnut Ridge, especially in Westmoreland and Fayette Counties. There are also certain specific locations in the state that have a history of ongoing phenomena where observations of small balls of light are observed low to the ground and at close range as well as UFO sightings, encounters with Bigfoot and other cryptids, and other paranormal phenomena are reported.
It’s been 62 years since I started my research into UFOs, Bigfoot and other mysterious incidents that were reported from Pennsylvania. I have been taking sighting reports from the public since 1969, and the calls continue to come in along with numerous email reports on a regular basis. It still surprises many people that I have never seen a UFO or even a Bigfoot, however, over the years I have seen various types of physical evidence during my many years of in the field investigations. Although my focus is on cases reported from Pennsylvania, I also receive unusual sighting reports from neighboring states and from across the country.
In past years, UFO sighting reports generally diminish during the late fall and the winter months. Surprisingly, there was a surge of UFO activity from October through December, and this has continued into early 2022. Interestingly, some of the cases reported were low level observations of what appeared to be structured aerial objects or objects performing odd maneuvers low in the sky. There were UFO sightings or other mysterious incidents reported in Pennsylvania during every month of 2021.
While I received many reports directly, I continued to maintain contact with numerous other researchers that also receive similar reports. The following are some of the individuals who have provided some interesting information. Lon Strickler of the Phantoms & Monsters website receives many strange reports from across the United States. Eric Altman of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society receives and investigates Bigfoot reports in Pennsylvania. Eric Mintel of the Bucks County Paranormal Investigations documents cases in that area of the state and elsewhere. Researchers Kevin Paul and Jim Brown provided details about strange incidents in their region. Dan Hageman of BORU (the Butler Organization For Research of the Unexplained) provided details about many of the Butler County cases mentioned in this report. The National UFO Reporting Center and MUFON also receive UFO reports from Pennsylvania and across the country.
The following is a synopsis of some of the many interesting cases that crossed my desk during 2021.
January- Early in the month a resident that lived in the vicinity of the Chestnut Ridge near the border of Westmoreland and Indiana Counties observed in daylight a 7-8 feet tall Bigfoot covered with dirty white matted hair that had extremely broad shoulders. The creature appeared to be slightly stooped as it moved across a field with its long arms hanging down to around the knees.
Late January or early February- In the area of the Chestnut Ridge near the Westmoreland-Indiana County line, a hunter reported hearing loud deep vocalizations in the nearby woods unlike anything he had ever heard. A series of five toed footprints were seen in the snow in February.
February- During the month, Dan Hageman of the BORU research group in Butler received information that motorists riding along the Allegheny River near Kittanning in the early morning reported seeing red-orange spheres coming up out of the water and going up into the sky
March- There was a surge of UFO sightings reported from the greater Pittsburgh area as well as from other locations in the state. I received an increase in direct reports of strange aerial objects that were observed in the sky. UFO incidents came to the attention of other sources as well. This wave of UFO activity seemed to have started during late February and continued through March.
In early March, three white circular lights in a triangular configuration were reported from Cambria County. The objects were observed for a few minutes then suddenly vanished. There were reports of triangular shaped objects from various locations. A daylight observation of a large black rectangular object was reported from Bedford County. There were reports of large glowing spherical objects, some seen at low level and close to homes. Bright objects moved straight up into the night sky and disappeared. There were sightings of small spheres of light or other objects that were close to the ground, and some occurred in populated areas. Residents from separate locations reported unusual luminous objects were recorded on their game and security cameras.
Dan Hageman of the BORU (Butler Organization for Research of the Unexplained) reported that there had been multiple reports of fireballs and spheres all over Butler County during March.
March 2- A witness in Butler County reported seeing three shiny silver spheres moving from west to east in a straight line. They looked shiny, silver in color, and glowing. They looked equally spaced apart and were moving fast. The witness watched them as they moved off in the distance.
March 8- Another witness in Butler County observed a shiny bright cigar-shaped object in the morning sky. The sky was generally clear with some fluffy clouds around. The object did not appear to have any wings or tail section. The witness indicated that the object was so bright he had to squint his eyes to view it. The witness, who was familiar with aircraft, stopped his vehicle and got out to take a better look at the object. The object moved into a cloud but never exited from it.
March 11- During the evening, a Butler County resident was in his kitchen when he began to feel a strange vibration and heard a low rumble. He then realized that the sliding glass door to his deck was vibrating. As he looked out the door, the man noticed a very bright and large pulsating round object just above the trees at the edge of his yard. The light from the object illuminated his backyard as though it was in the middle of the day. He stepped out on the deck and was awe struck by what he saw. At that time, he felt a tingling sensation, his hair stood up on end, and he had chill bumps on his body. He called to his wife and he hurried inside to get a camera, but when he returned the object was gone.
March 17- A witness located in Squirrel Hill, a populated suburb of Pittsburgh, watched a “circle with orange light inside” like a fishbowl that was bobbing up and down and moving slow over the area.
March 18- A person driving on Route 8 near Butler observed yellow-white blinking lights just above some trees. The lights were on the bottom of each corner of a large silver triangular object that appeared to be hovering. The object began to move up above the trees. The witness was going to pull over and take a picture, but the object had disappeared.
March 18- I also received a UFO report that occurred during the evening from another location in Butler county. The witness was traveling down the road when he saw in the distance a large round orange sphere. The object was gliding off to the left through the sky. It was about two hundred feet off the ground and would alternate in brightness and change from orange to a white color.
March 26- Witnesses in a wooded area of Fayette County observed a brilliant orange luminous object in the treetops that moved up and down and suddenly vanished. Soon after, unusual sounds were heard from the woods. Also on the same date, an interesting UFO was reported near Sissonville in West Virginia, where a witness observed a long bright object with no wings moving across sky in daylight and he videotaped it. Other UFO sightings were reported from other areas of Pennsylvania on this day. You can view the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhzwzF4ELzw
March 30- In Cambria County, a long black object that looked solid and cigar shaped with round silver ends moved fast across the sky with no vapor trail. It was moving toward Jennerstown or Somerset. It moved into clouds and was not seen again.
April- Some interesting cryptid cases were reported during April. Several reports were received from various locations in southwestern Pennsylvania including Westmoreland and Greene Counties where witnesses reported seeing a 7-8 feet tall thin dark figure.
During early April in Montgomery County, a woman was in a parking lot waiting for an appointment. Suddenly, a huge shadow like that of a small plane passed over her car. She was on the phone and told a friend about what she saw. She noticed through her windshield a huge bird that landed on an office roof. As she walked toward office she looked up and the huge bird looked down at her. It then flew down and glided toward her.
In May near Upper Yoder, a bright orange round object became brighter and dimmer over the woods then moved toward Somerset. At another location also in Cambria County there were several reports of a cigar shaped object observed floating in the sky with smaller whites spheres observed at the same time.
May-Reports of huge flying creatures (Thunderbirds) in the sky were reported during May from areas around Greensburg and other locations. Thunderbird- Huge Flying Creature Sighting Reported In The Greensburg, PA Area Again-May 23, 2021 – Stan Gordon’s UFO Anomalies Zone
05–20-21- Eric Altman, Director of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society, investigated a case of two people who observed a tall dark figure in an area of Fayette County, Pennsylvania that has a history of Bigfoot encounters. Soon after, they experienced some unusual electronic effects. The entire report is available here. A Bigfoot Sighting Then Some Odd Electronic Effects-May 20, 2021 – Stan Gordon’s UFO Anomalies Zone
06-12-21- I received a phone report of a possible UFO sighting from the southwest section of Cambria County, Pennsylvania. The witness, at about 7:18 PM, observed an unusual object in the sky that appeared to be about 200 feet above the ground. He described the object as shaped like a cigar and appeared to have no wings. The front and rear section of the object appeared to be white or silver in color and seemed to be rounded. The center of the object was a grayish-blue color The observer stated that the object was moving so slow that he couldn’t understand how it was maintaining flight. He saw it for about 40-45 seconds and didn’t have time to grab his camera. At about 7:29 PM, the man saw the object again. This time it was at a higher altitude and going in a different direction. He did have his older model Nikon digital camera with a small viewer with him. He quickly took 4 or 5 pictures and was surprised that he had captured one picture of the object. There were no sound heard from the object as it moved away in the distance. There were no blimps reportedly operating in the area at that time.
06-12-21- At 11:27 PM, I received another phone UFO report from a suburb of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County. This location is about sixty miles from where the other sighting occurred in Cambria County. The witness provided a me the details of the strange object that he observed earlier that evening around 8:30 PM. He had noticed a dark object approaching from the southwest. The witness had a tough time describing what he saw since it was so unusual. The man estimated that what he saw began to hover about 1500 feet in the sky. It was completely silent, black in color, and was rounded and long. It had no lights or windows. He ran and grabbed a set of binoculars. Each side of the object appeared to be bulbous. The center of the object was thin. The entire object was estimated to be about 75 feet in length.
As the witness watched, the observation became more unusual. The man tried to explain that the object was physically changing form. He said that it looked like it was “gelatinous” at times and would stretch and shrink and then go back to its original shape. After a few minutes, the object began to pick up speed and move toward the northwest. When it accelerated, it seemed to keep the same speed as it moved out of sight moving in the direction of Butler County.
This drawing by the witness near Pittsburgh is what the object looked liked as it approached and departed the area.
Drawing used with permission of the witness
In this second drawing of the object the witness is attempting to show how the object was changing shape while hovering.
Drawing used with permission of the witness
06-22-21- Washington County -It was about 8:45 PM when the witness looked up into sky and saw a bright star-like object hovering in the southern sky. It was a clear night. She ran into house and got her binoculars. Through the binoculars, the object appeared to have a round shape. It was an orange-white- amber color. It hovered there for over 10 minutes then suddenly streaked so fast across the sky toward the west that it was out of sight in about a minute. It was completely silent.
07-20-21- A witness in Cambria County reported observing a rectangular shaped object with white lights and one red light moving slowly. It looked as though it was almost floating as it moved toward Jennerstown.
07-27-21- Armstrong County-Kittanning area- During the evening, a witness noticed an object that looked like an odd shaped aircraft that was gray in color that passed about three hundred feet overhead. The object had no markings, windows, or doors. It suddenly rose straight up into the clear sky, nose up then nose down and it then suddenly just vanished.
08-00-21- During August, additional reports of cigar and triangular objects were reported from various locations in the state. The following incident occurred only miles from the Pennsylvania/New York border in a heavily wooded area that has had a history of mysterious incidents such as Bigfoot encounters, loud vocalizations, strange footprints, and small balls of light low to the ground. In August, a witness was leaving that area during the evening when he noticed a glow in the woods. The incandescent yellow glowing area was becoming brighter and dimmer at times. He shut off his vehicle and the lights to observe the odd glow. He then noticed three grapefruit sized balls of light that moved east out of the woods and stopped low over the roadway. The three spheres were the same color as the glow. The lights were blocking the area that the man had to drive through. As he approached that location in his vehicle, the luminous small spheres moved away traveling east through the forest and they moved out of sight.
08-06-21- Uniontown-Fayette County- A witness traveling on Route 119 South near Uniontown noticed a bright flash in the sky then saw a second one lower than the first one. The higher flash appeared again so he pulled off the road. The flashes were coming from two objects in the sky, one higher than the other. The objects looked donut shaped with a hole in the bottom that were dark in color. Witness could not see the top section. The flash they exhibited was very brilliant. The objects remained in line with each other while moving at a leisure speed across the sky. The witness estimated they were 200-300 yards apart and about 5,000 feet altitude at a distance of about 2 miles away moving south over the Chestnut Ridge and out of sight. It was a clear sky and beautiful.
08-14-21- Looking across the Mon River toward Newell in Fayette County, two people were sitting outside when they observed a large luminous orange triangular shaped object that appeared over the trees in a wooded area. It was about ½ mile away across the Monongahela River in the tree line above Newell. The point of the triangle was straight up, and the object moved upward slowly above the trees, then moved slowly toward the left, then slowly toward the right. The object then began to increase its speed as it rose higher into the sky and into the clouds and was not seen again.
About ten minutes later, a second similar object performing similar patterns as the first object appeared in the same location. However, this object rose from below the tree line and was observed as it moved up and over the trees and rose into the sky and also vanished into the clouds. The witness said the objects were quite large, which is what caught their attention. What could be seen was a solid outline of a triangular object as it moved, however, they could see through them. The witness said it was difficult to explain, but the triangular shape along the flat side of the objects seemed to be stretching as they moved. Inside of the objects was a solid ball of orange light that was not transparent. The orange ball stayed within the triangular objects as they moved. The objects made no sound while under observation.
09-06-21- Route 30 Greensburg-Mountain View area- A man was pumping gas at a filling station on Route 30 in the vicinity of Mountain View. It was about 6:30 AM when he happened to look up at the sky and his attention was drawn to a huge bird that was flying low just over the treetops across the road. The witness told me during the interview we had about his observation that when he looked up it was “like Jurassic Park over the trees.” The witness only saw the huge flying creature for about 10 seconds and didn’t have time to grab his phone to take a picture. He told me it looked like a flying sting ray. It was just getting light out at the time.
The man described the creature as all dark in color. It had very long legs and tail and had a very wide wingspan. The witness said it occasionally flapped its wings very slowly and also just soared while under observation before it moved out of sight toward White School Road. The witness, who is familiar with turkey vultures and blue herons in the area, said this creature was much larger. He stated that he had never seen anything like it before. He also mentioned that another man who was pumping gas nearby was also looking at the huge creature in the sky.
Used with permission of the witness
09-07-21- In the Mount Pleasant-Scottdale area, a witness looking out of a window observed about one hundred feet away and over some trees a very large black bird that had it wings out and was, soaring-not flapping its wings as it moved out of sight.
10-06-21- Apollo- A huge wingless object with red lights along the bottom that were not flashing was observed during the evening. Only the sound of something moving through the air was noticed. There were six smaller object following the larger object and they began to circle it. They had one bright white light non flashing. They then moved ahead of larger object and could no longer be seen as they moved beyond the trees . The main object continued to move away in the distance.
On October 24, 2021- A man driving north of Route 119 near the Scottdale-Mount Pleasant exit in Westmoreland County noticed something unusual in the sky. It was cloudy and overcast at the time, but what he saw was easily discernible. What he noticed was a round gray cloud that was lighter in color than the surrounding clouds. It looked to be about the size of a school bus from the distance he was observing it from. But the cloud-like object was flying erratically right and left, and up and down in the sky.
The witness described its movements as similar to a school of fish following a lead fish. The object was only about 300-400 feet in the sky and well below the cloud layer. The man observed it for about 10-15 seconds and didn’t have time to get out his cell phone to take a picture. Just as the witness was about to go under the Route 819 overpass, the object began to fade away and just suddenly disappeared. Moments later after exiting from the overpass, the object was no longer in the sky. The witness is sure that other motorists also saw the object. When he first noticed the object, five to six cars ahead of him all jammed on their breaks at the same time.
10-26-21- Near Meridian in Butler County, a witness driving in the area noticed some movement in the bushes near the road around dusk. A hair covered creature at least seven feet tall walking upright and moving very fast, moved to the right. It looked hairy, muddy, and matted. Within the hour in the same general area, witnesses reported observing an exceptionally large triangular object that a witness estimated was the size of three buses hovering about 100 feet above the ground. The object had a light in each corner. The object made no sound. The witnesses reported feeling a static electric charge while it was observed.
11-03-21- The witness was traveling on the Norvelt-Hecla Road in Westmoreland County about 7:45 or 8 PM. The driver had just crossed over the turnpike and when he saw a large bright white round object with a red tinge about 2,000 feet off the ground. He watched it for total of 20-25 minutes as he followed it and watched it hover over Alverton. He said it was glowing very bright, that the object was huge, and the size of a house. It ended up hovering in a location remarkably close to where the object was observed near the Mount Pleasant-Scottdale exit on October 24th. The picture the witness took shows a white oval shaped light in the sky.
Used with permission of the witness
11-11-21- A person driving on Route 119 just outside of Smithfield in Fayette County observed something unusual in the sky during the early evening. About fifty yards ahead, the driver saw an object barely moving that appeared quite low above the ground. There were three lights in a rounded triangular configuration that was described as similar to a “guitar pick in shape.” The lights looked perfectly circular, were non- blinking and orange-yellow in color and were the size of a large dinner plate. As she got closer, the silent object was to her left about ten yards away off the road. She passed below a section of the object that was about thirty feet above the ground. The witness had a dog in the car at the time that was also looking at the object. The driver touched the animal to comfort it and felt a static electric charge at that time. The driver said the object was only about ten feet long and six feet wide.
Mid November 2021- A man was exiting out of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel in Pittsburgh heading toward Forest Hills and getting off of that exit when he saw low in the sky three round lights of medium brightness that were orange-yellow in color and in a triangular configuration. Then suddenly, the spheres all took off in different directions into the sky and went out of sight.
11-21-21- (Strange sound) -Latrobe-Mountain View area from about 1:26 to 1:46 AM. A witness reported that he was awakened by strange loud sound and jumped out of bed and went outside. He and others heard the sound that seemed to move amazingly fast around in the sky over the area. They could not see anything in the sky where the sound came from. It did not sound like a helicopter. It sounded as though it was moving east on Route 30 toward Ligonier. Another similar report occurred in late November in Greene County.
12-13-21- Near Baggaley- During the early morning a witness noticed a white light that turned green then red, began to move left to right, then right to left, made a sharp right turn then went straight down and hovered over the top of the trees around that area of the Chestnut Ridge.
12-28-21- Clarion County- The witness was doing a chore outside around midnight when she heard a loud crack from behind her, she turned around and observed what she described as a soft rounded triangular object that had a non-blinking red light on the back and a row of round non-blinking lights at the bottom of the object. The object had a silver appearance to it, but when it approached closer it looked darker towards the bottom section. The silent object continued to move slowly across the sky.
12-30-21- During the evening a man was looking toward Melcroft in Fayette County when he saw a cigar shaped object that appeared skinny and about 50-100 feet long that-in seconds-just suddenly vanished.
12-31-21- Numerous residents north of Latrobe, through Derry Township in Westmoreland County, as well as people living near the Chestnut Ridge area into Indiana County reported hearing and feeling an intense boom that shook homes and frightened animals around 1:30 PM. There was also a report at that time from a location near the Allegheny-Armstrong County border. The source of that loud boom reported over approximately a 20 mile area has yet to be determined.
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Have you had a sighting of a winged humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' - Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map - Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated.
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Thanks. Lon Strickler
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