In light of the recent events surrounding the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse on the Patapsco River south of Baltimore, Maryland, I've been inundated with requests for winged humanoid (Mothman) sightings or unexplained encounters in the general area.
These accounts are not related, but any bridge collapse immediately sparks interest concerning the high number of Mothman sightings and the Silver Bridge collapse on the Ohio River near Point Pleasant, West Virginia on December 15, 1967, where 46 people met their ultimate fate. The Mothman was supposedly seen above the bridge that same night, even though there has never been any tangible proof. Thus, the legend of the phenomenon was sealed, giving the Mothman its harbinger status.
Anyway, here are a few unexplained accounts from Baltimore, Maryland, and the surrounding region:
The witness describes an anomaly that has been reported before, which I'll explain later:
“I was in Baltimore in the hood so I was paying attention to my mirrors and I was looking behind me stood a crowd of people in the corner. I saw this really really tall thing walk out from behind the crowd wearing a bright red robe with the hood over its head and using a cane. The arms of the robe covered the hands and the hood covered all of the faces, but the weirdest part was how no one paid a bit of attention to this bizarre figure walking by them like it was a normal everyday occurrence or they didn't see it at all.
As soon as I saw it I thought oh no, they are going to mess with this dude terribly and Baltimore isn't known as a warm and fuzzy type of place. It's not somewhere you really want to draw a whole bunch of attention to yourself, but it just lurched on by without anyone even looking at it, nevertheless messing with it.
It happened at least 10-15 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was wearing a bright red robe and had to be close to 7 feet tall even though it wasn’t standing straight up and it was daylight out. I remember because for a second I thought the robe was to keep the sun off. They definitely should've seen it but no one even looked twice. It walked straight through a group of six or eight people. You could tell it was hunched over like the robe was covering some serious birth defect and the cane kind have strengthened that thought but like I said a BRIGHT RED robe if you wanted to cover a defect up is a really strange fashion choice.
I've always wondered what that robe was hiding but I think I'm lucky I don’t know. From the second I saw it I got a weird vibe that quickly turned to concern for it and then right back to weird/creepy as I got to noticing more details yet it seemed like no one closer to it noticed a thing.” RP
NOTE: I lived in the Baltimore metro area for almost 40 years. I have heard of this 'phantom' in the Park Circle neighborhood (near Druid Hill Park) in the 1980s, though, I don't know where in Baltimore this witness made the observation. Each sighting I received was from a vehicle and the unknown entity wore a bright red hooded cloak. At the time, I checked into the sightings but was unable to gather any tangible information. I was a bit surprised to once again see that the 'phantom' was still active years later. Lon
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This is a case that I originally investigated in the mid-1980s:
Not long ago, I was thumbing through old investigation files when I came across notations I had made regarding an unknown bird-like creature. The sightings were reported in 1985 and continued into 1987. It was an odd situation because I knew a few of the witnesses and I was also employed nearby at the time of the sightings. Cryptid investigation was new for me since my main focus was researching spiritual hauntings, but I had studied local Bigfoot encounters and wanted to expand my paranormal focus.
During the afternoon of May 5, 1985, I received a telephone call from Alfred M., the initial witness. He and 2 other men had seen a large bird-like creature perched in a hickory tree while driving south on Thistle Rd. toward River Rd. adjacent to the Patapsco State Park in SW Baltimore Co. Maryland. Alfred stopped the vehicle and watched the creature for several minutes. It eventually flew out of the tree and landed approximately 50 ft. from the road where the witnesses were able to get a keen observation of the creature. Albert stated that it stood 4-5 ft. high and was greenish-blue in color except for the head which was bright red. The wing span was enormous...he estimated it at 15 ft. or more tip-to-tip. The legs were thick and long with distinguishable talons. The eyes were also noticeable...slanted and large with a bright yellow hue. It also made 'clucking and cackle' sounds. After a minute or so, it unfurled its wings and took flight towards the east. Alfred said it reminded him of a hybrid 'dragon and peacock', which he thought was crazy but he stuck with the description.
At the time, I thought that the creature was either a large turkey buzzard or maybe a peacock someone may have had as a pet. In fact, a peacock farm did exist in the area back in the 1950's according to people I interviewed. I went to the location but found no evidence supporting the sighting.
Later that year, I heard a rumor of a large bird being seen near the Hilton Area of the Patapsco State Park on Hilltop Rd. After several inquiries, I was able to locate the witness, Darlene M., who confirmed the sighting. She and her daughter lived nearby and had been walking along Hilltop Rd. when they observed a huge bird flying towards them. Darlene stated that the creature got within 20 ft. of them then suddenly changed direction and flew into the woods. She said that they were terrified...she was sure it was going to hit them. She had gone to the library to see if she could find a picture of the creature. She found an old illustration of a Fung Hwang, or Chinese Phoenix, and said it looked very similar to what they observed. She described the head as vibrant red with fierce eyes. The wings were leathery and tipped with large green feathers. It flew by so quickly that she was unable to get a better description.
Once again I was stumped by the sighting. I talked to two ornithologists who basically thought I was delusional. I also contacted the state park service and asked if they had heard of any strange reports. Nothing...though they were amused by the questions.
On the morning of April 29, 1986, several employees at the local paper mill observed a large bird standing in the loading area. According to the witnesses, this creature fit the description of a very large peacock, but there were some oddities. The head was red in color and it didn't have the long plumes. Other than those anomalies the overall description pointed towards a peacock. Could there be a breeding population in the state park?
In January 1987 a truck driver (Robert S.) was heading south on Thistle Rd. and was startled by a huge bird that flew across the road in front of his vehicle. I was able to interview him by telephone a few days later (he lived in Edison, NJ). His impression was that it 'looked like a dragon'. There was snow on the ground and the creature silhouetted well enough to get a quick but detailed look. Robert stated that it was 'as long as his truck was wide' and 'was powerfully built'. He also confirmed it had a red-colored head and greenish-blue body and wings.
At this point, I had nothing more than anecdotal evidence. There was no natural explanation for the existence of this creature. Even today I have little to go on because I simply have not come across another cryptid that matches the description.
The final sighting, as far as I know, took place on June 30, 1987. The witness, David, was a Baltimore Gas and Electric employee who, along with his partner, was working along the power line that runs north to south through the state park. At a point north of Hilltop Rd. near the old mill village is an abandoned church graveyard. The former church was razed in the 1930s but the graveyard was left on its own...thus, it was severely overgrown by the woods. (I do think that the graves have been relocated since). David observed a large bird-like creature that he described as a 'griffin,' though he admits that he didn't get a very good look at it. He only noticed the creature after hearing a rustling sound which he thought was probably deer moving through the woods. He said the creature rose up from a rock, spread its wings, and vanished. David admitted that the sight of this beast was a shock and that he did not want to go back to the location.
I really wish I had more to offer. I kept the notes and vowed to go back and investigate the encounters if more sightings were reported. The witness Darlene may have been on to something, maybe this was a mythical firebird with the ability to be reborn from its own ashes. Unfortunately, I have not heard of other incidents. Lon
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"This happened in Baltimore, MD. More specifically, Jones Falls Express Tunnel/Conduit. I don't know what this thing was. It appeared to be maybe 4 feet tall (maybe?) Was about 15 yards from it, maybe more. Things are kind of hard to explain being it was basically pitched black except for a sewer light from above and this "creature" looked a blueish gray. I saw the back of its head as it passed into a different tunnel. It looked like there was a dorsal fin on its head and the body looked scaly. It had a long alligator-like tail and had legs like a monkey, but hairless. It made no sound (as far as I can remember) but the sound its feet made while running was heavy and had a slapping sound with each step. It was very fast, not a human. I thought it was a human at first. I heard somebody running up from behind me and only had my cellphone flashlight when I turned I only saw the back half of its body as it was already running off into a different tunnel. I climbed the next sewer ladder out of there and have never seen anything like this.
Any ideas as to what this could have been and/or any known cryptids in this area or region? I'm kind of taken back on words currently as I'm still slightly processing this craziness." RR
NOTE: Here is a link to my winged humanoid encounter as well, just for good measure. This is one of several winged humanoid sightings and encounters that occurred within 50 miles distance north of Baltimore, Maryland. Lon
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