That was a good find, Auntym.
Even though it was written in 2001, I didn't know of any article that put most of the known facts all together in one piece!
The only thing missing is that some of the witnesses died of "illnesses" around this same period of time. Including the reporter Mary Hyre. ?
Thank you for putting this on auntym. Chicago is very close to me. Makes it even more scary .
Chicago, IL - 2017-05-19: Was out at the breakwater with my best friend and her boyfriend. We were waiting for my boyfriend to finish helping his dad tie their boat to the dock after helping bring the boat to the marina for the Summer.
We were standing on the shore by some picnic tables waiting on James to meet us there. We were talking when we heard this loud screech, it sounded completely out of this world and after a couple of seconds, we heard another one, only louder and higher pitch than the first one. We looked around thinking we had heard an animal in distress and if it needed help. That's when we saw this large bat fly into our view. It was black and came from the direction of the bridge that holds up the Lake Shore Drive. It flew low and then shot up into the air as it came over the water. We noticed one of the coast guard helicopters was flying over the water at about the same time, but we're not sure if it saw this thing as it kept on flying toward the Adler Planetarium. This thing flew a large circle and cried out again and almost instantly it was joined by another large bat. These things were big and stood out against the sky. They flew figure eights around each other. It looked like they were dancing in a strange sort of way. It was actually quite beautiful, considering how freaking strange it was.
A mysterious winged-creature, which some have compared to Mothman, seemingly continues to lurk in the Chicago area as several more sightings have been reported in recent weeks.
The strange saga began last month when three separate people claimed to have seen the creature over the course of the same evening.
Since that time, more witnesses have come forward with their own stories of encountering the flying enigma.
Dutifully chronicled by Fortean researcher Lon Strickler, the most recent sighting occurred last weekend when a woman and her friends first heard an unsettling, high-pitched screech.
Although the witness conceded that the creature could be a massive bat, she indicated some reluctance to believe that theory as she likened the enigmatic animal to a gargoyle or a human in a wing suit, which connects to the humanoid characteristics that other witnesses have ascribed to it.
Another sighting of the creature happened two weeks earlier and featured a law enforcement officer observing the anomaly while out walking with his young son.
According to the witness, the anomaly "had a distinct human figure about 6 feet in height" and sported enormous wings that appeared to be 8 to 10 feet across.
The stunned father and son watched the 'entity' fly over a nearby tennis court before disappeared behind a fieldhouse.
A similar sighting by another father and son duo took place a few days prior to that incident and essentially described the same creature that others have been seeing, although this encounter also featured an unsettling sound akin to the brakes of a train.
All told, the number of sightings of the creature in the Chicago area have now reached an astounding seven over the last month or so.
Residents of the Windy City or curious readers looking for more information on the cases can check out Strickler's Phantoms and Monsters website as well as his excellent interactive map of sightings.
these sightings concern me...doesn't mothman show up just before a major disaster?
That's the rumor. In the original encounter I believe a bridge collapsed. Might have just been coincidence though.
Downtown Chicago 'Flying Humanoid' Sighting Confirmed!
Chicago, IL - 5/19/2017 - approx. 2100 hours: I was out with my daughter and mother celebrating my daughter’s recent graduation and after dinner and some light shopping, we decided to go out and check out the newly opened Chicago river walk that had just opened after construction. We accessed the river walk via the entrance on Michigan avenue and walked east toward the lake, looking at the sights and enjoying the beautiful view.
There was no sound at all, just an audible whoosh as it flew over. It was up and over the bridge in a matter of seconds and then it was gone. We were a bit shaken up after this thing flew away, she didn’t know what it was that we had seen.
I received a telephone call at exactly 12:04 AM (Sunday) of a sighting of a 'large man with bat wings' in the 400 block of N. Arlington Place (between N. Clark St. & N. Lakeview Ave.) in the Lincoln Park community of Chicago.
A couple called me from the location after the encounter. It took them about an hour to search Google for similar sightings and to find my telephone number. The sighting was on Saturday 6/3/2017 at approximately 10PM CT local time.
Both witnesses talked to me. They were both shook up and assured me that neither of them drink alcohol or take drugs. Both are professionals and business owners in the Chicago area. They had just finished a late dinner at a local restaurant and noticed the flying anomaly as they were walking on the 400 block of N. Arlington Place. The street lights illuminated the figure enough to startle them, so it could not have been very high above the street.
They both described it as a 7-8 ft solid black humanoid with wide membrane wings, that resembled those of a huge bat. The wing span was at least 12 ft. The head was prominent, and thinner than a human head. The back end of the body tampered to a point. No legs were noticed, but could have been tucked up under the body. The figure was gliding quickly along the length of the street heading east, then suddenly ascended into the night sky. Neither heard any sound. Both witnesses told me that they felt a sense of foreboding and were still terrified almost an hour after the encounter.
My sightings of Mr. G onzwell were all from the 1950s-1967.
When I was a part of his New York group John Keel told me that these sightings were before the Point Pleasent's.
Was there anything "doom" oriented that happened after your experience with Mr. G.?
Do you have any "theories" on why he is around at times?
So good to "see" You!
When Gonzwell was in the human form we called Mr. Gonzwell only spoke or warned about how it did not like what had been done to Its home, and the environment.
I think "Chicago" is a little late to be worried about the environment.
What goes through a person’s mind when they come face to face with a monster? Over the last two months, a handful of Chicago locals are now able to answer that question.
On April 7th, a witness came forward to report the sighting of a large seven foot tall bat-like humanoid in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. Sparking a reaction, many witnesses have begun to come forward with their own experiences. Approximately fifteen sightings of a ‘flying humanoid’ have been reported in the Chicago area.
The winged being, according to some witnesses, bears a resemblance to the famous Mothman of Point Pleasant, while others have described it as more bat-like in appearance. One researcher argues that it is probably just a large owl. While testimony concerning the appearance of this creature varies, one recurring theme seems to be consistent; the feeling of dread and doom that comes over the witnesses, and the sense that tragedy lies in its wake.
Enter Lon Strickler, an expert in the field of cryptids and founder of the popular website, Phantoms and Monsters. He has received multiple reports concerning the recent rash of sightings in Chicago and has been thoroughly investigating each one.
"[it was] a 7-8 ft solid black humanoid with wide membrane wings, that resembled those of a huge bat. The wingspan was at least 12 ft. The head was prominent, and thinner than a human head. The back end of the body tapered to a point. No legs were noticed, but could have been tucked up under the body. The figure was gliding quickly along the length of the street heading east, then suddenly ascended into the night sky. Neither heard any sound. Both witnesses told [Strickler] that they felt a sense of foreboding and were still terrified almost an hour after the encounter."
Maybe it is a big giant vampire bat. It sounds like a bat to me from the way they talk about it. Bats don't look like they have legs. If it was a moffman why wouldn't it have legs?
"This happened a while ago and I've never told anyone for fear of being ridiculed. I have nightmares about this and thought it might help to tell someone. I just wanted someone to know that this thing is real and I saw it. I have lived close to the Great Lakes forever and have never seen anything like this before. This took place on the west end of Lake Ontario.
In 2014 in August, while traveling home on a four-lane divided highway at about ten-thirty at night I caught sight of something that has yet to be forgotten.
My car was traveling east along what we refer to as 'the parkway.' About a mile and a half from the end of this particular road which ends abruptly with cautionary 'stop' signs and then empties onto a smaller less traveled road.
The two lanes that are eastbound in this area went down into a dip and the two westbound lanes, at this point, were higher, as was the median. There was no moon that night in the eastern sky and no lights in this area to distract attention from the dark. To the left, there were trees both off the left-hand side of the highway and in the median. On the right is an old cemetery (Oakland Rural Cemetery) that had a chain link fence dividing it away from the four lane highway.
My bright lights were on as this area is pitch black under moonless conditions. The windows were open about two inches as it was quite warm that night and I had a cigarette lit.
As I approached the area where the cemetery was coming up on my right I was slowing down as there is a curve and then the signs warning that the parkway is coming to an end in one thousand feet.
At this time some sort of movement caught my eyes at the top of my windshield coming from the trees to the left in the median. At first, I thought it was a giant hawk or an eagle. I could hear what sounded like the flapping of huge wings. I knew that whatever it was, was very big.
Then it swooped down from the top of the trees in the median toward the cemetery to my right. It was low enough for my headlights to catch its underside in the light. It had short hairs like that of a deer and it shone gray in the headlights although I think the color of it was very dark gray or black. The wings were like that of a giant bat. It was huge and scared me enough to hit the brakes for fear of hitting it. It landed on the other side of the fence on a small path that was used for people to drive through the cemetery. When it first landed I could see its back only and knew that it wasn't a bird or a bat. I could see some of the headstones in the cemetery and also the chain link fence. It was taller than both the gravestones and the fence. I was close to being stopped at this time and got a good look. It turned around and it was some kind of a human-looking creature that appeared to be about six or even seven feet tall, black or very dark gray and its eyes were the thing I won't forget. They reflected a piercing reddish orange and looked like they were on fire. The eyes were hard to look away from. Almost like they mesmerized you. What finally made me move was when it flapped those wings while it was standing there. They appeared to be about twelve to fourteen feet across and they weren't even opened fully. I could not make out a mouth or a nose as the intensity of the eyes detracted from that, but I do remember seeing the musculature, it had no arms or hands and I saw a rib cage as the fur on this thing still shone in the side sweep of my headlights as I took off. The scariest part was having to drive by it as I left. I had stopped just before the spot where it stood off to my right.
I don't go that way anymore in the daytime or at night. It is a very lonely stretch of road for a four-lane highway and I often wonder if others have seen it and know better than to drive that road at night.
Thank you for letting me get that off my chest."
NOTE: After a 2-week lull, the 'Chicago Phantom' reveals itself to another witness.
“I was out for a late jog on Saturday evening about 7 o’clock PM (June 17th) and was taking my usual route along the lakefront jogging trail headed toward the Navy Pier. As I passed Ohio Street Beach and headed toward the Pier, I saw what looked like a giant bat fly over from what looked like under the bridge that holds up North Lakeshore Drive. It flew parallel to East Grand Avenue and then up and over the trees toward the water treatment plant. The whole incident only lasted a few seconds and getting any exact details was hard due to the low light. I can make an educated guess and say that it looked like it was the height of an average man at about 6 foot tall, but I also was maybe 15-20 feet away from it when I saw it.
It looked like a great big bat, solid black but it stood out against the building and had a wingspan that must have been at least 7-8 feet from tip to tip. It was silent as far as I could tell but there was a lot of city noise in that area with traffic and what not. I know I was not the only one who saw it as about 6-7 others noticed it and I heard more than one person say “look at that!” As it flew, you could tell it was flapping it’s large wings gaining speed and altitude till it cleared the trees and headed off toward the water treatment plant. When I reached the point where I could look out toward the plant, it was gone.
No one has ever killed one of these entities.
I believe them to be nature spirits or they or natural to this planet but live onits other levels.
The problem is what is done on one level has effectivity on all levels.
Maybe because of it's vibratory rate if they die here on our levew their body returns to their home level.
I've gotta say poseygilbert, you seem to have the most out there, and numerous, experiences out of the bunch. Haven't read all of your posts, but the ones I have read are just amazing. Crazy part is, it is so far out there you couldn't make this sh** up if you wanted to!
U was born and raised in The Bronx NYC.
This was in the Fort Apatche area or better known as the South Bronx area which were known to be sacred native American burial grounds.
My family blood lines are Cherokee, German, African, and Afro American.
Both of my parents are from the mountains of West Virginia not too far from the Ohio River.
I only know that strangness is and has always been large part of my family's life.
Another good point, in my opinion, Jcurio. Certain minerals under stress are capable of causing plasma, electrical charges, and the obstruction of gravity. Take, for instance, the case of Val Johnson, the cop whose squad car was hit by some unknown force. It left some serious damage to his car, and he blacked out for around 30 mins or so. Now, we can say it was a UFO, aliens, demons, whatever, and really, without any tangible proof, who is to say, ya know? But a very plausible explanation is that a plasma ball hit his car, busting the windshield, bending his antenna and knocking him unconscious. There are known fault lines in the area, and this experiment can be duplicated in a lab setting. They are also called earthquake lights, and happen when stress, in the form of friction, causes a spark or plasma, much like the spark from a flint lighter, only a million times more powerful. A 1/4 inch flint can throw a spark out to 2 inches from the lighter. Imagine what a 100 mile fault line (flint) could do as it generates a ball of plasma!
Well, you may have hit the nail on the head when you wonder about the composition of the bridge. When that thing starts to bend and buckle, the force must be unimaginable, and it releases so much energy that, IMO, some type of portal opening could easily be triggered. In that vein, if aliens had a way to release or use the energy pent up in rocks, it could be a viable source of power. On the other hand, they might just be interested in rocks because, well, they are rocks!!! I mean, human scientists love moon rocks because they are rocks, so that may also be true to an alien civilization. Pet rocks anyone? And so it goes.
Exellent point Watusimba but do not over look the presence of running water be it above or below ground.
My encounters with Gonzwell started when my family moved to Brook Avenue so named for the brook that it had been built over it.
NYC for the most part is not only built between two rivers but has a lot of under ground flowing water.
It has many fault lines crossing not forgetting the Hudson River which is a fault line which like running water produuces EMF, and or dimensional vortex or doorways.
There is a lot of water around where I live now. My "experiences" have not increased. BUT there seems to be "better communication" between myself and my "experiences". It's like the intensity has gone up a notch (but not made me more emotional).
My daughter (whom was 3 years old at the time) & I were heading home after an evening of visiting family in Davis, WV. The ride home entailed that we travel through a desolate stretch of US 219 (Seneca Trail) just north of the nearby town of Thomas, WV. I was traveling along this route just as I had hundreds of times prior, listening to my daughter sing along with the radio, when directly in front of us (at a distance of roughly 60-70 yards) & in line with the tree tops I noticed movement. I had to slow my vehicle slightly & allow my eyes to adjust on the object, as it was barely illuminated by the upper arc of my vehicle's high-beams. Upon doing this I could tell that it was flying directly towards us at a brisk pace. In a matter of only a few seconds it had closed the distance between ourselves & it to 30-40 yards, and the first thing I could clearly see was the unmistakable fluttering of the beings giant wings. It flapped them a few times in order to halt it's movement, then landed directly in front of us (I would estimate that it was only 20 yards away at this point), as if it was intent on impeding our progress.
Good afternoon, I wanted to write in and report a sighting that happened to me and my two friends a few weeks ago along the lake shore of Chicago.
We decided to report this after reading your blog about a similar sighting that happened the same night of ours. The events that I'm writing about happened on Friday June 23rd of 2017 at approximately 10 p.m. I was with a group of friends at the Adler Planetarium just hanging out and having fun down by the concession area.
We all saw it about the same time as it flew over and continued toward the area of Soldier Field. It did this for maybe 20 yards or so, then abruptly changed directions and headed toward the lake and flew out over the lake and out of sight. This thing made no noise and was easily seen by myself and at least a few other people. We were so preoccupied with looking at this flying thing that none of us thought about grabbing our phones and taking pictures. Which I regret because I could have posted this on YouTube or Snapchat and made a million bucks.
My friend sent me an e-mail with a link about a similar sighting in the same general area on the same night we had ours. That is why I am writing to report our sighting that we had that night. I am more than willing to talk about the sighting as long as my name is not used and my friends who were with me that night are too.
NOTE: As the witness stated, this is a confirmation of a previous sighting at the same location and at the same time. Any additional information from the witness will be updated here.
According to Lon Strickler of Phantoms and Monsters, he received another email this past week from a witness who claims to have seen a bat-like flying humanoid in Chicago's lakefront area.
"I recently received an email from a witness in Chicago, who stated that they wished to talk to me about a sighting he had on Friday June 30th at approximately 10:30 PM. The witness works security at a bar named 'The Owl' located in the 2500 block of N. Milwaukee Ave in Logan Square," said Strickler.
"The witness states that he was outside the location, leaning against the wall while smoking a cigarette. He was alone at the time, except a few other people walking along the street. He noticed a large 'bat-like' creature flying above the street lights (approx. 60-70 ft away) over the lot across the street (in the photo below, you can see a building, which has been razed since). As the witness focused on the flying anomaly, he noticed that it was actually a bat-like humanoid. The body was 5 to 5 1/2 ft. in length and grayish in color (it was well-illuminated by the street lights). The head was human-like, but was much thinner and had a pointed crest extending from the back of it's head (similar to a pterosaur, but shorter). The head was turned away from the witness, so he could not see the eyes or face. The body tapered towards the back and it looked like there were short legs or appendages tucked underneath it, followed by a short rounded extension or tail. The wings had a full span of approximately 8-10 ft. and were attached along the body. The wings were a bat-like membrane, but heavy like that of a pterosaur. The witness noticed that the being flapped its wings to gain speed and height, then would glide. There was no sound. It was moving swiftly above the street lights across N. Milwaukee Ave., then burst upwards into the clouds. He was not sure if there were other witnesses, since the being flew by quickly."
We've replaced the photograph of the area from Phantoms and Monsters with our own captured Google street view, as it is a more recent picture and we feel it better captures the witness's view.
The witness claims to have left his phone inside of the bar to charge, and that he is "very upset he didn't have it because he would have had time to get a possible photo." He also said that he did not feel any fear or foreboding, but that he was startled by the sighting.
"The witness was very convincing, forthright and did not embellish during his account," said Strickler.
This brings the total number of sightings so far this year to fifteen. All of the sightings have taken place in the lakefront area within a few miles of Lake Michigan. The sightings generally take place in the evening or at night, often in or near a park, and witnesses consistently describe a large, bat-like creature with humanoid features. So far no pictures or video have been forthcoming.
To report a sighting, contact Lon Strickler at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com or call him directly at 410-241-5974; or fill out UFO Clearinghouse's contact form.