[I'm not sure what to make of this sensational claim and accompanying (questionable) photograph, but I thought it was interesting enough to pass along this Halloween season... Obviously, it seems suspect that our claimant 'Rich' would wait three plus years before coming forward w/ his alleged encounter and the image provided does appear too good-to-be-true, etc—chris]
From Lon Strickler's Phantoms & Monsters website:
"I received a telephone call this morning (10/30) from a witness named Rich, who lives near Ripley, NY. He stated that he has had an interest in the Hinsdale House (Hinsdale, NY) and was reading my recent post. He also read the post about the North Georgia Mothman incident. As a result, he called to tell me of an encounter he had in July 2011.
- Rich was driving home from Cleveland, OH on northbound I90.
- Rich received a telephone call about 10:15 PM, so he pulled off the road in order take the call. He said he was near Six Mile Creek Park, north of Erie, PA.
- Soon after he ended his telephone conversation, he noticed something fly across the highway about 30 ft in front of the car (headlights were on). It was approx. 10 ft above the road surface and looked like a giant bat with huge oversize wings. His window was open and he heard a sound similar to canvas flapping in the wind.
- He continued to sit in his car hoping he could see this anomaly again. Hecontinued to hear the flapping sound.
- Rich stepped out of his car and walked towards the back in order to get a heavy duty flashlight from the trunk.
- About that time, as a tractor-trailer drove by, this flying creature came over a rise on the opposite side of the highway and flew over Rich and his car. This was the point when Rich snapped a cellphone photo of this creature. He made a few more attempts to get photos, but by that time the creature was gone.
- Though it was dark, a road lamp did offer Rich a bit of light at one point in order to get another look. He described it as dark in color with very wide wings that were shaped like those of a bat. He did notice a slight reddish glow, though it was hard to distinguish where it came from. He estimates that the wing span was approx. 18-20 ft and a body of 4-5 ft in length. It made no sound other than the flapping.
- When he got home (about an hour later) he uploaded the images to his computer. He said he made an inquiry with a paranormal investigator in Jamestown, NY but they didn't seem interested.
- No one else had knowledge of this encounter.
At this point, I promised Rich that I would post the photo on the blog for comments. Rich is the sole owner of the image and has given me the ability to use and distribute as I see fit. He's merely searching for answers.
NOTE: I'm not conveying an opinion as to what this image is. I'm merely offering it to the readers for their assessment. I've had several people look at it, and have received varying conclusions. Lon"
From Lon Strickler's Phantoms & Monsters website:
"I received a telephone call this morning (10/30) from a witness named Rich, who lives near Ripley, NY. He stated that he has had an interest in the Hinsdale House (Hinsdale, NY) and was reading my recent post. He also read the post about the North Georgia Mothman incident. As a result, he called to tell me of an encounter he had in July 2011.
- Rich was driving home from Cleveland, OH on northbound I90.
- Rich received a telephone call about 10:15 PM, so he pulled off the road in order take the call. He said he was near Six Mile Creek Park, north of Erie, PA.
- Soon after he ended his telephone conversation, he noticed something fly across the highway about 30 ft in front of the car (headlights were on). It was approx. 10 ft above the road surface and looked like a giant bat with huge oversize wings. His window was open and he heard a sound similar to canvas flapping in the wind.
- He continued to sit in his car hoping he could see this anomaly again. Hecontinued to hear the flapping sound.
- Rich stepped out of his car and walked towards the back in order to get a heavy duty flashlight from the trunk.
- About that time, as a tractor-trailer drove by, this flying creature came over a rise on the opposite side of the highway and flew over Rich and his car. This was the point when Rich snapped a cellphone photo of this creature. He made a few more attempts to get photos, but by that time the creature was gone.
- Though it was dark, a road lamp did offer Rich a bit of light at one point in order to get another look. He described it as dark in color with very wide wings that were shaped like those of a bat. He did notice a slight reddish glow, though it was hard to distinguish where it came from. He estimates that the wing span was approx. 18-20 ft and a body of 4-5 ft in length. It made no sound other than the flapping.
- When he got home (about an hour later) he uploaded the images to his computer. He said he made an inquiry with a paranormal investigator in Jamestown, NY but they didn't seem interested.
- No one else had knowledge of this encounter.
At this point, I promised Rich that I would post the photo on the blog for comments. Rich is the sole owner of the image and has given me the ability to use and distribute as I see fit. He's merely searching for answers.
NOTE: I'm not conveying an opinion as to what this image is. I'm merely offering it to the readers for their assessment. I've had several people look at it, and have received varying conclusions. Lon"
