Strange
incidents reported from 50 Counties across the state
More
reports at the UFO
Examiner and the Chicago
Paranormal Examiner
During
2008, there were numerous reports of UFO sightings
and other strange incidents reported from across the
Keystone state. Reports of unusual incidents originated
from 50 counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
That is an increase over 2007, when such reports were
received from 37 counties. Some of the strange incidents
reported included sightings of Unidentified Flying
Objects, strange sky illuminations, Bigfoot, giant
birds, mountain lions, strange sounds and mysterious
footprints.
An
example of some of the more interesting 2008 mysterious
events from Pennsylvania.
Giant
Bird Sightings
There
has been a history from Pennsylvania and other states
of sightings of giant birds with enormous wingspans
that are occasionally reported, and are commonly referred
to as “thunderbirds.” In recent years,
the reports of these huge flying creatures have increased.
Rick Fisher of the Paranormal Society of Pennsylvania
received a report which occurred in February at a
rural location outside of Harrisburg. The driver of
a vehicle, who was also an active hunter, saw a huge
bird-like creature drop from the trees and approach
his vehicle. The man stopped and got out to take a
better look at the creature, which seemed to soar
or glide without flapping its wings. He hesitantly
told Rick that what he saw looked, “prehistoric
almost.”
Researcher Jim Brown investigated an incident which
occurred on the afternoon of May 20, on a major roadway
in Washington County. Motorists reportedly pulled
off the road to watch as a huge dark colored flying
creature that looked more like a giant bat than a
bird, circled low, and passed over some cars. One
witness noticed that the wingspan extended beyond
the edges of the two lane highway. One man was seen
taking pictures of the giant flying creature. That
person has never come forward.
Bigfoot
Sightings
Over
the years, there have been hundreds of sightings of
huge hair covered man-like or sometimes more ape-like
creatures reported statewide. A very active area is
along the Chestnut Ridge in Westmoreland, Fayette,
and Indiana counties. While such sightings are reportedly
yearly, the number of such reports have dropped in
recent years.
The
Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society (PBS) received a report
from Warren County in May that a woman had seen such
a creature climb up her lattice and onto her back
deck. She watched it from her patio door as it climbed
over the railing and departed. In August, from rural
Warren County, I received a report that a man and
his son observed a 7 foot tall, hair covered creature
with very long swinging arms cross a roadway with
very long steps and enter a wooded area.
I also received reports of strange screaming sounds
coming from along the Chestnut Ridge near Latrobe.
An experienced woodsman came across 18 inch long,
five toed footprints, unlike anything he had ever
seen before, while hiking in the Forbes State Forest
above Rector on August 22.
UFO
Sightings
While
there was a lot of UFO activity reported from the
eastern portions of the state, many UFO sightings
were reported in western Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
While spherical, and disc shaped objects were reported,
as well as formations of luminous objects, there were
numerous triangular shaped objects sighted as well.
On
July 2, near Connellsville, witnesses observed a triangular
shaped object with a curved bottom and numerous lights.
The silent object passed overhead and moved toward
the Yough River. During the early morning hours of
August 12, in a rural area between Greensburg and
Youngwood, a witness observed what was described as,
“two huge double headlights,” side by
side, and slightly yellow in color, hovering low just
above the road. The silent lights rose up from the
ground and moved off over the trees.
I
received several independent UFO sighting reports
from Westmoreland and Allegheny Counties on September
5. About 12:30 a.m. a glowing round white object with
various colored lights was observed hovering in the
western sky from New Stanton. The object suddenly
disappeared from sight after a few minutes. Soon after,
a second object shaped like a glowing football moved
rather fast across the sky, then suddenly stopped,
then dropped lower toward the ground. With binoculars,
the object appeared round with evenly spaced lights.
Another report was received which had occurred at
nearly the same time. A motorist driving near South
Park in Allegheny County watched as what appeared
to be a large lighted object passed over him at an
altitude of about 100 feet. His attention was first
drawn to a series of bright white lights that were
non-blinking and about 3 feet in diameter that were
attached to the object. The driver lowered his window
and heard no sound. The object made a sharp bank and
rose up over the trees and moved off. That same morning,
a slow moving silent orange sphere of light was observed
at about 3 a.m. near Jeannette as it moved across
the sky, then suddenly vanished.
It
was during the early morning hours of October 4, that
two hunters in Elk County encountered something unusual.
As they moved into a wooded area, they first noticed
two baseball sized glowing lights about 15 feet above
the ground. Soon they noticed multiple beams of light
which seemed to originate from about 10 feet from
above the ground, and projected parallel with the
ground.
Their
attention, however, was drawn to a glowing human-like
form, which was estimated to be about 3 feet tall.
The color was described as a light green, lime color,
and it had arms that hung straight down, and were
longer than that of a human. The movement of the being
gave the impression that it was gliding. On that same
date at about 8:20 p.m., in nearby Tioga County, witnesses
observed a silent bright solid cigar shaped object
approaching from the north, and it suddenly faded
out and vanished as it moved overhead.
This
year will mark 50 years that I have been investigating
and logging such strange accounts from Pennsylvania.
My interest in mysterious happenings started at age
10 in 1959. I began conducting on scene investigations
of such matters after the Kecksburg UFO incident in
1965. I started taking phone calls from the public
in 1969, from those wanting to report alleged UFO
sightings. In 1970, I founded the Westmoreland County
UFO Study Group, the first of three volunteer, scientifically
oriented research groups that remained active for
many years, and which investigated UFO sightings and
Bigfoot encounters, as well as other strange events
around the state.
Today
I continue to investigate and document current reports
of such matters as an independent researcher. I am
still receiving information about that event, and
continue my investigation into this UFO incident which
has gained international interest.
I
receive anomaly sighting reports from the public via
my UFO Hotline at 724-838-7768. I also receive e-mail
sighting reports at paufo@comcast.net. For update
information visit my web site: www.stangordonufo.com.
I also maintain contact with numerous researchers
and organizations in the state and from throughout
the country and elsewhere. The National UFO Reporting
Center in Washington state, and the PA Chapter of
the Mutual UFO Network also receive numerous UFO reports.
Roger Marsh also provides current sighting information
at: www.examiner.com/x-2363-UFO-Examiner. The Pennsylvania
Bigfoot Society continues to receive alleged sightings
of Bigfoot encounters as well.
When
I first began investigating UFO sightings and other
strange reports, I found that while many sightings
reported seemed initially odd, many were determined
to be natural or man-made in origin. Many UFO sightings,
for example, can be explained as bright planets and
stars, meteors and searchlight beams. Some Bigfoot
observations were determined to be large dogs or bear.
In recent months, many UFO reports that I received
of a very bright light low in the southwestern sky
was determined to be the planet Venus. But not all
mysterious sightings can be explained away so easily.
Stan
Gordon
More
reports at the UFO
Examiner and the Chicago
Paranormal Examiner
