Sighting of a Flying Creature with the Body of a 'Large Monkey' and 'Bat-Like' Wings Reported in Gary, Indiana

Lon Strickler of Phantoms and Monsters received a second sighting report out of Gary, Indiana this week, following the one which occurred on January 19th. This more recent report is of an encounter which occurred months prior to the previously published sighting.

"On Monday, January 22, 2019, I received a text message from a resident in Gary, Indiana," Strickler said. "I called the witness...to discuss his observations."

"[The witness stated] that his family had been on their front porch one evening in late September 2018," he continued. "This was on the 300 block of East 43rd Ave. in Gary, Indiana. Across the street was a small lot with several tall trees. It was a clear night and the moon backlit the grove of trees."

The creature described by the witness bore a strong resemblance to that which was reportedly seen on January 19th of this year. That creature was said to be a "grayish" flying creature "with large wings that were similar to bat wings.”

"[The witness'] brother or father noticed a large winged being flying near the top of one of the trees, and made the rest of the family aware of the being. The children were taken back into the house. [He], his brother and father continued to observe the winged humanoid...which was described as having a body of four to five feet in length. The wingspan was approximately 10 to 12 feet, but could have been larger. The entire body and wings were dark in color," said Strickler.

"[The witness] stated that the body reminded him of a 'large monkey' in shape. The wings were bat-like and reflected in the moonlight," he added.

"All the witnesses heard a 'whooshing' sound when the being flapped its huge wings,” Strickler said. “The winged being flew into the trees and disappeared.”

As has been noted previously in other submitted sightings, this report came after the witness' brother saw the report of a similar creature from earlier in the week.

“[The witness'] brother contacted him when he saw my post of the recent winged humanoid sighting in Gary, Indiana. They had not told anyone else outside of the family. At that point, [he] texted me," explained Strickler.

Chase Street, where the January 19th sighting took place, is around two miles west of the 300 block of East 43rd Avenue in Gary—an area located between the Little Calumet and Grand Calumet rivers, and approximately five miles south of Lake Michigan.

The height and coloration of the creature described is consistent with a great blue heron or other large migratory bird, which live in the floodplains around bodies of water and have been noted to be coming north earlier and wintering farther north more consistently due to climate change—in one recent case a witness was shown through video evidence to have misidentified a large bird as a creature with “bat-like” wings.

One detail in this report that is not present in the January 19th sighting is the description of the creature’s body as being similar to a “large monkey”; an addition that might exclude a large bird as an explanation.

It remains unclear if the creature possessed other humanoid qualities, but this article will be updated with any additional information provided by the witness.

This is the latest in a string of flying creature sightings around Lake Michigan that ostensibly began in the spring of 2017, but more historical accounts are being reported as more people become aware of the phenomenon.  Most of the sightings have taken place near the lakefront in Chicago within a few miles of Lake Michigan, although there are some reports coming from the suburbs surrounding Chicago and even farther afield in every state bordering the great lake.  The sightings generally take place in the evening or at night, often in or near a park, and around water.  Witnesses consistently describe a large, bat or bird-like creature—although in a small number of cases the creature was described as insect-like—sometimes with glowing or reflective red, yellow, or orange eyes; and humanoid features such as arms and legs are often reported.  Many of the sightings are also of something seen only briefly or are described only as a flying creature with few details, which leaves open the possibility that a large bird or bird-like being could explain some encounters. 

To report a sighting reach out to us directly at The Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

You can view a timeline of the sightings so far here, and an interactive map here.

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