Ghost Hunter Reports Collision with 'Miniature Mothman' near Wittenberg, Wisconsin

*(Emily Wayland / Singular Fortean Society)*

Craig Nehring with Fox Valley Ghost Hunters contacted the Singular Fortean Society on Friday to alert them to a bizarre experience he’d had the night before at about 1 a.m.

According to a social media post describing the experience:

So, last night while driving semi, [the weather] was sleet mixture [and it was] about 34 degrees [in temperature]…close to Wittenberg I got freaked out...it was dark outside. I was coming down one of the off ramps to stop for a soda. Something fell out of the sky that was really odd and I can't quite get the image out of my mind.
First off let me say it wasn't a bird or a bat but this thing hit my window and mostly splattered on it. I saw it plain as day stuck to my window. I describe it as a small faerie if you believe in faeries, or possibly, I crap you not, a miniature mothman . It had small wings, [and] again, it wasn't a bat in the snow. It had long stretched out legs that came down below its body and had arms and fingers.
I was wide awake and not drowsy. I was going to take a picture but it slid off the window leaving this massive gooey stain on my window which took several attempts with washer fluid to clean up off the window. I remember it was all black and I didn't see any eyes.
I was overwhelmed by the long legs and arms with small fingers. Those that know me and my team know we don't post false info or tell tales on this site that are not true. I can tell you no trees were overhanging the hwy and no bugs were out in this weather and the stain it left was so intense that it smeared the whole window. I also know what a flying squirrel looks like and it was not that either. It's still imprinted in my eyes.
Size wise 8 inches high by 5 inches wide with wings slightly wider.

Investigator Tobias Wayland was able to speak with Nehring via Facebook post and Messenger.

"The wings were the same color as the body. It seemed to have separation in the wings like maybe veins or arteries or bones," Nehring said. "Considering the wings were kind of mashed on the windshield it was hard to tell [its wingspan], the body was about four inches with the wings going out further, say, about another four inches per side if it they were not squashed."

Nehring said he would have liked to get a photograph, but too many factors aligned to prevent it.

"I was in Shawano County on glare ice and rain in a semi, and not allowed to be on my phone," he said.

It was these same conditions that prevented him from stopping to look for a body.

"I was in a 80,000 pound semi," Nehring explained. "I can't just stop and turn around in a sleet storm."

Nehring’s post elicited stories from others with similar experiences.

"I saw something at 15 and my friend who was with me saw it as well. We both can remember the moment clearly to this day...and it's been 34 years since that day," commented one person.

"I had a similar [sighting] only smaller in mid-afternoon near Wausau," said another. "It left a real goo on the windshield. This was about 17 years ago and still etched in my memory. My son was like 12 years old at the time and riding with me. He did not see it, only the goo, and was perplexed that it was such an ugly shade of gray."

Wittenberg is in northern Wisconsin’s Shawano County, approximately 65 miles west of Lake Michigan; Wausau is about 30 miles west of Wittenberg.

This is the latest news in a string of ‘Mothman’ sightings from within a few hundred mile radius surrounding Lake Michigan, including every state bordering the great lake. These sightings ostensibly began in the spring of 2017, but more historical accounts are being reported as more people become aware of the phenomenon. They generally take place in the evening or at night, often in or near a park, and around water. Witnesses consistently describe a large, gray or black 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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