Man Reports Sighting of "Man-Sized Bat-Bird 'Thing'" in Franklin Park, Illinois

An artist’s rendition of a similar creature reported in the McCook suburb of Chicago, Illinois. (Emily Wayland / Singular Fortean Society) — An artist’s rendition of a similar creature reported in the McCook suburb of Chicago, Illinois. *(Emily Wayland / Singular Fortean Society)*

Lon Strickler of Phantoms & Monsters recently spoke to a man who claimed to have seen "a large, dark, man-sized bat-bird 'thing'" flying behind his home in Franklin Park, Illinois, in the summer of 2019.

"I recently received the following information from a witness...who observed, what he stated as, a winged humanoid in the alley behind his house in Franklin Park, [Illinois]," said Strickler.

On an early summer night in 2019, between 10 pm [and] midnight, [the witness] was at his kitchen sink looking out the window, which overlooks his backyard and alley beyond that. He was facing west. Along the utility lines in the alley, he saw what looked like a large, dark, man-sized bat-bird 'thing' gliding along the power lines. It went pretty quick, didn't stop, and he didn't see it again.

"When he volunteered this info, his wife rolled her eyes and laughed, which is partly why he didn't really want to admit it," Strickler explained. "His wife and sister-in-law both think it's hysterical, but it was suggested to him by his brother-in-law that his sighting be documented somewhere. He brought it up not long after it occurred but didn't dwell on it much."

Strickler said that after discovering the investigation into similar sightings, "it seemed to [the witness] that the sighting and location should be noted."

"His house with the alley, where it was spotted (without giving away the exact location for his privacy), is in Franklin Park, [Illinois], between Minneapolis Avenue and Belmont Avenue (East and West), and Elder Lane and Hawthorne Street (North and South)," he said.

"The sighting was quite fleeting, but what impressed [the witness] was the size of the winged being," Strickler added. "It was much too large to be any bird known in the area and it had a human-like form to the body. This location is less than one mile southeast of O'Hare International Airport. The witness was reluctant, but willing, to discuss his experience."

Franklin Park is around 10 miles west of Lake Michigan, and within a short distance of dozens of other sightings of weird, winged creatures in the Chicago area—several of the most recent of which have come from the area around O’Hare International Airport.

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, green, or orange eyes, and humanoid features such as arms and legs are often reported. Some witnesses have reported feeling intense fear and an aura of evil emanating from the creature they encountered. 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—although certainly not all—of the encounters. A number of associated high strangeness incidents have also occurred alongside the creature sightings; including reports of UFOs, other anomalous flying creatures and mysterious humanoids, parapsychological phenomena, and bizarre events experienced by those investigating the sightings.

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.

To report your own encounter with the impossible, reach out to us directly at the Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

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