Phantom Runner Reported in Mentor, Ohio

One of two still images from the security camera of Michael Wolanin. Wolanin is one of three residents of Jeremy Avenue in Mentor, Ohio, who claimed to have captured footage of the mysterious phantom runner. (Michael Wolanin / Facebook) — One of two still images from the security camera of Michael Wolanin. Wolanin is one of three residents of Jeremy Avenue in Mentor, Ohio, who claimed to have captured footage of the mysterious phantom runner. *(Michael Wolanin / Facebook)*

A series of sightings involving a mysterious phantom runner in Mentor, Ohio, have some residents wondering if something paranormal is prowling the streets of their otherwise quiet neighborhood.

On Saturday, March 20th, Michael Wolanin posted two still images from the security camera outside of his home on Jeremy Avenue to a local community Facebook group.

"We first noticed the figure on our Nest security cams around 9:20 p.m. I received a 'movement' notification, so I took a look," Wolanin told the Singular Fortean Society's lead investigator Tobias Wayland. "It was just a blurry white figure dashing across my driveway."

The second of two photos shared by Wolanin. (Michael Wolanin / Facebook) — The second of two photos shared by Wolanin. *(Michael Wolanin / Facebook)*

One of Wolanin’s neighbors shared a pair of photos the same night, captioning them with “What is this running through our yard? Anyone else see this strange figure around Lake Catholic???”

Lake Catholic High School is less than half a mile from the sighting area, and is a common reference point for the neighborhood.

The photos posted by Wolanin and Chuha’s neighbor. The neighbor did not respond to the Singular Fortean Society’s request for a statement, and as a result, is being kept anonymous.

The following morning, on Sunday, March 21st, Mark Chuha posted a video from his security camera, taken just down the street on the same evening as the others.

Wayland was also able to interview Chuha about his video.

"The time in the video is accurate. 10:16 p.m," he told Wayland. "I didn’t think to check my cameras—I get a bunch of motion alerts—until I saw the other posts on the local Facebook page from a neighbor down the street. I checked my cameras the next morning and discovered the 'figure' running across the street."

Chuha’s video shows a figure come out of the woods across the street from his home and run to the camera’s right. The camera also recorded audio, capturing what sounds like a dog barking, and at the end of the video, someone counting from seven to eight.

All of the photos and videos appear to show a small, white, blurry figure running. Being blurry isn’t itself unusual, given the image quality of home security cameras, especially at a distance, but other aspects of the events do make them unusual.

10 days prior to the events on Jeremy Avenue, a police report obtained by WKYC 3News stated that police officers were dispatched to Bellflower Elementary on March 10th at around 10:30 p.m. after someone called to report a seven-year-old girl running northbound in the area. Bellflower Elementary is directly adjacent to Lake Catholic High School.

One responding officer patrolling near Wyatt's Greenhouse spotted a child he thought fit the description provided by the caller.

"I was surprised by what I saw, the person appeared to be a small child, running rather erect and too quickly for a child," the report quoted him as saying.

However, when the officer exited his vehicle to approach the child, he found no one. He continued to search along the building's exterior, but came up empty.

Multiple departments aided in the search, but they, too, found no children.

After exhausting their search efforts on foot and through the use of a K9 unit, a drone team was deployed to search the area. Ultimately, they did not locate anything suspicious.

The photos, video, and police report have elicited strong interest from the community; some residents think that it was just a child running, perhaps as part of a prank or hoax, while others suspect it could represent a paranormal phenomenon. Speculation on the phenomenon’s potential paranormal explanation runs the gamut from aliens to child ghosts.

Chuha expressed some doubt that a child would be out at that hour in their neighborhood under normal circumstances.

"The strange thing about these sightings is that they are pretty late for kids. 10:30 p.m.," he said. "We have some young kids in the neighborhood but they would probably be in bed by then. We also have a few middle/high schoolers. But the object appears to be fairly short from what I can tell."

Both Wolanin and Chuha deny that they were involved in a hoax.

"The world is mysterious and I think the reasoning is beyond our own cognitive abilities," Wolanin said of the events. "As for people claiming it's a hoax...we all know how others react to news or information that they don't want to believe is true. I try and look beyond the negativity and hope that someday they'll understand that we may not be the only 'ones' around."

As for Chuha, he "can't be certain" of what was responsible for the sightings, although, he noted, a "few years back the city turned that patch of woods into a water retention area. I always hear odd noises coming from what is left of those woods. Could be animals. Or perhaps something else."

"As for people who think it’s a hoax," he added. "I believe that people who immediately call it a hoax or downplay what they are seeing have a fear of what they don’t know or can’t comprehend."

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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