Reports from the Void: 'It Was Wayyy Too Big for It to Be a Bird'

First Korean United Methodist Church in Wheeling, Illinois. *(Google Maps)*

The Singular Fortean Society received the following email with “Sighting?” in the subject line on October 14th, 2021.

It was around the middle of September 2021. I was driving on Milwaukee Avenue and had turned left on Hintz Road in Wheeling, Illinois. That road (from Milwaukee to Wolf Road)is pretty dark at night since there are no street lights, but me, my sister and my son SAW this HUGE thing flying right by the Korean Methodist Church right by Palwaukee Airport. We literally couldn’t believe our eyes because it was wayyy too big for it to be a bird.

Investigator Tobias Wayland replied to the witness in an attempt to interview them, but received no response.

The details given in the report do correspond accurately to the area described in Wheeling, although it should be noted that the witness likely meant the First Korean United Methodist Church, and shortened Palwaukee Municipal Airport to just Palwaukee Airport. Also of note, Palwaukee Municipal Airport was renamed Chicago Executive Airport in 2006.

This isn’t the only weird, winged creature to be reported out of Wheeling. In May of 2018, a couple in Wheeling claimed to have seen “a large winged humanoid flying above the trees and creek behind their residence," reported Lon Strickler of Phantoms & Monsters.

According to the couple’s son, who called Strickler on behalf of his parents, their sighting took place at around 10:50 p.m.

"When I was talking to the witnesses' son, I could hear them in the background," Strickler noted. "They seemed a bit shook and had their son make the call."

The being in question “seemed to be around six feet in height" with wings that "were sticking out as if they were arms at the front of the body," said the son later in an email to Strickler. "The wings seemed to be perfectly stretched out with no movement of flapping to keep flying, but yet it kept gliding above the creek in the back of our apartment."

"I was later told that the wings were like those of a large bat and dark in color," Strickler said.

The village of Wheeling is a northern suburb of Chicago; a city that itself has seen dozens of reported sightings of unidentified winged creatures over the last several years. Similar sightings have also been reported throughout the states surrounding Lake Michigan, including much of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

A timeline of those sightings are available to view here.

Reports from the Void is a repository to share those stories for which we do not have enough information to make a full report. This is usually because of little or no communication from the witness following their initial submission. The Singular Fortean Society will always provide as much information as possible regarding any correspondence during our attempts to speak with those involved.

This series is meant only to present you with the full breadth of the information sent to us, and makes no judgments towards the veracity of any stories shared within it.

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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