Reports from the Void: 'I Know for Certain That I Saw Something'

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.

The Singular Fortean Society received the following email entitled “I saw it too” on April 6th, 2024.

It was around 2020-2021. I was driving from my apartment in Elmhurst and saw from my car windshield a black winged figure, relatively high in the sky and large in size, flap its wings and fly quickly out of sight. I was so shocked, it took a moment to grab my phone and by the time I made an attempt to record the sight, it was gone.
I remember it was after work and nearly dusk, I think it was in September or October, so it was getting dark out earlier.
Anyways, I am absolutely certain this is what I saw except I didn’t notice red eyes or any red at all. I just saw a dark winged figure “flap” its wings and fly away into the sky and out of view. My personal theory on this is really that I just don’t know what the hell I saw. But I know for certain that I saw something.
I didn’t bother to tell anyone at the time, but I do remember googling it and seeing other people in the Chicagoland area had seen it too. Pretty weird huh?

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

Assuming this witness was referring to Elmhurst, Illinois—a western suburb of Chicago—the reported sighting would have taken place around the same time as another sighting in that area.

That sighting came to The Singular Fortean Society in 2021 from a woman who said she had seen "a large, black creature gliding over Roosevelt Road by Elmhurst, [Illinois], going north, on May 8th" at around 8:15 p.m.

In contrast to the above report, this witness was available to answer questions.

The woman, who asked that she remain anonymous, said she was in her car driving west on Roosevelt Road in Elmhurst when she saw the creature.

"Roosevelt Road in that area is like an expressway," she said. "It had just crossed over the expressway. It caught my attention as it was going over my car."

According to the woman, she doesn't live in the area but was on her way to her daughter's home in Villa Park to feed her dogs.

"I live in Melrose Park," she said, "[but] I am on that road often to go to her house or the gym in Oakbrook."

The creature, she explained, “was larger than a regular bird. It was by itself, at night, with large wings and a long body. The long body is what caught my attention. It was coming out long from below the wings. It never used its wings. It was just gliding.”

It was way larger than any regular bird. The wings were very large. It was all black and it was alone. The lower body was larger than any bird.
Most birds' head and legs are proportioned to their bodies, and this thing's legs were very long. It was starting to get dark at that point and I was driving fast, but its size is what made me do a double take.
It was going north but it wasn't necessarily flying. I never saw the wings flap. They were extended out. It was more like gliding. It reminded me of a kite. It wasn't going too fast, either, like most birds.

Nothing about her sighting immediately stuck out to the woman as paranormal, although she did say that she has "experienced paranormal stuff” since she was a kid.

"Even now as an adult, I still have experiences," she said.

One thing that did stand out was the amount of anxiety she felt, even before her sighting that day.

"Not sure if this counts, but I was extremely anxious all day that day. So much that I felt a need for a drink or Xanax," she explained. "But my daughter was away that weekend with her boyfriend and I knew he was going to propose so I was waiting for the news. I figured that's why I was so nervous that day."

After the sighting, that anxiety became fear.

"I did become scared after I saw it," she said. "I was afraid to be in the dark. I didn't let the dogs out long because I didn't want to see it again in the yard. I ran to my car once I went home. I was very uneasy and could not stop thinking about. To this day, I still think about it every day."

Because of their proximity to other sighting locations, the creature or creatures described in the above reports could be related to the larger Lake Michigan Mothman phenomenon. Those sightings are commonly reported within a few-hundred-mile radius surrounding Lake Michigan, including every state bordering the great lake.

The 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 or natural area, and around water. Witnesses consistently describe a large gray, brown, or black, bat or bird-like creature, sometimes with glowing or reflective red, yellow, or orange eyes, and humanoid features such as an upright, bipedal posture 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 misidentified large bird—such as a heron or crane—or some type of anomalous avian species could explain some, although certainly not all, of the encounters. A number of associated high strangeness incidents have also occurred alongside the creature sightings. These include 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.

A map of the sightings, compiled by Lon Strickler, is available here.