Woman Reports Sighting of Seven-Foot Humanoid with “Veiny, Batlike Wings” in Chicago

Lon Strickler of Phantoms & Monsters spoke to a woman recently who said that, late one night in October of 2019, she encountered a bizarre winged being in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.

She was reportedly visiting her now ex-boyfriend and saw the creature while walking by the overpass near South Laflin Street and West 16th Street.

Following a phone call with Strickler, the witness sent him the following written report:

Hi Lon, just got off with you on the phone this morning. Here is the location and story of where I saw the Mothman in Chicago.

I had just parked my car to see my boyfriend at the time (Pilsen community). It was October 2019. I parked almost two blocks from his building. It was really late, and I was walking past … this bridge. [The creature appeared to be] standing underneath reminiscing. I saw a seven-foot humanoid, with veiny, batlike wings. Faced towards the wall, not directly staring at me but just standing. I got super creeped out, so I started walking to where I needed to be. But when I look back, I know for sure that I saw something very strange.

A couple years later, I remembered seeing that creature and decided to do some research. Turns out, many people in Chicago, even just a couple blocks away, have also seen this winged creature.

Strickler described the witness as “very forthright” and said, “[she] still seems to be affected by the sighting, even though it was somewhat brief.”

“[The witness] no longer resides in Chicago but contacted me after I posted a request for more sightings or encounters,” he added.

The Pilsen neighborhood, as noted by the witness, is centrally located among the dozens of reported sightings in the Chicago metropolitan area.

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

This report constitutes 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 or natural area, and around water. Witnesses consistently describe a large gray, brown, 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 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.