The Jersey Devil Lives

Sightings of the Jersey Devil Began in the 1880s and Continue Today

Oct 3, 2008

The Jersey Devil, a fearsome winged beast allegedly living in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, has long inspired fear with more than a century of stories and sightings.

The legend of the Jersey Devil, which has survived for over 250 years, proves to be one of those tales that still haunts us and fills our minds with curiosity and fear. New Jersey, which is home to over seven million residents, also houses the Pine Barrens, a large stretch of undeveloped forest in the southern end of the state where the story of the Jersey Devil originates and perseveres.

Origins of the Jersey Devil

While a few variations do exist, the most commonly accepted version of the story tells of a newborn baby boy, the 13th child of a Mrs. Leeds, mutating into a devil-like creature just after birth and flying out through the roof. All of the variations place this event in the Pine Barrens. Despite the length of time that has passed since 1735 (this date also varies) when the birth of this “devil” supposedly occurred, sightings of the creature have persisted. For some, a nagging desire to search for the truth behind one of the country’s oldest horror stories has inspired the organization of groups like the New Jersey Devil Hunters.

Jersey Devil Sightings

Documented sightings did not start to appear until the mid 1880s. One hundred years before, the Jersey Devil was apparently exorcised for one hundred years, allowing it to reemerge again at this time – and reemerge it did. Stories describing massacred livestock, a shrieking winged creature and strange tracks appeared in large numbers. Sightings prior to the exorcism and after were preserved over generations by word of mouth, which remained the norm during the 1800’s even when many sightings were being put to paper. After 1900, specific documented sightings appear in much larger numbers.

Most interesting are the sightings recorded during the week of January 16th through 26th 1909, termed Phenomenal Week. During this time, many individuals in three different states reported sightings every day: New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. So frequent were the sightings at this time that the Jersey Devil managed to capture national attention. While the Jersey Devil was the front-page story of many papers, the sightings occurring all over the Delaware Valley were treated mostly with ridicule. Jokingly, the Philadelphia Zoo offered $10,000 for the creature’s capture.

Sightings of the Jersey Devil have never ceased. Sightings have occurred as recently as September of 2008 with over a dozen reports during that month.

Jersey Devil Remains an Unsolved Mystery

It’s easy to see how the Jersey Devil has survived time; a creature sighted by thousands of people over a period of over 250 years, causing panic at various times across an entire state, prompting factories and schools to shut down.

It’s doubtful that every encounter with the supposed creature is legitimate – but can they all be attributed to fantasy? Either way, there remains something intriguing about a mystery lurking in the wilderness yet to be solved. Without a definitive answer, the Jersey Devil lives on.

The copyright of the article The Jersey Devil Lives in Paranormal is owned by Emily Eppig. Permission to republish The Jersey Devil Lives in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.