Bigfoot · Local Legends ·

Garden State's Cryptid Encounters: New Jersey Bigfoot Sightings

By Jack Sullivan, Cryptozoologist

When most people think of Bigfoot sightings, their minds likely wander to the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest or the remote wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains. However, what may come as a surprise to many is that the Garden State of New Jersey has its own rich history of encounters with this elusive cryptid. From the sprawling Pine Barrens of the south to the rugged Kittatinny Mountains in the north, credible accounts of Sasquatch-like creatures have been reported across New Jersey for decades.

As a dedicated Bigfoot researcher, I've always been fascinated by the sheer volume and consistency of sightings that have emerged from a state better known for its bustling cities and crowded shorelines than its cryptozoological wonders. Over the years, I've pored over countless reports, interviewed dozens of eyewitnesses, and conducted my own field investigations in some of New Jersey's most remote and promising Bigfoot hotspots.

What I've discovered is a complex tapestry of legends, encounters, and ongoing mysteries that challenge our understanding of what might be lurking in the Garden State's forests and mountains. From the infamous "Big Red Eye" of Sussex County to the recent rash of sightings in the Pine Barrens, New Jersey's Bigfoot phenomenon is as intriguing as it is enduring.

In this comprehensive exploration, we'll delve into the history and lore surrounding New Jersey's Bigfoot sightings, examining some of the most notable encounters, the geographical areas where these cryptids seem to congregate, and the ongoing investigations that seek to unravel the truth behind the Garden State's hairy, bipedal visitors. Along the way, we'll grapple with the skepticism and alternate explanations that inevitably accompany such a controversial topic, while also considering the tantalizing possibility that something truly extraordinary might be afoot in New Jersey's wilds.

So join me on this journey into the heart of the Garden State's Bigfoot mystery, as we attempt to shed light on one of the most surprising and persistent cryptozoological enigmas of our time.

The Legend of the "Big Red Eye"

One of the most enduring and iconic Bigfoot-like entities associated with New Jersey is the so-called "Big Red Eye" of the state's northwestern counties. This legendary creature, described as a towering, hairy, bipedal being with piercing, glowing red eyes, has captured the imagination of local residents and Bigfoot enthusiasts alike for nearly half a century.

The origins of the "Big Red Eye" legend can be traced back to the 1970s, when a wave of sightings and encounters swept through the rural communities of Sussex and Warren counties. Locals began reporting glimpses of an enormous, shaggy creature lurking in the forests and mountains of the region, often accompanied by bone-chilling screams and a pungent, musky odor.

Perhaps the most famous of these early encounters occurred in 1977 near the Sites family farm in Wantage, Sussex County. According to Barbara Sites, her family witnessed an 8-foot-tall, 400-pound Sasquatch with "luminous red eyes" that terrorized their property, killing their pet rabbits and effortlessly tossing their 70-pound dog a distance of 20 feet. The Sites family allegedly opened fire on the creature, but it simply shrugged off the gunshots and lumbered away into the night.

Other harrowing accounts from this era describe the "Big Red Eye" emitting "blood-curdling screams" that echoed through the valleys and hollows of the region, as well as leaving behind an unmistakable stench often compared to rotten eggs or sulfur. These reports quickly spread through the local communities, instilling a sense of fear and awe in residents who had long regarded the forests of northwestern New Jersey as a peaceful and familiar backdrop to their daily lives.

As the legend of the "Big Red Eye" grew, it began to take on a life of its own, becoming deeply ingrained in the folklore and urban legends of Sussex and Warren counties. Parents used the creature as a sort of bogeyman figure to frighten misbehaving children, while teenagers dared each other to venture into the woods at night in search of the elusive beast.

In many ways, the "Big Red Eye" became the Garden State's very own homegrown version of Bigfoot - a mysterious and terrifying creature that seemed to embody both the wildness and the secrecy of the region's rugged landscape. And while the initial surge of sightings from the 1970s eventually subsided, the legend of the "Big Red Eye" has endured, laying the groundwork for a much broader and more complex history of Bigfoot encounters throughout New Jersey.

Bigfoot Sightings Across the Garden State

While the "Big Red Eye" may be the most famous and localized of New Jersey's Bigfoot legends, it is far from the only instance of the creature's alleged presence in the state. In fact, according to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), one of the nation's leading groups dedicated to investigating and documenting Sasquatch sightings, New Jersey has been home to approximately 70 credible Bigfoot encounters since the 1960s.

These sightings have been reported across the length and breadth of the Garden State, from the suburban fringes of the New York City metropolitan area to the remote swamps and forests of the south. However, some counties seem to be particularly prone to Bigfoot activity, with Sussex, Burlington, and Ocean counties leading the pack in terms of sheer number of reported encounters.

Sussex County, nestled in the state's extreme northwest and home to the "Big Red Eye" legend, boasts an impressive 17 documented Bigfoot sightings according to BFRO records. Many of these reports come from the county's vast tracts of state parks and forests, including High Point State Park, Stokes State Forest, and Wawayanda State Park, where the dense woods and rugged terrain provide ample cover for a large, elusive creature to roam undetected.

Burlington County, located in the heart of the Pine Barrens region, comes in a close second with 14 reported Bigfoot encounters. These sightings often originate from the sprawling Wharton State Forest or the secluded campgrounds and hiking trails that crisscross the area, where outdoor enthusiasts and locals alike have reported glimpses of a large, hairy, bipedal creature vanishing into the undergrowth.

Ocean County, with its 10 documented sightings, rounds out the top three Bigfoot hotspots in New Jersey. Many of these encounters have occurred in the county's more remote and heavily forested areas, such as the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area or the fringes of the Pine Barrens that spill over from neighboring Burlington County.

Other counties, such as Morris, Passaic, Essex, and Cape May, have also had their fair share of Bigfoot sightings over the years, with reports ranging from fleeting glimpses caught in the beam of a car's headlights to extended encounters by startled campers or hikers.

Some of the more notable New Jersey Bigfoot encounters include:

In 1966, a group of teenagers claimed to have seen a 7-foot-tall, reddish-brown creature while exploring the woods of Allaire State Park in Monmouth County.
In 1977, around the same time as the famous Sites family encounter, a truck driver in Sussex County reported a close-up sighting of a 7-foot-tall, 265-pound "half-man, half-ape" creature that walked upright and moved with surprising agility.
In 2007, a couple driving home late at night near Mendham in Somerset County allegedly witnessed a 6-foot-tall, hair-covered creature weighing between 200 and 250 pounds cross the road in front of their car, pausing briefly to glance in their direction before disappearing into the darkness.
In 2011, a camper at Mahlon Dickerson Reservation in Morris County had a chilling encounter with a tall, bulky, black figure sporting a dome-shaped head, which he estimated to be between 7.5 and 8 feet tall.
As recently as 2018, a couple driving through the Pine Barrens of Ocean County claimed to have seen a lanky, 6-foot-tall, brown-haired creature sprint across the road behind their car, leaving them shaken and bewildered.

These sightings, along with dozens of others, paint a picture of a state where Bigfoot encounters are not nearly as rare or isolated as one might expect. From the rural mountains of the north to the dense forests of the south, it seems that New Jersey's diverse and often overlooked wilderness areas may be harboring a cryptozoological mystery that has persisted for generations.

The Pine Barrens: A Hotspot for Bigfoot Activity

Of all the regions in New Jersey where Bigfoot sightings have been reported, none has captured the imagination of researchers and enthusiasts quite like the sprawling expanse of the Pine Barrens. This vast, 1.1-million-acre wilderness, which spans portions of seven counties in the southern part of the state, has long been associated with tales of the strange and the supernatural, from the infamous Jersey Devil to the elusive Sasquatch.

The Pine Barrens' unique landscape, characterized by dense forests of pine and oak, expansive swamps, and hidden bogs, provides an ideal habitat for a creature as large and reclusive as Bigfoot to thrive. The region's remote and often inaccessible nature, coupled with its relatively sparse human population, has allowed it to remain one of the most pristine and undeveloped areas in the heavily urbanized Northeast.

It is this very wildness that has made the Pine Barrens a magnet for Bigfoot activity. With its abundant water sources, diverse plant and animal life, and ample cover, the region offers a near-perfect environment for a large, omnivorous primate to survive and even flourish. In fact, many researchers have suggested that the Pine Barrens could support a breeding population of Sasquatches, allowing these elusive creatures to maintain a foothold in the Garden State for generations.

The Pine Barrens' long history of folklore and urban legends only adds to its allure as a Bigfoot hotspot. For centuries, tales of the Jersey Devil - a mythical, winged creature with a horse-like head and cloven hooves - have circulated throughout the region, instilling a sense of mystery and fear in those who dare to venture into its depths. Some researchers have even speculated that a portion of the alleged Jersey Devil sightings over the years may have actually been misidentified Bigfoot encounters, further blurring the lines between legend and reality in this enigmatic landscape.

In recent decades, the Pine Barrens have been the site of numerous high-profile Bigfoot sightings and investigations. From the eerie, late-night vocalizations heard by campers in Wharton State Forest to the startling roadside encounters reported by motorists traveling the region's lonely backroads, the evidence for Sasquatch activity in this area is both compelling and persistent.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Pine Barrens' Bigfoot phenomenon is the sheer concentration of sightings within its borders. Burlington County, which encompasses a significant portion of the Pine Barrens, has logged an impressive 14 Bigfoot reports, while neighboring Ocean County has contributed another 10 sightings to the tally. This clustering of encounters suggests that the Pine Barrens may be home to a resident population of Sasquatches, or at the very least, serves as a vital corridor for these creatures as they move through the region.

While the Pine Barrens may be the most well-known and extensively documented Bigfoot hotspot in New Jersey, it is by no means the only area of the state where these cryptids have been reported. The rugged Kittatinny Mountains and the Highlands region of the northwest, with their vast tracts of state parks and forests, have also emerged as potential havens for Sasquatch activity. These areas, much like the Pine Barrens, offer a combination of dense wilderness, ample resources, and minimal human disturbance that could prove irresistible to a creature as elusive and wary as Bigfoot.

As researchers and enthusiasts continue to explore the Garden State's many wild places in search of evidence for the existence of Sasquatch, the Pine Barrens will undoubtedly remain at the center of the ongoing quest to unravel this enduring mystery. Whether through the efforts of dedicated organizations like the BFRO or the intrepid investigations of independent researchers, this vast and enigmatic landscape will continue to beckon those who seek to shed light on one of New Jersey's most compelling and persistent cryptozoological puzzles.

Credible Witnesses and Ongoing Investigations

One of the most striking aspects of New Jersey's Bigfoot phenomenon is the sheer number of credible, detailed accounts that have emerged from eyewitnesses across the state. Unlike many other cryptozoological mysteries, which often rely on blurry photographs, ambiguous footprint casts, or second-hand tales, the Garden State's Sasquatch sightings are frequently backed by the testimony of seemingly reliable individuals who have had direct, often life-changing encounters with these elusive creatures.

Take, for example, the famous 1977 Sites family incident in Sussex County. This case involved not just a single eyewitness, but an entire family who claimed to have had a terrifying encounter with an 8-foot-tall, 400-pound Sasquatch on their rural property. The Sites family, by all accounts, were well-respected members of their local community, not prone to tall tales or attention-seeking behavior. Their detailed description of the creature, coupled with the physical evidence of dead rabbits and a battered dog, lent an air of credibility to their story that set it apart from many other Bigfoot reports.

Similarly, the 2011 sighting by a camper at Mahlon Dickerson Reservation in Morris County was deemed highly credible by BFRO investigators who interviewed the witness and assessed his account. The camper, an experienced outdoorsman with no prior interest in Bigfoot or cryptozoology, provided a clear, consistent description of the tall, bulky, black figure he encountered, estimating its height at an impressive 7.5 to 8 feet. His matter-of-fact retelling of the event, coupled with his lack of embellishment or sensationalism, made him a compelling and believable witness in the eyes of seasoned researchers.

These are just two examples of the many credible eyewitness accounts that have emerged from New Jersey over the years. From the truck driver who reported a close-up sighting of a "half-man, half-ape" creature in Sussex County to the couple who witnessed a hair-covered, bipedal figure crossing the road in front of their car near Mendham, the state's Bigfoot sightings are often characterized by a level of detail and sincerity that sets them apart from the more dubious or ambiguous reports that plague the field of cryptozoology.

Recognizing the potential significance of these credible accounts, organizations like the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) have made New Jersey a priority in their ongoing investigations into the Sasquatch phenomenon. BFRO researchers have conducted numerous expeditions throughout the state, focusing on hotspots like the Pine Barrens, the Kittatinny Mountains, and the rural forests of Sussex and Warren counties.

During these investigations, BFRO teams have interviewed dozens of eyewitnesses, collected and analyzed physical evidence such as footprint casts and hair samples, and employed advanced techniques like night-vision cameras and audio recording equipment to document any potential Bigfoot activity. Their efforts have yielded a wealth of compelling data, including several sightings that have been classified as "Class A" encounters - meaning they involve clear, detailed accounts from credible witnesses that leave little room for misidentification or hoaxing.