Bigfoot in New Jersey
Posted by: Nick Redfern on September 28th, 2013
Here’s a relatively recently published book that I overlooked: Bigfoot in New Jersey by W.R. Matts.
We are told about the book:
“Since the 1894 report that a ‘Wildman’ with a club was seen traveling through Morris County, strange creatures resembling Bigfoot have been reported in New Jersey. The Pine Barrens, 1.1 million acres covering parts of seven different counties and 22% of the entire state, has been a rich source for glimpses of the legend. Many other parts of the state have been visited by Bigfoot as well. In this book WR Matts documents 68 of these recorded sightings from all across the Garden State.
“In addition, he provides three comprehensive reports about his own research in High Point State Park and Wharton State Forest. Matts explains his personal methodology, the success of which led him to encounter one eight-foot creature at the Godfrey Bridge Campground in the Pine Barrens.
“Other chapters of the book discuss how studies of Bigfoot are evolving with the realization that these intelligent creatures can avoid current research methods such as camera traps and call blasting. Recent reports of long-term habituation experiences seem to point in the direction of using Bigfoot’s natural curiosity as a more effective way to make contact.”
About Nick Redfern
Punk music fan, Tennents Super and Carlsberg Special Brew beer fan, horror film fan, chocolate fan, like to wear black clothes, like to stay up late. Work as a writer.
I was born and lived in New jersey from 1952 – 1986. I never heard of any Bigfoot type animals being reported in N.J. We knew about the Jersey Devil of course. The only strange crypto-like reports I ever heard about in N.J. was about “Oily Oliver” from Hackensack, the town next to my home town. Seen from the 20’s into the recent, he was reportedly a very large naked, white man who bathed in oil barrels and not anything like a Bigfoot.
I have been in the Pine Barrens many times. There is nothing there but scrub pines and old legends. Crypto-TV shows aside, mention the Jersey Devil to people there and they look at you funny…but that might be just me.