More Bridgewater Bigfoot Followup

In the new John Horrigan Report on the Bigfoot tracks found in the Bridgewater Triangle, the following “Jason Lorefice Statement” has been published.

Horrigan, who had an extreme skeptical reaction to the cast, put how he directly obtained the statement this way: “When we spoke, I asked [Jason Lorefice] outright if it was a hoax, told him that I felt that I was somehow responsible for this and that I can make it go away. I told him that right now would be an ideal jumping-off point and that it would hurt him and his organization’s (Paranormal Investigators of New England) credibility if the hoax were allowed to continue. I expressed my skepticism. He then told me outright that it was not a hoax. I then insisted that he release a statement – and he has.”

STATEMENT FROM JASON LOREFICE

On the weekend of July 25th, 2009, I was down in the Bridgewater, Massachusetts area for three days investigating the alleged mysteries of “The Bridgewater Triangle”. I decided to spend 1 day dedicated to the Hockomock Swamp to look for strange creatures and bizarre beasts, and yes – even Bigfoot! I started off in Raynham, where the power lines cross Route 138 and mountain-biked the dirt path that runs parallel to those power lines.
After about an 1 1/2 hours, I decided to move to another location. Finally, I ended up in Bridgewater near Lake Nippenicket, and biked the area there as well. That is when I discovered what looked to be human-shaped footprints in the corn field (but much larger). As I examined the prints closer, I noticed that a trail of them looked as if someone or something had crossed the road and into the cornfield, where it made its way toward the swamp. I did, in fact, see some of the crops pushed aside as if something large has passed through it.

Due to the fact that it was late in the afternoon, I was faced with two options: either pursue the tracks into the thick dense brush and try to track it – or race back into town and buy some plaster of Paris (at Home Depot) and make a mold of one of the tracks. When I returned to the site with plaster, I also measured the tracks and found some inconsistencies in the stride pattern. The first 5 tracks had a stride length of approximately 87″ from heel to toe. The next four after that measured approximately 78″-79″. The length of the feet were at about 18″x7″. My guess was, if it had been a person’s foot, they would have to be at least 8 1/2 ft. tall.

I had to prep the footprint by blowing out the loose dirt in the toes and I had to pick out some plants before pouring the mold.

Upon waiting for the mold to dry (about 45 minutes), I saw more than 50 birds shoot out of the trees like a bat out of hell.with concern that whatever made those tracks may have returned, I sat there quietly for about 10 minutes and didn’t make a sound. Unfortunately, I didn’t see or hear anything.

After pulling the cast out of the ground, I was walking back to the car when I noticed a car pull up and the driver ask me if I was having car problems. I told him that I was fine and I showed him the cast. His eyes lit up like a pair of headlights. He told me that he and his wife had lived in the area for over 20 years and had never heard of any Bigfoot stories around there. He then turned to his wife in the car and said “shotguns loaded tonight”. As I look back, I realized that I was very excited to find such a discovery, that I failed to photograph the area more thoroughly and survey it better than what I did.

I would just like to clear something up. I’m a paranormal investigator, so I don’t prove or disprove unexplained events. I simply present my findings. I wasn’t there when the tracks were made, so I can’t say if it was a Bigfoot – or a prankster. I am still open to the possibility that it could be a hoax, but deep down inside, I want to believe that it was a creature in the Swamp. Since that time, I have got alot of mud thrown my way because of all this, and I sometimes wish that I never found those tracks. So for now, my conclusion is that it is of unknown origin. That’s my summary of how I came into possession of this enormous footprint cast.

Deliberate Hoax Comparison Photo #1 By Jason Lorefice. A deliberate bare footprint made by Jason Lorefice for comparative purposes.

Deliberate Hoax Comparison Photo #3 By Jason Lorefice. A happy face.

I have my own reaction to this, over and above the Bigfoot specifics. If I was being investigated about my involvement with a possible hoaxing of a crypitd event, I would not be sending along a photograph of a smiley face in the mud to a skeptical tour promoter doing an examination of me!

Loren Coleman About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.

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