This sighting took place in late April of 2005 in Nassahegon State Forest in Burlington, Connecticut.
My son, who was 6 years old at the time, was home on April vacation from first grade, asked if we could go for a walk in the woods.
This was around midday on a very sunny day. One of the first real warm days of the Spring. I took him to a trail that runs parallel To the Lamson’s Corner Cemetery.
The hike was nice and uneventful until we were walking back up to the trailhead. All of the sudden we heard a loud grunt as a large pine tree came crashing down behind us, complete with its root system.
My son screamed and we both whirled around to see what had happened. We both looked at where the tree had fallen from and it was on the north side of the trail about ten feet behind us.
As I took a step to see where the tree had been uprooted from, curious as to what had caused it to fall I saw movement and noticed what I can only describe as a giant CHIMPANZEE almost perfectly hidden in the shadows of the other trees as its hair was jet black.
Its eyes were also very dark almost like oil with a silvery glint to them. My son screamed again and I felt like my feet were made of cement and the creature just sort of tilted his head and turned around and glided away and then either blended into the deeper shadows of the woods or dropped down. Regardless, it was like the woods had swallowed it whole.
I say it glided away instead of ran because it’s movements were so smooth that it reminded me of watching someone using an Eliptical Trainer.
We clearly saw its face which had a mouth that rounded out from its face. The skin was grayish and not covered in hair.
It looked to me, and I admittedly suck at guaging height, that it stood about six foot five to six foot eight. It was very lithe and did not have the girth that most associate Sasquatch as having like the creature from the Patterson Gimlin Film. I’d best describe it as having the build of an NBA Power Forward.
I knew it wasn’t a bear because I grew up in those woods and had run across many black bears in my life, both on this trail, and in other parts of this State Forest.
I had seen a black bear rear up once on its hind legs when I surprised one foraging in some thick brush. Bears look awkward when they are on two legs. They almost move like a man wearing a really awkward bear suit.
This creature my son and I saw that day moved fluidly and almost preternaturally. Like I said it looked like it was gliding above the forest floor. I say this because it made no sound as it ran away from us and the forest floor here is pretty thickly layered with leaves and branches and such.
The whole encounter was maybe ten seconds even though it felt like hours to me. When it turned away and glided away it was like I was waking up from a hypnotic trance.
I felt a rush of pure terror overcome me and I scooped up my crying, terrified son into my arms and ran with him the rest of the way and didn’t stop until we got back to my car.
My son did not voluntarily go into the woods again for almost ten years. I went back to the area maybe a week later and found a footprint in dried mud which I will attach to you. Just remember it was taken with a flip phone camera and this was 2005 so it will not win any National Geographic awards.
I thank Jay for being comfortable with sharing his encounter with me. Encounters are very personal, and for some? Life changing and traumatic, so I never take the trust lightly. If you have one to share me please email me sasysquatchgirl.com
Demonwarp was a 1988 gem starring George Kennedy and directed by Emmett Alston.
