A group of friends in Waukegan see a pair of bright red eyes in the nearby bushes at a local skate park. When they investigate, they hear a strange sound and observe a 7 ft. tall winged humanoid that ascends skyward.
The following report was received by Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research team member Manuel Navarette at UFO Clearinghouse:
Date of Sighting: October 31, 2020
Time of Sighting: Approximately 2030
Date of Report: November 2, 2020
Location of Sighting: Waukegan, Illinois
Number of witnesses: Five
Current status: Under Investigation
Sighting Details:
"It was Saturday night and it was about 8:30 at night, I was with a group of friends. There were 5 of us all together and just chilling out, hanging out and walking around doing nothing at all. We decided to stop at that convenience store across the street from the skate park and pick up some snacks and drinks. Me and 3 others were waiting outside by the bus stop for our friends to finish grabbing their stuff when we saw something moving in the trees behind us. We thought that it was just someone walking until we saw that it had red eyes. We laughed thinking it was someone with a mask on trying to prank us until we saw that it must have been like 7 feet. We decided to walk over to the bushes and see if it was someone trying to pull a bad Halloween prank on us.
We walked over and that’s when we started hearing a sound that sounded like a baby when they are crying, it was really high pitch but still sounded like a baby when they cry. As we got like closer, it got louder and louder till we were about 5-6 feet from it when we saw it shoot up into the trees and into the air. We all jumped and screamed as this thing took off into the air, still staring at us and was gone. We all ran back toward the store and told our other friends who had just come from inside. They told us to get off the drugs and that it was probably an owl or some kind of bird.
We all walked over to the skating park and jumped the fence and went to hang out inside, sitting on the edge of the bowl talking and watching our friends skate around inside the bowl. We had been there like an hour when we heard the same sound again coming from behind us. We all heard it and we turn to see the same red eyes up in the tree on the other side of the fence we had jumped to get in. We all sat there watching it for a few seconds when it flew back up into the air and we were able to barely make out that it had wings and looked like a person. My friend Javier yelled out that it was a Lechuza and we all freaked out. We watched as it flew over us twice and then flew off into the night. We all jumped the fence and walked home as fast as we could.
The entire time we were walking home, we were completely freaked the hell out and we heard the same sound three times but it always seemed to be from above and behind us. We got home and we all crashed at our friends house and didn’t leave till the morning. I’m not sure what we saw but it really scared the hell out of me and all of my friends. I really don’t care if you or anyone else don’t believe us, but we all saw and heard the same thing and we know what happened to us. We weren’t high or drunk, we were just a group of friends just trying to get out and hang out on a Saturday night."
Investigators Notes:
I was able to meet with three of the five witnesses, the other two were unable to join us due to work obligations. The three witnesses were able to recount the events of that night as they happened.
The witnesses state that they were just out and about, not really doing anything and just out enjoying the evening. One witness stated that they were tired of being cooped up at home due to the pandemic and that they all just wanted to get out and walk around the neighborhood and hang out. They stated that they frequent the convenience store that was in the report and stated that they usually hang out at the skatepark that is across the street. When I asked about the events of that night, they each told me their version of the events individually and also as a group. They reported that they first saw the being as it was behind a stand of trees next to a vacant lot that had electrical towers on it. The witnesses were standing besides the bus stop waiting for two individuals to finish their transactions inside the convenience store and then to step outside and meet them so that they could walk over to the park. The witnesses described seeing a pair of bright ruby red eyes looking at them from behind the stand of trees that separated the vacant lot from the store parking lot. At first they thought they belong to someone who was wearing a battery powered Halloween mask and was trying to scare them. They initially laughed and pointed in the direction of the eyes till one of them noticed that due to the height of the eyes the person would have to be extremely tall or the mak would have had to be on a pole. The witness stated that they still thought it was a prank and decided to walk over toward the spot and see if it was someone attempting to play a prank. As they walked toward the spot in the trees where they could still see the red eyes, they started to hear what sounded like a baby crying. One of the witnesses said it sounded like the crying of a baby when they are very upset or in pain yet it was at a higher pitch and much shorter. As they group approached the spot the sound became louder and more drawn out until the sound stopped and the eyes were propelled into the air. At this point the group was startled and began to fall back from the stand of trees. When asked how close they got to the trees, the witnesses all indicated at least 5-6 feet before they being took to the air. The witnessed all agree that the eyes kept locked on them until they seemed to turn around and fly away to the south over the field and toward a row of houses on the other side.
The witnesses all stated that they all yelled out loud and then took off running toward the store entrance where they met their friends who were coming out of the store. The witnesses stated that their companions laughed and made a joke about being on drugs and did not believe them at first suggesting they might have seen a large bird of an owl. The individuals stayed in front of the store for another 5-10 minutes before walking across the street and jumping the fence surrounding the skate park. The witnesses all stated that they just hung around, sitting on the edge of the bowl while two of their friends skated within. They were all talking when they heard the previously heard sound they heard before. The other two witnesses also heard it this time and indicated that it was coming from behind them. They turned to see the glowing red eyes had returned and were up in a group of trees just beyond the fence they had jumped earlier. The witnesses indicated that the being then took to the air from the trees and they saw the being looked like a tall man with wings. When asked how they were able to see that, they indicated that they were able to see it as the moon was full that night and it was faintly silhouetted against the moonlit sky. (The investigator did verify the weather forecast was for partly cloudy conditions with a full moon on the night in question) . They indicated that they could see the eyes still and that it seemed to circle them, when asked the witnesses said probably 20-25 feet or so in height above the group. The being then flew off again, this time in a northern direction toward the surrounding park.
The witnesses at this point had enough and left the skate park and began walking toward one of their houses which was approximately 20 minutes away from the skate park. When asked what they thought it was, one of the witnesses said it was probably a lechuza. Lechuza—a Spanish word for a type of owl, especially the barn owl—is a myth popular throughout northern Mexico and Texas. As the story goes, an old woman shape-shifts into a giant owl, La Lechuza, to take revenge on people who wronged her during her life. Sometimes the owl is variously depicted as black or white and sometimes with the head of the old woman. The witnesses all stated that as they walked home, they heard the sound of a baby crying on at least three occasions and that the sound seemed to be following them home. They reached their destination and stayed at that location till morning.
The witnesses were all HIspanic males, about 19-20 years in age and were all long time friends who grew up in the same general area. The witnesses all seemed to be genuinely concerned about what they saw and when asked questions intentionally meant to mislead they would respond with corrections to their account. The witnesses all told the same general story with slight variances generally indicating different point of views as one of the witnesses I met was one of the two who had been inside the store and did not see the initial encounter. He confirmed that he was inside and that when he was told what they had seen, he thought they were making the story up and did not believe them. The other two were part of the initial group who saw the being behind the row of trees and their viewpoint generally followed the narrative told in the initial report.
The investigator initially came into this investigation with doubt due to the nature of the holiday that this sighting happened and the age of the witnesses which initially pointed to this being a Halloween prank. After contacting the witnesses and their eagerness to meet face to face and talk about their sighting and after seeing the genuine looks of concern on the witnesses faces, it is the investigators opinion that this sighting has merit and that the witnesses were telling the truth.
NOTE: apparently, the location was the skate park at Bowen Park in Waukegan Skate Park at 1815 N Sheridan Rd. Lon
Have you had a sighting of a flying humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated. You can call me directly at 410-241-5974 as well. Thanks. Lon Strickler
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