Fourth Witness Reports July 22nd Winged Humanoid Sighting at O'Hare International Airport

A photo of the sighting area taken by investigator Manuel Navarette. (Manuel Navarette / UFO Clearinghouse) — A photo of the sighting area taken by investigator Manuel Navarette. *(Manuel Navarette / UFO Clearinghouse)*

In mid-August of this year, Manuel Navarette of UFO Clearinghouse received a fourth report from someone claiming to have seen a winged humanoid which elicited a security response at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on the night of July 22nd.

The first report was reported to UFO Clearinghouse in early August by three witnesses who claimed to have seen a security detachment respond to a winged humanoid sighting at O’Hare’s United Cargo facility. That report was followed several days later by two corroborative reports initially received by Phantoms & Monsters and the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON).

According to the most recent report:

I was coming up the road toward the exit after leaving work. As I approached the curve by United Cargo, I noticed about eight security vehicles that had gathered around. As I approached, I saw something fly over the fence and head toward the runways. It looked like a giant man with large wings, but I only saw it for a second or two before it was gone.
I actually got out of my car and tried to take a picture before it flew out of range of my camera, but within a second or two of me getting out of my car I had somebody yelling at me to get back in my car and get the heck out of there. I did as I was told and left, and as I was driving out more security vehicles were showing up. I decided to report this when I saw that other people were coming forward about what happened that night.

Navarette said he was able to contact the witness and speak with him over the phone about the events of that night.

"The witness works at Delta Cargo as a forklift operator and was just getting off of his shift when he came upon the scene unfolding at United Cargo," Navarette said. "[He] told of having his own brief sighting of the winged humanoid and had heard multiple stories from other coworkers and other O’Hare employees about the sightings of the 'O’Hare Mothman.' The witness said that after his own brief encounter he began to keep his cell phone handy just in case he had another sighting and could try to take a picture of the entity."

The man told Navarette that he first saw the security vehicles' lights as he approached before seeing the winged humanoid fly over the fence towards the runways. He reportedly stopped his car approximately 20 feet from where the road in that area curves and left his vehicle in an attempt to photograph the creature, but was "immediately told in a forceful manner to get in his car and leave the area."

"The witness said the uniformed officer told him to leave in such an aggressive manner that [he] was immediately intimidated and felt compelled to stop everything he was doing, get in his car and leave the area post haste," Navarette explained. "The witness did state that there were eight to ten security vehicles already on scene and that more were turning the corner and headed to the area as he left and turned onto West Cargo Road headed toward the highway."

Navarette asked the man why he thought such a forceful response was given for this sighting by airport security and the TSA, to which he responded, "anything unauthorized that enters the tarmac area is usually dealt with severely due to the proximity of active planes."

And when Navarette asked him about the reported sightings at O'Hare, the man replied, "everyone is well aware of these sightings and that many of them are swept under the rug" and he "is not surprised that many of the witnesses were told that this was not a misidentified bird while also being told to not speak to anyone about it."

Navarette said that, in his opinion, the sighting is valid, and "the witness showed no obvious signs of deception and there is no reason to doubt the witness’s report as a hoax or false."

Information regarding the sighting has been shared with investigators from the Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research Team for further study.

"This information is consistent with the reports I have regularly received from a confidential informant who happens to be a supervisor employed by one of the commercial carriers," said Lon Strickler of Phantoms & Monsters.

O’Hare International Airport has been the epicenter of recent winged humanoid sightings in the Lake Michigan Mothman investigation, with over a dozen sighting reports coming from the airport itself since August of 2019, and many more reported in the surrounding communities. Reports from the larger investigation have come from every state bordering Lake Michigan and date back to 1957.

This report constitutes the latest news in a string of ‘Mothman’ sightings from within a few hundred mile radius surrounding Lake Michigan, including every state bordering the great lake. These sightings ostensibly began in the spring of 2017, but more historical accounts are being reported as more people become aware of the phenomenon. They generally take place in the evening or at night, often in or near a park or natural area, and around water. Witnesses consistently describe a large gray, brown, or black, bat or bird-like creature—although in a small number of cases the creature was described as insect-like—sometimes with glowing or reflective red, yellow, green, or orange eyes, and humanoid features such as arms and legs are often reported. Some witnesses have reported feeling intense fear and an aura of evil emanating from the creature they encountered. Many of the sightings are also of something seen only briefly or are described only as a flying creature with few details, which leaves open the possibility that a misidentified large bird—such as a heron or crane—or some type of anomalous avian species could explain some, although certainly not all, of the encounters. A number of associated high strangeness incidents have also occurred alongside the creature sightings; these include reports of UFOs, other anomalous flying creatures and mysterious humanoids, parapsychological phenomena, and bizarre events experienced by those investigating the sightings.

To report a sighting reach out to us directly at The Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

You can view a timeline of the sightings so far here.

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