UFOs, Abductions, And Strange Goings-On: The Mysteries Of Hudson Valley!

Starting in the early-1980s, the residents of the Hudson Valley area of New York would begin seeing strange aerial sights. The bulk, or first wave, of these strange sightings, occurred between 1981 and 1994. All were startlingly similar in nature. Multiple lights would be seen in the sky, usually moving into formation. Sometimes the lights would move through the sky as if they were all part of one craft. What would also make these particular sightings all the more unique is the multiple witnesses to these events.

Although the sightings died down somewhat in the mid-nineties, there are still reports of such activity in the region today. Perhaps even more interestingly, a short distance away in the Bronx, a surge in UFO sightings appears to be underway.

Before we look at some of these sightings, check out the short video clip below. It is footage from 1984 by Bob Pozzouli and has verification as being authentic. It is typical of the kind of sightings over the Hudson Valley area of New York during this time.

Initial Wave, 1983

Perhaps the most well-known of the early Hudson Valley sightings would occur on 17^th March over the skies of Brewster. The town’s telephone switchboard became jammed with frantic calls reporting strange lights in the night sky. Gridlocked drivers on the Taconic parkway left their vehicles to observe the lights passing overhead. They appeared to be part of a large “mothership” craft according to some.

Dennis Sant is just one person who witnessed the craft as it made its way directly over his home. Sant, a government employee for almost twenty years, and married father of five children is an extremely credible witness.

He would later state, “Thoughts started to flood my mind, thoughts of the craft touching the ground, thoughts of an encounter with an alien being. Thoughts of being abducted. All types of fearful thoughts started to enter my mind!”

According to Sant, the object was most definitely three-dimensional and made of “girder-like”, dark gray metallic outer shell. The lights were “all brilliant colors” and had the look of a floating city at night!

Check out the video below. It looks at Sant’s experience in a little more detail.

Several months later in late June, another mass sighting occurred. This time, frightened residents could hear a strange, low humming sound permeate the whole area. Suddenly a huge “disc-shaped” craft, exploding in strange lights, made a pass over them. Estimates later claimed the craft to be “the size of 16 or 17 houses!”

You can check out the short video clip below which shows another typical sighting of the era in Hudson Valley.

Further Sightings

The sightings would continue throughout the eighties. Even then, by comparison to today, with reduced news outlets and no Internet, some people were beginning to connect the dots of these random sightings.

In the summer of 1986, ^[1] while driving home from work one evening, Rob Levine focused his attention on what looked to be a low-flying aircraft. Within seconds it had moved much closer to his position. He brought the vehicle to a stop. The object flashed with colored lights, unlike anything he had seen before.

As he maintained his view of the object, it seemed to keep moving further away and then closer. All the time the craft did this at great speed. The lights would flash in a V-shape, and then seem to form into strange, unknown letters. Levine would later claim that he had a feeling the craft was attempting to communicate. All the while, he noticed how quiet his surroundings were – almost surreal. As were the light beams projecting from it. However, they seemed to Levine, to be strangely projecting from the ground and up to the craft.

In total, between 1982 and 1986 alone, over three hundred reports of such sightings occurred. The details of them were remarkably similar. All would speak of lights in many colors and of them arranging themselves into shapes, in particular, a V-shape.

UFO Incidents Before the 1980s Wave

Although the wave of UFO sightings in Hudson Valley was indeed when such incidents were at their height, there are multiple examples of similar encounters that go back almost two decades previously. Linda Zimmerman has researched and documented many of these sightings extensively. ^[2] So, it is mainly to her files that we will turn to examine some of these pre-1980s wave sightings.

The Strange Sighting Of Dorothy Wiik

Perhaps one of the earliest reports of UFOs (at least in the post-1947 modern UFO era) is that of Dorothy Wiik, who witnessed a disc-shaped object in the region at some point in 1968.

As Dorothy, along with her husband and daughter, was driving home one evening, she suddenly noticed a “circle of red light” overhead. When she drew her husband’s attention to the lights, he pulled the car over so that they could get a better look. They could clearly see the lights were part of a “huge, circular craft” that appeared to be “moving back and forth” over the road.

As they continued to watch, they noticed that a “light beam” appeared from the underside of the craft and lit up the ground below. This happened several times before the craft suddenly disappeared into the night sky “at a high rate of speed”. At no point during the sighting did any of the family hear any sound come from the strange vehicle, even when it vanished.

They would report the sighting to local police, and several days later, a report appeared in the local newspaper. The article would claim that many other people had witnessed the strange object that evening, including several police officers.

Of more concern to the Wiik family was the gentleman from the nearby Stewart Air Force Base who visited their home a short time later. And while he was not threatening in any way, his predetermined decision was obviously to dismiss the sighting as nothing out of the ordinary. It is not certain whether other witnesses received similar visits.

Something “Not Of This Earth” Over Brewster

An incident that was reported to the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) that occurred in Brewster in the summer of 1975 is also worthy of our examination here. The anonymous witness claimed it was a summer’s day in August when they were driving and approaching an intersection.

As they did, however, they noticed a “stationary” object in the perfectly clear, blue sky. The strange craft was just above the pine trees in the distance at an approximate altitude of 50 feet. He continued to keep his gaze on the object, thinking at first that it must be a plane from a nearby airport.

However, when he focused fully on the craft, he saw something akin to a “40-gallon oil drum” (although he would recall that the size was approximately that of a small car). Around the sides of the object were “three rings of blinking lights”. The outer rings of lights moved rotated in one direction, while the middle one moved in the other direction.

Then, as he was watching the strange craft, it simply disappeared into thin air. This is an intriguing detail – that the object simply appeared to vanish as opposed to speed away. Might this suggest, once more, the presence of some kind of portal or gateway in Hudson Valley?

The following day, the witness would see a front-page article regarding the sighting in the Danbury New Times. What’s more, there were seemingly other witnesses to the sighting, including a local police officer who managed to capture shaky video footage of the sighting. Because the witness was a friend of the officer in question, he managed to view the footage himself several days later. It is the witness’s firm belief that what he saw that afternoon was “not of this Earth!”

The Newburgh-Beacon Bridge Incident

Around a year after the sighting over Brewster, on the evening of 3^rd July 1976, another strange incident unfolded. This time, the main witness was a nine-year-old girl named Marloe. She was on her way home with her family after attending a birthday party.

As they were making their way toward the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, with her mother driving, her father in the passenger seat, and her brother next to her in the back seat, they all noticed how a line of cars was parked at the side of the road, the drivers and passengers stood next to them, seeming watching something happening above them.

They did likewise, pulled their car to the side of the road, and began to get out of the vehicle in order to see what was taking place. When they looked up, they could see a “humongous craft hovering” overhead a little distance away from the bridge. Marloe would recall almost half a century later how it was “diamond-shaped” with “rounded corners”. What’s more, it was glowing brightly as it hovered. Even stranger, no noise came from the craft, despite its close proximity to them.

After watching the strange object for several minutes, it suddenly took off into the distance at such a pace that it was “just like it had shrunk”.

Marloe would recall that her father, John, had noticed a raised part to the top of the craft but had also seen windows spaced around on the underside. Furthermore, there was a “bright yellowish light” coming from the other side of the windows. He would further recall how the craft “moved in the strangest way”. It would, he stated, “jump from place to place” several times, and remained completely silent as it did so.

Marloe’s mother, Cassie, also had clear memories of the night in question. She recalled how some people at the roadside were taking pictures of the monstrous craft above. She further recalled that although it was a circular shape, it was “not a saucer as it had height”. She would elaborate that it was like a “cruise ship of flying saucers”. Cassie also noticed what appeared to be windows, only she recalled seeing them along the side of the craft. She would state that “some were lit, some were not”.

Cassie also recalled that while the exterior of the strange otherworldly object appeared to be metallic, it was “not shiny”.

The family would report the sighting to the local police upon arriving home. And while the officer did admit that they had received a lot of calls, according to John, he was told that he shouldn’t waste his time as “it won’t be reported, and it won’t be in the newspapers”.

John would claim he pressed the officer as to why this would be the case and was essentially told that great efforts were made to ensure such incidents were not widely reported, if at all, even claiming he and his partner faced the same restrictions when they attempted to report a UFO they had seen one evening while on patrol.

Other Sightings From The Same Family

When UFO researcher, Linda Zimmerman, spoke with Marloe, she would reveal that she had witnessed another UFO several months later while waiting for the school bus to arrive. It was snowy and cold on the morning in question. As Marloe stood at the bus stop she suddenly heard a “strange humming” coming from somewhere above her. She looked around, at first not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

Then, she saw it. Emerging out of the clouds was a “whiteish egg-shaped” craft. What’s more, much like the strange object she saw with her family the previous summer, she noticed how there were windows along the side of the craft with a warm yellow light seeping out of them.

Before she knew what was happening, the bus arrived. Although she wanted to watch the object longer, she stepped on the bus. The driver, however, must also have seen it, and asked her immediately if she had seen anything strange. She said that she had before taking her seat.

Perhaps even more intriguing, Cassie would also reveal that she had witnessed several UFOs, the first at the start of the 1970s. She was driving with her sister on the day in question through the mountain roads of the region. The sunshine was bright in the sky overhead, and the atmosphere was serene.

Suddenly, however, that serenity was broken by her sister’s exclamations that something untoward was in the sky. When Cassie looked to where her sister was pointing, she saw “three cigar-shaped objects” hovering overhead. They were “tapered at the ends” and appeared to be of a “dull, silver color” and remained in a strict formation without making a sound.

Just before the sighting witnessed by the entire family, in the spring of 1976, Cassie witnessed a strange orange glow descending toward the woodlands that surrounded their home. The night was particularly foggy and rainy, but she could clearly see the strange spherical object. And she could clearly see that it was not a meteor due to the fact that it slowed dramatically the closer it got to the ground.

Do these multiple sightings involving members of the same family suggest something more than mere sightings? We might remind ourselves that many alien abductees often discover that strange incidents go back years, often to childhood, and continue to occur in the years that follow their initial discoveries.

A Triangular Object So Large “It Blocked Out The Stars!”

Another account that comes to us from Zimmerman’s files is that of Ed Mulvaney, who would contact the researcher about an incident that unfolded in the summer of 1979. He would claim that he was driving down Stormville Mountain when he noticed a “huge craft” around half a mile in the distance. As he watched the strange object closer, he realized it was a distinct triangular shape.

He continued along the road, and as he approached the highway he noticed “15 or 20 cars pulled over” obviously watching the bizarre aerial display. Ed also brought his vehicle to a stop, got out, and walked over to where a small collection of onlookers was watching the behemoth of an object overhead. They all watched as the triangular craft passed over their heads.

Ed would estimate that the object was approximately the size of a “new cruise ship” and that it “blocked out most of the stars” as it went over them. In all, it took around half a minute for it to move completely over them and away into the distance. Furthermore, not a sound came from the huge object.

Ed also noticed that he could see several lights in a ring formation that were changing color. What’s more, they appeared as though “they were pulsating” as they changed. There was also a bright, constant light at each corner of the craft.

After several more moments, the object began to disappear behind the line of trees and was eventually out of sight. Then, perhaps rather surreally, people simply got back inside their vehicles and resumed their respective journeys.

What is intriguing about this sighting is the fact that triangular UFOs were not generally witnessed until the mid-1980s, meaning this particular sighting could be one of the earliest on record. Furthermore, there would appear to have been multiple witnesses, some of which may one day come forward to corroborate the incident. The detail of the “pulsating” light is also of interest, as it surfaces a lot in other UFO reports across the years.

The Croton Reservoir Sighting

A similar sighting of a strange, triangular craft occurred shortly after that of Ed Mulvaney’s in the Yorkton Heights region of Hudson Valley at some point in late-1979 or early-1980. The witness, Joan Naylor, claimed she was driving with her husband near the Croton Reservoir late one evening when she suddenly noticed what she at first thought was an orange star. However, when she realized this “star” was moving, she mentioned it to her husband, who turned his attention to the sky.

They continued to watch the object as it moved across the sky, now at a seemingly considerable pace. In fact, at points, it appeared it had a trail of fire behind it making the Naylors think it might be a comet or even a “plane on fire”.

At this point, realizing they were witnessing something truly out of the ordinary, they pulled their car to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. The object was now much closer and was “lighting up the sky around it”. Then, the object suddenly changed direction while at the same time, a much brighter light emanated from it.

It was now headed in their direction, passing over them and heading out over the reservoir. They could now clearly see it was a distinct triangular shape, and much like the Mulvaney sighting made no noise whatsoever. What’s more, each point of the triangle had a bright white light.

As it moved out of sight the couple got back in the car and drove to the Croton Dam in hope of getting a better view and relocating the strange craft once more. Eventually, they noticed the bright light of the triangular vehicle “on top of the mountain” a short distance away from their location.

This time, however, when the light began to rise, they became aware of a sudden loud noise. Before they realized what was happening, they were surrounded by three military helicopters that had seemingly appeared from below them in the valley. The helicopters, though, appeared unaware of their presence and quickly made their way to join the triangular craft, all of them eventually disappearing into the distance.

Although Joan did attempt to make a report of the sighting, she would claim that “no one was interested”. Might this have been because of the military presence that evening? It certainly isn’t the first time that these military helicopters have appeared in the same vicinity as these distinct triangular-shaped vehicles.

The Arthur Kill River Sighting 2001

As the 14^th of July gave way to the 15^th, numerous people made reports of strange lights in the sky. Many made reports from their cars on the road approaching the New Jersey Turnpike. The lights seemed to be over the Arthur Kill River.

The glowing orbs were in a V-shape formation as they moved across the sky. Reports differed as to whether the lights were from one craft, or they represented individual objects. Some would claim that the lights began to scatter themselves away from each other before disappearing.

Interestingly enough, neither the local weather service nor nearby Newark Airport picked up any strange activity on their respective specialist equipment. The whole episode evoked memories of the sightings of the 1980s for some.

You can check out the short video clip below. Although it isn’t the best quality, it still captures what the witnesses would later speak of.

UFO Sightings In The Twenty-First Century

Much like there were sightings of strange objects before the 1980s wave, sightings of strange, advanced craft continue well into the twenty-first century. And like the sightings from the late-1960s and 1970s, there appear to be a plethora of different crafts being seen. Below are just a few of those encounters that have taken place throughout the 2000s.

Low-Altitude UFO Sighting Evokes Helicopter Response

Another sighting that comes to us from the NUFORC site occurred on the 17^th March 2006 in the Nanuet region. The unnamed witness was stepping out on to the driveway as they had witnessed their grandparents pulling up in their car outside. When they did so, however, they noticed strange lights in the distance. However, rather than remaining stationary, they were “moving really slowly”.

Realizing they were potentially witnessing something particularly strange; the witness pointed to the sky and asked their grandfather (who had served in the military) what the strange lights might be. To him, however, there was no confusion as to what it was. It was, he would say “a UFO!”

It was definitely moving in their direction and was at a much lower altitude. It eventually passed over them, allowing them to see the underside of this gigantic craft in much more detail. It was a distinct oval shape with multiple lights of different colors running around the side. What’s more, like many similar UFO sightings, the object, while most definitely solid, was completely silent.

The object moved away into the distance, although it remained in view for a considerable amount of time due to the (relative) slowness with which it moved. The witness would report the sighting to the police, who admitted they had received multiple calls that evening.

Even stranger, for several hours after the object had disappeared, “the sky was full of helicopters with searchlights”.  Although the sighting was largely dismissed in the local newspapers over the following days, the fact that such a response was deemed necessary should tell us that the sightings were taken seriously.

Strange Bright Shapes And “Beams Of Light!”

According to an account on the Pine Bush Anomaly website, a particularly interesting UFO sighting occurred in Walkill in April 2012. According to the account, a police officer named “Brad” witnessed “something odd” in the night sky as he was returning home at around 10 pm with his daughter after taking his wife to the hospital.

As they were approaching an intersection, each of them noticed a “very bright light” in the sky in front of them. Brad would estimate that the object was approximately a mile from their location and was seemingly hovering in one place. Perhaps interestingly or not, according to Brad, beneath where the object was hovering was a large electrical tower.

Then, without a warning, a yellowish “beam of light” emerged from the underside and appeared to hit the ground. Both witnesses continued to watch the strange object for several minutes before it suddenly disappeared without warning.

Just as they were beginning to put the incident out of their minds – reasoning that it must have been a helicopter of some kind – the object reappeared, only this time it was “many miles” from where it had been only seconds earlier.

Although intrigued, Brad continued on with their journey. They both, though, kept the object in their sights and would continue to watch it from their home. Brad even retrieved his camera so that he could use it as a telescope to get a closer look at whatever strange craft the object was. However, when he zoomed in, all he could see was a “bright light” with “no shape or form” and with “beams of light” emerging from it.

Whatever the craft might have been remains unknown. However, from social media posts that Brad made over the days and weeks after the sighting, it appeared there were multiple witnesses to the strange events that April evening.

Triangular Object Hovering Over Middleton

Around a month later, another sighting occurred in the Middleton region and was reported and investigated by MUFON (Mutual UFO Network). The anonymous witness claimed they were driving on the highway at a little after 1 am on the 24^th of May 2012 when they noticed strange, bright lights in the skies overhead.

At first thinking the object was a plane coming into land, the witness at first dismissed the strange light as nothing too out of the ordinary. However, when they realized that the light wasn’t moving but instead appeared to be hovering in the same spot, they kept their focus on it a little longer. They would recall how it “looked so odd”.

They continued along their way, keeping the object, which was now growing larger the more they approached it, in their sights. They eventually passed the object, meaning it was now in the side window of their car. It was clear now that it most definitely stationary and not moving at all.

The witness eventually brought their vehicle to a complete stop. From their location, they could now see that the object was a triangular shape with a bright light at each corner. What’s more, there was a smaller, red light next to each white one.

They would state in their report that they suddenly had a wave of fear wash over them causing them to step back on the gas and leave the area as soon as possible.

We have to ask, whether these crafts are of an extraterrestrial nature or whether they are top-secret military projects, what do they have to gain from such public, prolonged, and persistent appearances such as the above encounters?

The Truly Bizarre UFO Encounters Of Janet

Another incident occurred in Middleton around three years earlier in May 2009 and comes to us from the files of the previously mentioned Linda Zimmerman. The witness, Janet, was driving to a quiet spot in the region early one morning in order to enjoy a walk before the upcoming day. Her journey would take her past Randall Airport, and while she was driving past, she noticed some activity to the side of her that she at first thought was a plane taking off.

However, when she turned her attention to it, it appeared as though something was “coming out of the ground”. She focused on the scene and was shocked beyond belief to see a “silver, cigar-shaped object” seemingly rising into the air. What’s more, there were no windows to be seen on this strange, futuristic-looking craft, nor were there any wings or signs of propulsion. Even stranger, not a sound came from the craft as it rose into the air. She would later estimate that the object was around 40 feet long and approximately 12 feet wide.

She noticed that it was now just above the powerlines and was moving in the same direction she was. In fact, it was keeping perfect pace with her, even slowing down when she slowed down. This continued for several minutes before the craft appeared to lose interest in her and set out in a different direction.

Now intrigued, Janet went to turn her vehicle around so she could follow the craft. However, before she could fully do so it had disappeared “in the blink of an eye”. Interestingly or not, much like the sighting involving “Brad” that we examined earlier, closer inspection of where the craft had been hovering revealed that an electrical plant resided below. Might these strange crafts appear over such locations in order to, essentially, steal the power running through the powerlines going in and out of such plants? It is certainly a notion that has been put forward by researchers before.

A little over half a year later in February 2013, Janet would witness another UFO, this time, in nearby Washingtonville. Janet was in her car once again driving along the road with the sky beginning to turn dark overhead. However, her attention was drawn toward a huge triangular object that was moving at an incredibly low altitude ahead.

She would claim it was “larger than a building” with a “solid, bright yellow band of lights” running along its side. Perhaps even more intriguing, Janey stated she could see a rectangular shape extended from the back which gave the object an “arrowhead” appearance. She eventually brought her car to a stop at the traffic lights and turned to watch the craft further. However, a second or so later, it simply vanished in front of her eyes, dispelling any ideas that what she was seeing was a secret military vehicle.

A Quick Thought To Consider

Perhaps one thing we might consider after examining some of the many UFO sightings that have occurred in the Hudson Valley region, especially when we consider theories of portals or gateways existing in this same location, is that these crafts might be there, yet not there at the very same time.

For example, we have written of “ghost planes” and “ghost ships” that seemingly appear out of nowhere and then simply vanish in front of the witness’s eyes. Might at least some UFO sightings be of a similar nature?

For example, if we accept the possibility of advanced civilizations existing hundreds of thousands of years ago, perhaps longer, then might these advanced crafts be the manifestation of a vehicle these speculative and unknown to history civilizations might have used? Might this explain the silence of these otherwise mammoth crafts? And might this explain why some of these vehicles simply fade and vanish into thin as opposed to racing off into the distance?

Or might they indeed be vehicles from another dimension? One that exists temporarily in the same vibratory frequency as we do. Or might, if we assume the area does contain some kind of gateway into our world, these strange objects indeed be strange visitors from another dimension or realm of existence?

That UFO activity is rife in the Hudson Valley, though, is without a doubt. And that abundance of activity looks set to continue into the foreseeable future.

Alien Abductions In Hudson Valley?

As we might expect, if there are a plethora of UFO sightings in the Hudson Valley region of New York, then there is likely to be some claims of alien abduction – which there are. In her book Hudson Valley UFOs: Startling Eyewitness Accounts from 1909 to the Present, Linda Zimmerman details just several of these.

One of the earliest goes back to 1929, almost two decades before the start of the Modern UFO Era in the late-1940s. The account surfaced in 1979 on a radio talk show featuring UFO and alien abduction researcher, Budd Hopkins, when a retired 61-year-old teacher recalled a “strange, peculiar experience” that took place when she was nine years old in Spring Valley.

Hopkins would give the woman the name “Ellen Sutter” to protect her identity. She would state how she was outside during an “overcast summer afternoon” on the day in question. As she was playing a “blinding flash” caught her attention. She would describe it as if something metallic had just reflected the sun.

However, it was when she looked up that things really took on a bizarre feel. Above her was “something huge, shaped like a dirigible, with many, many portholes”. She would further describe how the atmosphere took on a feeling “like time stood still”. Furthermore, she felt as though she couldn’t move from where she stood. She would continue that there was not another sound or noise around her, not even birds, and that “it was like time stood still”.

Then, as she remained watching the strange object, several figures emerged and “floated” down toward her. She would describe them as wearing something similar to a “diving suit” and that they had a “distorted, short-looking body”. The next thing she realized the figures had disappeared back inside the craft which was ascending before disappearing in an instant.

Ellen returned home and was a little shocked that her mother was angry with her for being late back. To her, she had only been gone a short time. In light of this, as well as because of the strange urge that she should keep the incident “secret”, she decided not to tell anyone of the strange affair.

During the months that followed, though, the memories of the episode remained very much with her. She constantly feared the strange object would return to her. And even more bizarre, she began to feel scared of doctors and hospitals. Might this have been a deeply buried memory of her apparent abduction incident?

“We Can’t Keep Her – She’s Damaged!” – The Account Of “Pamela”

Zimmerman also details the encounter of an apparent abductee named Pamela. And like the above account, the incident occurred when she was a young girl in 1972 although was not reported until 40 years later.

She would recall to Zimmerman that she was playing in her sandbox on a sunny day. She could remember distinctly that she was looking at her mother through the kitchen window when she suddenly found herself in a strange room lying “on a flat table, like an operating table”.

When she quickly cast her focus around the room, she recalled how it was quite large with “metallic pods on the wall”. She had the impression that there were several figures in the room with her. When one of them approached her she could tell they were not human.

She would describe them as “short, grey, and had big eyes”. She would also recall how despite the fact that they weren’t physically talking she could “hear them speak”. This apparent telepathic communication is a detail that surfaces repeatedly in alien abduction accounts.

Then, what she heard made her listen even more. She would claim the beings said, “We can’t keep her…she’s damaged!”

Before she had time to contemplate that statement any further, she was back in her garden in the sandbox. She had the feeling as though “time was frozen” in that her mother appeared to be in the exact same position as she was before she found herself on the table. Then, came the feeling that someone pressed play, and time began again.

These details are extremely intriguing. What, for example, should we make of the statement of Pamela being “damaged”. Incidentally, when Zimmerman spoke further with Pamela it would come to light that she had required surgery when she was a baby due to severe health problems. Perhaps of more concern, of them “keeping her”. Would they have kept her and not returned her? Or might this have been meant in a way of keeping her on some kind of database meaning they would repeatedly abduct her?

Just over a decade later, another incident did indeed occur. And this time her mother, Shirley, witnessed it also.

“They Came Back To Check On Me!”

Twelve years later, at around 9 pm one evening in 1984, Pamela was in her bedroom when she noticed strange lights outside. They were in the distance but were heading in the direction of their home. And what’s more, they were doing so at a considerable pace. By the time the lights were closer to her, she could see that they were part of a solid, metallic object which she would describe as “a V-shape”.

She would immediately head downstairs and outside, shouting to her parents “I see a UFO!” After further urging them to join her, each of them followed their daughter outside. The craft was now hovering almost directly above the house. Pamela would recall how the object was so big that it “blotted out the whole sky”.

Suddenly, Pamela’s father stopped at the door and called out to them that they should come inside and that “they will suck you up”. Was this just a fear that came out of whatever information he might have known from reading about such incidents, or from watching them on television? Or might they have been from his own buried memories of previous experiences? Many researchers have found, for example, that members of a repeat abductee’s family are also abducted.

Pamela and her mother remained where they were, watching the huge otherworldly object above them. They could hear a “faint humming” sound which they presumed came from the craft itself. They would describe the lights as “red, white, and green, which was the only color on the craft, with the rest of the exterior being a “deep black”.

After around 30 minutes, the craft suddenly began to move away from the house. Thinking it was heading away from them, each was a little shocked when it suddenly stopped, turned around, and headed back in their direction. It hovered close to them for several more minutes before finally heading away from them. Then, it disappeared “as quick as a flash”.

Pamela would turn to her mother and state of the huge, glowing craft, that “they came back to check on me”. Perhaps because of the excitement of the moment, Shirley didn’t press her daughter on this statement, and only fully understood the weight of it when she learned of the 1972 encounter years later.

There are some more intriguing details, though, to examine.

Further Strange Incidents Follow The Family

During Zimmerman’s interviews with the witnesses, she learned of some interesting incidents that had taken place over the decades since the 1972 and 1984 encounters. Pamela, for example, despite having moved away from New York and living in Florida, still experiences “weird stuff” that happens to her. So much so, that friends often refuse to go her home.

However, perhaps some of the most intriguing incidents have been experienced by Shirley and her husband. For example, a few months after the sighting in 1984, the couple awoke in their bedrooms in the middle of the night, both feeling confused that something strange had just happened. Furthermore, her husband was on the floor “as if he had fallen out of bed”. Each of them also had a feeling as though they had “been drugged”.

Shirley also informed Zimmerman that she had several occasions of precognition – two of which would prove to be lifesaving. The first occurred one evening when she was driving. As she was approaching an intersection, she noticed that the light was on green. However, something inside told her it wasn’t safe causing her to slow her vehicle. Almost immediately after doing so, a car raced through a red light. Had she not slowed the oncoming car would almost certainly have collided with her.

A similar incident occurred when the sudden feeling to slow vehicle overtook her out of nowhere. Almost as soon as she did so, a tree fell from the roadside, only just missing her car.

These sudden feelings of being able to “see the future” occur in many other alien abduction accounts. Whether this is an intentional change orchestrated by the abductors or whether it is simply a coincidental byproduct of such encounters remains up for debate.

The Bizarre Encounters Of “Brenda”

We will stay with Zimmerman’s work a little while longer and examine another set of incidents that occurred in the Warwick region of New York. The witness – “Brenda” – was seemingly in the middle of repeat alien abductions – ones that also appeared to be happening to several members of the family.

In early 1972 – around February or March – Brenda was asleep in her bedroom that she shared with her sister. It was somewhere between 2 am and 4 am when they were suddenly woken by the sounds of frantic barking by their dog, Bourbon. They also noticed how the entire house appeared to be bathed in a “super bright light…as if all the lights in a large department store were turned on”.

As their bedroom door was open, they could see that Bourbon was stood outside their parents’ bedroom door. He continued to bark until their father finally opened the door and reached down to scoop up the dog. He then headed to the living room, carrying Bourbon with him. What was strange, was the catatonic type of look to him as he did so.

A short time later, he returned, still carrying the now quiet Bourbon. Their mother must have noticed that they were awake as she called out to them that everything was OK and that a “spark had popped out of the fireplace and burnt the carpet”.

Strange Behavior And Unanswered Questions

The following day, for reasons he didn’t explain, Brenda’s father proceeded to nail shut all of the windows in the house. What’s more, not only did he not explain, but Brenda’s mother didn’t ask the reason why, meaning neither did either of the girls.

The events were largely forgotten about after evening. However, decades later, Brenda would bring up the night in question during a conversation with her sister. And when she did, she learned her sister had seen more than she.

When their father walked toward the living room carrying their pet dog, Brenda’s sister had discreetly followed him. She noticed that he was in a zombie-like state as he walked and simply “stared straight ahead”. She didn’t see what happened when he left her sight as she was too frightened to follow. She did, though, remember the events exactly in the same way as Brenda did. This was confirmation to each that they had not imagined it.

Each agreed that the bright light was much too bright to have been caused by a spark that had leaped from the fireplace. And even if it had, why would a solution to that have been to nail shut all of the windows?

Nothing is known of what took place in the minutes leading up to the girls waking. It does, however, sound very much like an abduction event, possibly involving their father. Five years later, another otherworldly incident would unfold. And this one appeared to involve Brenda much more directly.

A Second Bizarre Encounter

In November 1977, Brenda was driving along the road when she suddenly noticed a hawk flying next to her vehicle. Even more unnerving, it was seemingly turned toward her staring straight at her. This continued for around 10 seconds before the bird flew around to the front of the car, continuing to stare straight at her as it did so. It occurred to her that the hawk must be flying backward in order to maintain the same distance from her car – which she equally realized was a ridiculous notion.

Then, things changed.

She was suddenly standing on the roadside at the back of her car. She was facing toward a field that ran along the roadside. She noticed that the ground around her was wet (a seemingly strange detail but one that does, on occasion, surface in other extraterrestrial encounters) and that she felt in a state of confusion.

When she focused on the field some more, she suddenly realized there were several strange figures stood there. They appeared to be in a “V-formation”, with the figure at the tip of the V being taller than the rest. She would also offer that they were wearing “tight-fitting bodysuits” – almost an exact description as that offered by Ellen, whose encounter we examined earlier.

Rather than feeling fear or anger, she simply waved toward the group and then got back in her car. She would initially tell people of seeing the hawk, even of it flying backward. However, she didn’t tell anyone of the strange figures or of suddenly finding herself stood at the roadside.

By the time she told of her encounters to Zimmerman, she suspected that the hawk was just a random “screen memory” likely placed there by the strange figures. And the purpose of those screen memories was to block what was likely an alien abduction.

The Croton Falls Abduction

We will turn our attention to the research of another expert in UFOs in the Hudson Valley region, Philip Imbrogno, who would document several alien abduction encounters in the area in the book The Hudson Valley UFO Sightings. ^[3]

Perhaps one of the most intriguing is that of “Ray” who experience something very much out of the ordinary on the evening of 13^th March 1988 while driving in Croton Falls. He was making his way home from a friend’s house and was driving along a particularly dark road that ran alongside a reservoir. What is interesting here, a detail we often highlight is that many UFO sightings occur over or near water.

As he was driving, he suddenly noticed a group of “bright white lights” that appeared to be moving at a low altitude over the water. He realized they were too low to be a plane, and what’s more, tey appeared to be relatively close. He continued to drive, eventually bringing his vehicle to a stop when there was a gap in the trees at the roadside.

He peered out of the now open car window and realized the lights were heading in his direction. He leaned out of the car in order to get a better view. The closer the lights came to him the clearer a solid structure that they were attached to became. It eventually passed directly overhead. As it did so, he realized the object had a distinct triangle shape and made no noise whatsoever.

As it continued overhead, he noticed several white flashes of light that he would liken to a strobe. Then, the object was simply gone, and he was sat back inside the car and driving back down the road. He had no memory of it moving away, of reentering the vehicle, or of setting off. He knew something very strange had taken place.

The following days were full of confusion and a general feeling of uneasiness. Even worse, he would wake up in the middle of the night after having intense nightmares. Realizing he needed to contact someone with expertise in such matters, he contacted Imbrogno.

Revelations Of Regression

Ray would undergo hypnotic regression in order to unlock the memories of just what had taken place that evening. Dr. Jean Mundy would undertake the sessions. And as we might expect, the revelations were astonishing.

It would come to light that while Ray was watching the strange object pass overhead, he was brought up into it. The next thing he knew, he was in a strange room lying on what appeared to be a table. There was a “strange instrument” around his head and each of his legs felt as though they were dead. There were several strange entities around the table – entities that he would describe as most of us would recognize a typical grey alien.

Then, things took a drastic change as one of the beings inserted something into Ray’s nose. It caused him immediate pain. He wasn’t sure how long the procedure lasted, but once it was complete, he was allowed to get up.

One of the entities then guided him toward something that looked like a control panel. In an interesting detail that echoes many other alien abduction cases, Ray would recall that although none of the beings spoke to him, he “knew” what they wished him to do. Unfortunately, although he recalls looking at the control panel and of understanding his abductors’ wishes, he could not recall what happened. This is another detail that often shows up in similar accounts – that certain memories are somehow locked away from the abductee.

The next thing Ray realized; he was driving down the road in his car. Just what the purpose of the abduction might have been is unknown. Ray, however, would tell Imbrogno of his deep belief that whoever the strange entities were, they would return for him soon.

He would also state that he feels he is in “some form of mental contact” with the entities. Often, they will ask questions of everyday things he might doing, wanting to know how certain things made him feel. If there is a reconnaissance mission behind such alien abductions – as many researchers believe there is – this detail of particular interest. And concern. Especially as Ray stated he was unable to resist or control these requests for information.

A Disturbing Similar Encounter – “Bill”

Another intriguing alien abduction encounter from Imbrogno’s files. unfolded four years earlier, during the wave of sightings we examined previously, on the 19^th July 1984. And some of the details are almost identical.

The witness – known as “Bill” – was a computer programmer employed by a well-known corporation. He had even worked on parts of the NASA Hubble space telescope. On the night in question, he left work at around 10:30 pm and proceeded to drive home. He was driving on Highway I-84 when he noticed a strange, bright, circular object in the sky overhead. He continued to drive while glancing back at the object, noticing that when it moved there appeared to be another, much larger object behind it.

He continued to watch the object while driving, eventually losing sight of it and ultimately not placing too much weight in what it might have been. He carried on driving, eventually going past a field at around 11 pm – a field he had passed several times before. This time, though, it appeared as though there was a “dark mass”, which Bill initially thought was a house was in the middle of the field. Then, however, he quickly went over other journeys he had made past this very field and couldn’t recall ever seeing a house or any building there.

He began to slow his vehicle down so he could get a better look at the object, which he later described as “huge and dark” with tapered, smooth sides.

Suddenly, the object began to rise from the ground, not making a sound as it did so. As it continued to rise Bill noticed that his car radio appeared to weaken somewhat, making the music sound distant and faded. This detail of interference with car electrics and engines comes up often in such close proximity sightings.

A sudden fear ran through Bill and he quickly sped away from the scene, eventually losing sight of the object in the distance. It wouldn’t, though, be the end of the encounter.

“Like One Of The Star Destroyers In Star Wars!”

Several moments after having lost sight of the object, Bill began to slow his car a little. However, it wasn’t long before he noticed a strange light over the other side of a hill he was approaching. As he climbed the hill he could see the strange object once more. And this time, he could see the white and yellow lights clearly.

He quickly brought his car to a stop and turned off the lights. The object responded in kind and began moving once more, heading in his direction. Bill would inform Imbrogno that although he didn’t “want to make light of this, but the ship looked like one of the star destroyers in Star Wars”.

As the huge, dark object passed directly over him Bill noticed what looked to be circular tunnels that appeared to be entrances into the object. In a remarkably similar detail to the Croton abduction, Bill also noticed something very akin to white strobe lights that appeared to come from around or inside these tunnels.

He continued to watch the object as it passed directly over his car. Then, however, he suddenly found himself at the bottom of the hill, around 600 feet from where he was standing. The object had now gone, although he couldn’t recall seeing it disappear. He noticed that his neck also suddenly felt stiff and ached. Even stranger, while he estimated that he might have watched the UFO for around 30 minutes when he checked the time it was 15 minutes after midnight.

He ultimately returned home and informed his wife of the encounter, after which they went to bed. However, after being asleep for several hours, he suddenly awoke screaming “get away from me!”

These nightmares continued for several weeks. And while Bill could never recall exactly what was taking place, he knew that “something was after him”. He would eventually seek out the help of Imbrogno and request to undergo hypnotic regression.

“We Need You, You Have Been Selected!”

After being regressed, Bill began to see the unconscious memories that had been locked away from him. He would recall seeing the object and it heading toward him. Then, however, he would reveal how could see “someone standing in the road…he is now walking toward the car”. He then claimed a voice entered his mind telling him not to be “fearful” and that he was needed and had “been selected”.

He then had a feeling of floating in the air before he found himself lying on a table of some kind. He would describe his legs as “dead weights” and also declared that there were six figures around him. He would go on to describe them as “small, (with) large heads with round eyes”. He would describe the eyes as “all black” with no pupils. He would liken them to “sharks’ eyes”. He would further state that they were dressed in “skin-tight suits”.

He then noticed that one of the figures was operating some kind of device around his skull. Suddenly the device began to vibrate making his head fill with pain. He would claim it felt like “a drill going through my head”. A voice entered his mind telling him they were “looking for something and (had) found it”.

Then, the feeling returned to his limbs, and the voice in his head informed him he could get up from the table.

He was led by two of the figures away from the table. He asked them where they were from and was confused somewhat when they replied, “we are from here!” Did this mean they were from Earth? He was told that they would return him but that would “see him again”.

Perhaps it was one of the last revelations that were the most chilling. According to Bill, his abductors informed him that they needed humans as they “have trouble living in our world”. He would elaborate that they “came from a place which is very ugly” and that they “would rather live here but can’t”.

We will explore what the consequences to the human race might be in a moment. However, we should note that those involved with the regression sessions, as well as Bill himself, firmly believe that something out of the ordinary occurred that evening in the Hudson Valley.

Imbrogno would write that rather than some type of mass-hysteria being responsible for these encounters, “the evidence indicates that there is some type of human intelligence at work”. And these sightings and alien encounters continue in the region today.

A Quick Pause For Thought

These claims of alien abduction in the Hudson Valley are just a handful of many that are on record. And while they mirror abduction claims from all around the world, that there is such a concentration of activity in this particular region of the United States surely suggests something unique about the location.

While there are perhaps many other better-known locations for UFO sightings around the world, the Hudson Valley could prove to be one of the most important. Even more so when we consider there are also a plethora of other paranormal encounters in the region that also date back decades.

Might it be that this part of the United States is sympathetic to some kind of portal somewhere in the Hudson Valley? One that allows these otherworldly craft access to our world. Might the geomagnetic factors, for example, of this particular location play a part in the many UFO sightings and alien abduction accounts from the Hudson Valley.

Or might it suggest that an extraterrestrial base resides somewhere off the coast in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean? Or perhaps somewhere underground in the Hudson Valley area itself. Might this even explain why so many cases of alien abduction occur here?

That the accounts go back decades and continue today in the twenty-first century should perhaps be of concern to us all. As should what the reasons might be behind them, and what the end goal is.

Not only do the accounts we have examined from the Hudson Valley share very similar details, but it also offers further revelations that might corroborate the theories of several UFO and alien abduction researchers – essentially that the reason for these alien abductions is to create an alien-human hybrid race that will one day be the dominant one on Earth.

Of course, how accurate these theories might be is very much up for debate, even in UFO circles. However, the matching details of these accounts combined with the seemingly corroborating theories of these researchers is perhaps a detail that we should explore with a serious mind.

Sightings Continue Today

Although they aren’t as frequent, many sightings persist in the Hudson Valley area. On 5^th June 2016, during an intense thunderstorm, a report of such a sighting hit the Internet. A storm-watcher, known on YouTube as “BillNY Skywatcher” managed to catch the strange craft during a live stream.

Many people believe the footage shows genuine proof of UFO activity. So much so, that the British Disclosure Group analyzed the footage frame-by-frame to determine its authenticity.

You can check out the footage below and below that is the frame-by-frame analysis.

These sightings are also happening in other parts of New York, including New York City. In fact, there appears to have been a surge of sightings around one-hundred miles and almost directly to the south of Hudson Valley, over the skies of the Bronx area of New York. Many of these have found their way onto social media. A simple search on any search engine will bring back hundreds, if not thousands of sightings.

In April 2015, a flurry of sightings would occur. ^[4] Perhaps more notable, they came in broad daylight, with numerous reports made to authorities. The commotion was so great, that local politicians would call for serious investigations into the strange airborne objects. Since then, sightings have become regular, occurring both at night and during the day.

Are these sightings from different areas of New York connected? Are they linked to the Hudson Valley sightings of the 1980s? Is there presence an indication that a “base” or even a portal lays nearby in the New York region?

The video clip below looks at just one of these recent New York sightings. It is very interesting stuff, to say the least.

Gateways To Hell, Hauntings, And Strange Legends

While there are plenty of UFO sightings and even cases of alien abduction on record in Hudson Valley, there is also an abundance of altogether more-ghostly locations and an equal number of chilling legends from this most intriguing part of the United States. There is all manner of paranormal occurrences, including suddenly appearing phantom platoons striding across former battlefields, the appearance of strange creatures (including Bigfoot type figures) as well as truly bizarre locations that some believe act as gateways for such entities to enter our domain.

And like the huge number of UFO and alien encounters on record, while we don’t have time to examine each and every apparently haunted location or chilling legend, some are very much worth examining here – if only to cement what a strange and intriguing place Hudson Valley really is. Many of these encounters can be found in the book Haunted Hudson Valley: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of New York’s Sleepy Hollow Country by Cheri Farnsworth and is recommended reading. ^[5]

The Entrance To Hell At The Forest Park Cemetery

Perhaps there is no better place to start when examining paranormal legends and chilling encounters in the Hudson Valley than the Forest Park Cemetery, which as well as being home to a whole host of paranormal activity, is said, at least according to some people believe contains an entrance to Hell itself, and is widely regarded to be the “most haunted” cemetery in the entire state of New York.

One particular legend tells of a young female hitchhiker who motorists might encounter along the road leading to the cemetery. After accepting a ride, however, this mysterious hitchhiker is said to vanish into thin air as the respective vehicle goes past the cemetery. At least one of these encounters was officially documented in a newspaper report of the mid-1990s.

Another disturbing legend is said to have happened in the 1950s when a young couple had parked their car near a quiet country lane near the graveyard. However, shortly after they each heard a bizarre sound coming from outside. The man in question left the car to see what the noise was. He didn’t return and a short time later, a strange “scraping” sound began on the vehicle’s roof. When the woman opened the passenger door and stepped outside, she was horrified to see her boyfriend, dead and hanging from a tree branch overhead, his dead hands scraping along the car as he dangled there (we should note that almost identical legends exist in many parts of the United States).

There have been many other sightings and encounters in the Forest Park Cemetery. Some people, for example, claim to have seen full apparitions of people (many of which have been captured on film), while others claim to hear the cries of babies and young children. Some of those who have ventured there with a view to recording or capturing photographs of these strange manifestations often report that, despite being new, their batteries simply drain and die within seconds.

The video below features several minutes of footage of this strange and mysterious location.

The High Strangeness Of The Whang Hollow “Portal”

Without a doubt, one of the strangest locations in Hudson Valley is that known as the Whang Hollow Portal said to reside in a chamber in the Whang Hollow valley. And as the name suggests, it is the belief of some researchers that a portal or gateway exists in this strangest of places. One of those researchers is Phil Imbrogno, who has studied and investigated strange goings-on in the Hudson Valley for decades.

It is thought that this chamber was first used as far back as 1589 BC and is thought to have been a calendar of sorts. However, whether it had any particular purpose for the Native American tribes who have inhabited the region for around 10,000 years is not known. Those who have ventured there, though, often report strange happenings, some of which were far from joyous and bordering on outright disturbing.

One of those comes from the files of the previously mentioned Imbrogno. According to the account, the witness was simply walking past the chamber in question when he noticed a “flickering reddish glow” inside it. Intrigued, the witness approached the chamber opening to look inside when the red lights suddenly disappeared.

He called out in case someone was trapped or injured inside the chamber, however, there was no reply. Then, things got even stranger. As he stared into the black abyss of the inside of the chamber, the sound of someone playing a flute-like instrument hit his ears. This was followed by what seemed to be the sound of a generator humming.

Despite this, he willed himself to step inside the chamber to investigate further. When he did, though, the sounds stopped completely. In fact, once he was inside, there was nothing but complete silence. He continued onward until he suddenly found himself being pushed back to the ground, as if by an “invisible force field”. When he attempted to stand and move forward again, he was once more thrown to the ground.

He brought himself to his feet once more and looked back toward the entrance. However, when he did so, he noticed a “hooded male figure, slightly illuminated, wearing a long robe”. The figure appeared to be looking directly at him, something which was confirmed when he raised his arm and pointed toward him.

Then, a strange, cloaked figure vanished, and the witness ran for the entrance, stumbling outside and quickly making his way back home.

According to Imbrogno, this is just one of many such strange figures and entities witnesses in not only this stone chamber but many others around the region. He would write of another encounter in his 2005 book Celtic Mysteries: Windows to Another Dimension in America’s Northeast with co-author, Marianne Horrigan.

On this occasion, the witness to these strange events had decided to spend the night in the chamber. During the evening, while meditating, he also “sensed” a cloaked, hooded figure watching him. However, he “found himself in a comforting light”. And what’s more, rather than fear or terror, he felt a feeling of sheer peace. It is certainly an intriguing encounter.

Might the Whang Hollow chamber contain the correct environment to open a portal to another realm or dimension? We should note that Imbrogno certainly believes in the possibility, claiming that this chamber and others throughout the Hudson Valley were likely constructed by Celtic and Druid explorers who very much believed in the existence of other dimensions and universes.

The short view below looks at the apparent Whang Hollow Portal in a little more detail.

The Footage Of The Elting Memorial Library Ghost

In more recent times, in October 2007 at the Elting Memorial Library in the New Platz region of Hudson Valley, a security camera seemingly captured a strange figure during the early hours – a figure that many believed was undoubtedly a ghost. The clip was uploaded online where millions of people viewed it to offer their opinion on just what it might be.

The footage is indeed quite remarkable and appears to show a faded, shadowy figure walk into a section of the library (the oldest part of the building, incidentally) before heading toward a bookshelf and seemingly staring at the books on display. It remains there for several seconds before disappearing out of the open doorway and into another section of the building.

Whether or not this strange apparition was a ghost or not remains open to debate. There have, however, been several deaths in the building since its construction in the early 1800s, with funerals even being held there for a time in the early twentieth century. Perhaps one particular candidate for the ghostly apparition in 2007 – especially given its apparent interest in the bookshelf – might be the wife of Edmund Schoonmaker who served as the librarian there for 23 years before her death in 1938.

Those familiar with the history of the building suggest that such ghostly activity appears to coincide with restoration or construction projects on the building (which were taking place at the time of this particular sighting. Furthermore, the ghost appeared during what some paranormal researchers call “Dead Time” (between 3 am and 4 am) which is when spirits are most likely to appear, at least according to some.

You can see footage of that incident below. The apparition enters from the left of the screen several seconds in. Continue to watch the 30-second clip as it is most definitely intriguing, to say the least.

Very Different Haunted Houses

A house located on South Mountain Road in the New City region of Hudson Valley is said to be home to the ghost of the person who built it, Harold Deming. Not only did Deming construct the huge, fantastic property, but he often told those around that he would “never leave it”. According to reports from the current owner, Dr, Marth MacGuffie, that statement is wholly accurate.

Only months after she and her family moved into the property, did the tall man with long silver hair begin appearing in the house. The housekeeper was the first to see the apparition. And when Deming’s daughters spoke to her, it was obvious to them that the man she had seen was their father. She would almost always see him in the hallway on the second floor of the property, seemingly watching her. Whether there is a connection or not, the housekeeper in question ultimately died in that same hallway. That is not the opinion of the current owners of the property, though, who claim that there has never been a threatening feel to the sightings, and that have “nothing to fear” about the former owner’s ghostly presence.

Perhaps one of the strangest cases of a haunted house in Hudson Valley is that Helen Ackley. She would find herself in the rather unfortunate position of having to “admit” that her house was haunted in a court of law in the early 1990s.

The case stemmed from a claim made by Ackley in 1977 when she wrote to Reader’s Digest magazine claiming that there was a ghostly presence in her home. The publication went on to run the story, even leading to the property being part of a local “ghost tour” for several years. She would claim that people would often awake to find their bed shaking, hearing strange footsteps on the stairs or the hall, or even witness strange trinket-like jewelry appearing out of thin air.

While she would claim that none of the activity was particularly malevolent, when she sold the property, she neglected to inform her buyers of the apparent haunting activity. When they discovered it for themselves, they would take legal action to have the contract of sale voided and to have their down payment returned, a case they eventually won. Furthermore, the case would result in a change of the law, requiring all details of murders, crimes, and all paranormal activity to be mentioned clearly before the point of sale.

It is not known for certain whether the apparent hauntings at the house were genuine or manufactured. However, according to those who have owned the property since, none have experienced anything out of the ordinary. At least, none they are willing to talk about.

Hauntings Of Hotels And Inns Around The Hudson Valley

The are several hotels and inns in the Hudson Valley region that have their fair share of ghosts and ghouls.

Smalley’s Inn, for example, perhaps boasts some of the most intriguing entities and encounters. Perhaps most predominant is the little girl – Elizabeth, James Smalley’s young daughter who died in the building – who appears out of nowhere in front of people, or who sometimes tugs on people’s clothing in order to get their attention. Other people often the sound of a young child giggling when there is clearly nobody there. It is assumed this is also Elizabeth.

There have been several other deaths at the Inn, however, particularly during construction projects of the late-1800s. Some who have stayed there reported seeing these suddenly appearing apparitions. Others have seen a man and a woman walking around the building together before disappearing.

Other paranormal activity that is said to occur at Smalley’s Inn feature doors slamming of their own accord, strange footsteps, as well as appliances switching off or on by themselves. One particularly strange incident occurred in October 2007 when all of a sudden all of the phones in the building – including mobile phones – began ringing at the same time. It was discovered that the calls were being made from inside the Inn, with each phone line ringing the other.

One particularly intriguing theory as to what caused the seemingly sudden paranormal incidents was a Ouija board session that one of the current owners took part in back in the early 1980s. According to them, it was soon after this session that strange encounters and sightings began to be noticed. Had they opened a paranormal gateway allowing those from the other side access to the realm of the living?

Another establishment with distinct paranormal goings-on is the Shanley Hotel where over the course of several years several of the Shanley’s children tragically died, with the sister of Beatrice Shanley even dying during childbirth. According to an account in Haunted Hudson Valley, during an investigation into the strange goings-on, one paranormal investigator sensed “babies or childbirth” and began asking if this might be a connection. At the very same time, the investigators’ equipment registered an intense increase in electromagnetic energy.

Those who have witnessed some of these chilling happenings speak of hearing footsteps going up and down the stairs, while also seeing doors open and close of their own accord. Some people have witnessed rocking chairs rocking as if someone is sat in them and of seeing objects suddenly move across a shelf or floor completely by themselves as if being pushed by an invisible hand. Perhaps most unnerving of all are those who have reported being physically pushed or prodded. Some investigations have even managed to capture strange orbs of light on film. It is certainly an apparent hub of paranormal activity.

The Bird And Bottle Inn is another such establishment where strange footsteps and loud bangs can be heard despite the fact that there is no one there. Many believe this, albeit, more playful spirit, is the daughter of the one-time owners of the building (when it was called Warren’s Tavern), Emily, with much of the activity centered in her old bedroom. The owners also often find bottles of champagne that have been opened during the night, although not drunk.

The Bizarre And Menacing Entity Of Room 4714

One of the strangest apparent hauntings in the Hudson Valley region is without doubt those that took place in Room 4714 of Scott Barracks (also called the Old North Barracks). According to an article that appeared in the in-house newsletter, the first incident involving the now famous room occurred on 20^th October 1972.

According to the report, a cadet, Jim O’Connor went to take a shower in a room near Room 4714. However, after hanging his robe on a hook and turning the water on, he noticed that the robe was swinging as if someone was pulling and pushing it back and forth. At the same time, the hot water turned to ice-cold without warning. The young cadet moved out of the way of the water and watched the robe for several seconds.

Then, it stopped dead, as if someone was holding it still. By this time, the water had returned to its expected warm setting. Just when O’Connor thought the incident was over, the robe began swinging again. And once more, the water temperature changed dramatically, only this time, it went to steaming hot.

Unnerved, O’ Connor grabbed the robe and returned to his room. He would tell his roommate, Artie Victor of the incident. The next evening, however, Victor would have his own chilling experience in the same shower room.

After using the toilet, Victor went to reach for the handle to flush it. However, before he could do so, he watched in shock as the handle moved of its own accord and sent the toilet on its flushing cycle. The next thing he knew, toilet paper was unraveling as if being pulled by a pair of invisible hands. He ran to his room to get O’Connor, who returned to the room with Victor to witness the mischief for himself.

Perhaps the most chilling encounter, at least until that point, however, occurred the following evening. O’Connor was walking out of the room when he caught sight of a figure out of the corner of his eye. When he turned, he could see a man dressed in nineteenth-century clothes and holding a musket of the same era. Even stranger, the figure appeared to have white eyes that glowed. He watched the figure for several seconds before it vanished into nothing.

Around a week later, though, things would take a dramatic turn.

On the night in question, O’Connor and Victor had just turned in for the evening and were laying in their bunks when they noticed that the room had turned suddenly icy cold. Suddenly, a bizarre apparition appeared as though it had walked through the wall. It seemingly made its way around the room for several seconds before disappearing.

The same thing happened the next evening, only this time, having reported the strange incident, two superior officers were in the room also and witnessed the strange occurrences for themselves. Determined to discover just what was taking place, an unfortunate “volunteer” was asked to spend the night in the room so that the others might monitor any strange activity that took place. And they weren’t to be disappointed.

At around 2:30 am, the volunteer awoke to see a strange figure in the nineteenth-century garb over the top of him, complete with the eyeless stare that O’Connor had recalled. Even worse, not only was he surrounded by a terrible coldness, but he could feel a “heavy weight” on his chest making it almost impossible to breathe.

He called out as best he could, alerting those monitoring events. As they came crashing into the room, they saw the ghostly figure moving away from the terrified man and disappear into the wall.

The barrack’s commanders would continue with the experiments for several more nights, each time with most definite results. Such things as cadets waking with a crushing pain in their chests and temperatures that plunged to well below freezing. They would eventually decide to make Room 4714 “off-limits” amid the increasingly disturbing activity.

Many paranormal researchers would investigate the sightings, as well as who the menacing spook might be. One of the most popular theories is that he was a Confederate spy who, after being caught, was executed at the location. Whoever, or whatever, was responsible for the strangeness of late-1972 in Room 4714, they are perhaps some of the best-documented cases on record.

The short video below looks at this strange case a little further.

The Ice Cave Mountains Bigfoot Encounter

There have been Bigfoot sightings all over the Hudson Valley region. This should perhaps not surprise us given that Bigfoot sightings often occur in areas that are UFO hotspots, which the Hudson Valley most certainly is.

One particular sighting occurred in the winter of 1985 at the Ice Cave Mountains while two female friends were driving in the region looking to find somewhere to walk and enjoy the serenity of the snow. They saw the entrance to the woodland that housed the Ice Cave Mountains, pulled over their car, and despite it being closed to visitors (due to the winter season) they clambered over the gate and made their way on foot into the blissful wilderness.

As they approached the woodland, however, they noticed something strange stood upright in front of them. Although it was “absolutely human-looking” it was also clearly covered in fur from head to toe. The two women stopped when they noticed the strange figure, and it too was seemingly staring back at them. When one of the women began to speak, the creature turned and made its way into the forest without looking back.

Whether or not the Ice Cave Mountains does provide a home to a Bigfoot – or indeed many such creatures – is open to debate. However, some researchers believe the environment of the region and the decreased human presence makes it a perfect fit. Might it be that their intelligence has allowed them to realize the area is largely theirs during such winter months before they retreat further into the wilderness during the summer period? It is an area, much like the entire Hudson Valley region, that continues to witness these strange creatures today.

Although it isn’t footage of the sighting above, the video below looks at Bigfoot sightings in the Hudson Valley region.