Something's Watching From The Dark

Ep.77: Creature of the Pine Barrens: The Jersey Devil Revealed

Dustin & Luke

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0:00 | 38:18

A flying figure with bat wings, a horse-like face, and glaring eyes terrified whole towns, closed schools, and drew gunfire from police. We follow the Jersey Devil from the Pine Barrens to the front pages, unpacking why a 1.1 million–acre labyrinth of fog, echo, and abandoned villages is the perfect amplifier for a legend that refuses to die.

We compare clashing origin stories—cursed 13th child, witchcraft, and chimney escapes—with the repeatable visual core that anchors eyewitness reports. Then we step into 1909’s feverish week of sightings, rooftop hoofprints, and trolley car scares, exploring how media, mass anxiety, and place can turn rumors into regional identity. From cab roof landings to ranger testimonies and viral photos, we test the modern claims against natural explanations: misidentified wildlife, hoaxes, genetic anomalies, and the way our minds complete a frightening silhouette in the dark.

The most surprising thread pulls us back to colonial New Jersey, where the Leeds family’s astrologically flavored almanacs clashed with Benjamin Franklin’s practical, satirical Poor Richard’s. That rivalry, plus a family crest echoing a winged beast, helped stitch a political and religious dispute into local folklore. The result is a uniquely American monster—part media creation, part cultural mirror, and part mystery stalking the pines after midnight.

We close with a listener challenge: if you had to spend one night alone in the Pine Barrens, what single tool would you bring? Drop your answer, share your theory—hoax, cryptid, or belief-made entity—and tell a friend who loves legends. If you enjoy the show, subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who’s ready to wander into the woods.

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Opening Banter And Merch Plug

SPEAKER_02

Welcome to another episode of Exploring Name. I'm Luke.

SPEAKER_00

I'm Dustin, and I wasn't ready.

SPEAKER_02

Taking a drink of his coffee. I'll talk about it as soon as I second it. This week we are going to be talking about the New Jersey Devil and the doors and the bed drinks behind that. Yes. But give me a second.

SPEAKER_01

I'm not I'm ill-prepared. I'm so ill-prepared.

SPEAKER_02

You're the one who wanted to dig at 12 o'clock, not me.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, well, I wasn't I wasn't expecting the child to start needing me at you know 12 01. All right. But yeah, the Jersey Devil.

SPEAKER_02

By the way, I like that t-shirt.

SPEAKER_01

Thanks, man. Heck yeah. This is some of our Christmas merch, our creepness merch. If you guys want to get this shirt, it's over on our website at exploring the unknownpod.com. I can throw it up there on the screen. I think it's been a minute since I've five since I've messed with that. But yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So how do you feel about one Jersey Double?

SPEAKER_01

I'm conflicted. I'm conflict. I'm conflicted because now there's like more of the story that I'm understanding. First off, there's like three different versions of the Jersey Devil, right? There's the one where what he he flies up the chimney after killing the rest of the family, or something like that. There's I think there's one where he just goes, right? Yeah. He just flies out the window or flies out up the chimney. And then what was the other one?

SPEAKER_02

There's actually four versions. The one that you say about flying out the chimney. The baby was already born a monster and eventually escapes into the works. Mother Leagues was a witch, and the father was a devil, and the baby was born a demon, a demon baby. And the child survived for years as the strange deforms beginning before fleeing into the pie barons. So there's a couple versions of it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Now I think okay, because there are multiple versions of the story, to me, that says people change things, it's that telephone effect that's told so many times that little details just don't match up.

SPEAKER_02

But it was so long ago, too, which there's really nothing to say what really happened.

SPEAKER_01

Right. Well, this, I mean, it happened what in 1909 or something like that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I believe so, something like that.

SPEAKER_01

But the thing that makes it interesting for me, and we've talked about this a lot, you know, about people believing in the same thing and it actually creating something. There are accounts of people, you know, seeing this thing.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

Versions Of The Jersey Devil Legend

SPEAKER_01

That's what confuses me, because it's like, okay, no, and you know, we'll get into the Ben Franklin thing here in a minute, but knowing that, and then knowing that like there's been schools that have been shut down because of mass sightings of this thing.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, do you want to give a dis brief description of what this thing looks like while you mentioned it?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So it actually, I don't have a great description of it, but it's like a long face, like a horse, right? With bat-like wings, a forked tail, and horns.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, with a king-looking body, yeah. And glaring like eyes.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that is such an absurd sounding creature.

SPEAKER_02

We also talked about the Snelly Gaster, which is also a very observed creature as well.

SPEAKER_01

Knowing what I know now about Ben Franklin, I want to look further into the Snelly Caster to see if like it was some political, you know, slander just put out there to you know freak people out.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Well, before we get into that, let's talk about the war behind the jersey devil. We talked about it a little bit, but Mother Leeds became pregnant with her 13th child, and this is the one they say to be the Jersey Devil. 13 children. Could you imagine having 13 children?

SPEAKER_01

Wait, hold on. I gotta let me share this. I have an image. I guess this would be like a drawing of what this thing would look like. Oh, wait, hold on, I forget how to do this. Oh, it's an SVG. That's interesting. Yeah, that thing looks crazy.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, you can barely see it. Why is it that way? It's like in the background. It is.

SPEAKER_01

I'm gonna guys. Okay, so listen, listen. Luke and I have talked about putting some shirts out that are like dedicated to each episode. Would you guys would you guys wear a shirt with this on it? I think I would wear a shirt with this on it.

SPEAKER_02

Maybe take the UFM out and move the Jersey Devil ever a little bit and today.

SPEAKER_01

I would probably just have the Jersey Devil on it.

SPEAKER_02

Just the Jersey Devil.

SPEAKER_01

Just the Jersey Devil, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

That'd be cool.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's sick. I like that. Sorry to cut you off. Go ahead. You were talking about Mother Leeds and the 13th child.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Could you imagine having 13th children?

SPEAKER_01

No, I can't. I you know, well, I kinda can. I'm like almost halfway there. You got four. I got four. And oh my gosh, no, thirteen. Well, that's the thing though. That was that was just what happened back then.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

What else was there? What else was there to do? Sure. I mean, I think my grandpa, he is I think he's got like seven or eight brothers and sisters or something like that. So I don't know. I had I didn't have any, so yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Back to the story of the uh she's it claims she was exhausted and angry. She surprisingly shouting, cry out, let this one be the devil. When a child was born, it was normal at first. Then it transformed into a hooded winged creature, screeched, beat up everybody in the room. Oh see, this one says beat up everybody, never say like kill them, and then flew up through the chimney and disappeared into the punk bearings. Many versions say the father was the devil himself, which is crazy. Yeah. This is this was the most popular version of the story.

SPEAKER_01

Wait, so but it never but it didn't say anything about Mother Leeds being a witch. No. Okay, so what I was look seeing that is so Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch, and the child's father was the devil himself. But there are some versions of the legend that also state that local clergymen they attempted to exorcise the creature from the pine barons. So I guess maybe it was just like I don't know, that part doesn't make any sense to me. Yeah, this is what happens when you read Wikipedia, folks. It's empty and you want more. Okay, I'll get you more.

SPEAKER_02

So back in 1909, there was a massive panic through like the week. Like you said, hundred of schools, hundred sightings back through New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Delaware. Schools closed down because people were scared. Police officers claimed to see it. Mysterious hoof prinks appeared on rooftops in the snow and in impossible locations. Newsletters went wild. This week was a crazy week for them. Could you imagine seeing hoofprinks on a rooftop?

SPEAKER_01

That would be that would be wild.

SPEAKER_02

Next concern. And that's the like the only other thing with the hoofprinks on these rooftops would be like someone's hoaxing it. Right. There's that next to the most real the theory that would make more sense to me. Lex hoaxes, but I mean, I'm not saying that Jersey Devil's a hoax or anything, but with her hoofings on for like the rooftops, that would be like, oh, let's hop on the roof and scare people. Right. But I mean, again, if it's not hoax, that looks pretty wild.

What The Creature Looks Like

SPEAKER_01

You know, there's so much that I feel that comes out of the pine barrens that I wonder if the if that area is just like cursed, cursed, or maybe maybe that's just just how it gained its reputation is because it was so vast, right? It's it's rather big. And people were just like, Yeah, don't go in the pine barrens because of this or that. Maybe it was like a safety thing that people, you know how you scare children, yeah. Not like intentionally, but you know, you you say things to be like, yeah, don't you know stick your finger in the socket, it'll bite. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02

Well, the pine barrens covers 1.1 million acres in the southern New Jersey.

SPEAKER_00

That's huge. Let's go camp. Let's go camp in the pine barrens.

SPEAKER_02

There's uh I have I have a little bit of information on the pine barrens. That'd be fun. Let's do it. Each stretch is a forest with no towns or lakes, so that's like some parks. Nothing there, a lot of fog pockets, which is interesting. And strange acoustics in the pine bearings. So sounds echo and sound distraught. And there are many abandoned villages throughout the pine bearings as well, swampy and uh marshlands as well. Huh. The pine bearings themselves feel supernatural, which helps fuel the legend, which that makes sense. Like if it's a whole supernatural place, then that would definitely help.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. Did you see about the attack?

SPEAKER_02

No.

SPEAKER_01

So the Camden and Hayden Heights incidents.

SPEAKER_02

I'm not sure, but I do remember a while back I was watching Monster Quest, and they did an episode on the New Jersey Devil, and they attacked like a house, and they claimed it picked up one of the kids and like flew off with it.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my god, no, I don't, I've never heard that one.

SPEAKER_02

It was on um monster quest.

SPEAKER_01

On Monster Quest, what on what is that Prime, maybe?

SPEAKER_02

I don't remember what it was on, but Monster Quest used to be a TV show back in like the 90s, 2000s.

Pine Barrens As A Supernatural Setting

SPEAKER_01

Interesting. So the Camden and Hayden Heights incident. So the devil reportedly attacked a trolley car in Hayden Heights. Passengers saw a flying figure swoop down toward them, causing panic, and it also went after a social club in Camden. Members ran away as it circled the building and tried to get in through windows. Camden police came when people called for help. Officers fired their guns at the flying figure, but said the bullets did nothing. On January 21st, it came back to Camden. People on trolleys saw it circle above the tracks while making hissing sounds. It didn't attack but scared everyone.

SPEAKER_02

I have a few modern sightings of the New Jersey Devil from 1956 to 2015. So a corpse was found in the pine bearings with a wind with wings and hooves. Which, if that's the case, that means it repopulated. Somehow. I don't know how true that is. In 1961, a group of friends from Maze Landing had screams and words from the words following glaring eyes, creature is chasing the car, which that could be a bigfoot. If they because it doesn't really say winged creature, yeah. That more sounds like a bigfoot to me. In 1972, a cab driver claimed a wind creature landing on the roof of a taxi. Could you imagine driving down the road and this thing landing on your top of your vehicle?

SPEAKER_01

No. Well, actually, you say something like that. I just watched it was Selena Spooky Boo. I just watched a video she did where she was like listening to not like paranormal 911 calls, and there was a guy that was talking about this thing. It was a 911 call, and he's like, there's somebody on the side of the road, they're bloody, they need help. And then it landed on a truck, and he's like, That's not human, that's not human.

SPEAKER_02

We should do an episode episode on 911 calls.

SPEAKER_01

That would be cool. If anybody has a 911 call, the number at the bottom of the screen, give it a call and share your story.

SPEAKER_02

Farmers reporting animals drained of blood, which was similar to the cheaper cabo cases, which I didn't they prove the cheaper cabo was real.

SPEAKER_01

I I want to say yeah, but I have nothing to back that up.

Reported Attacks And Modern Sightings

SPEAKER_02

So that could have been a cheaper cabra. In 1993, Forest Rangers described a horse-herring, deer-bodied creature with leatherly wings near the near the river. He said, I didn't believe in the Jersey Devil, but I know what I saw. So that was in 1993. I wonder how this he is and what his name is. We'll have to try to get him on the podcast.

SPEAKER_01

You said he was oh, it was in 1993. I was born.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. It was a force stranger. In 2005, a man captured a photo of a kangaroo-like creature flying across there in South Jersey with the wings with the wings expanding. The pharaoh went viral. Skeptics call it staged. Others believe it's legit. Do you have the picture? I do not.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, try to find the picture. Or me here, I could if you have more, I could try to find a picture.

SPEAKER_02

I do not I I have theories. I don't have any more descriptions. There's some theories on what it could be. I'm not sure how to pronounce this, but it's some kind of no. It's P-E or P-T-E-R-O-S-A-U-R.

SPEAKER_01

I have no idea.

SPEAKER_02

It describes a long-necked, winged creature. It kind of resembles a pterodactyl. I think I might know what if I'm not mistaken. I think I know what this could be. What kind of animal it is. Some people say it's just a genetic mutation.

SPEAKER_01

I did see somewhere where they were saying that it was the that one type of bat. I don't know the type of bat though. Fox bat. Maybe. Yeah, I can't find the picture. There's so much AI stuff out there and digital you know, recreations of stuff that it's like this is what I got through.

SPEAKER_02

I got things on that. But I mean this is the image that pops up. Let's see if I can share my screen. This is a creature. I have to make it bigger. There we go. That's that dinosaur.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Which I mean. So what is this thing? This is that dinosaur that they think that could be what Trazy Dove was. Which I mean I can kind of see the resemblance. Yeah, kinda. But I don't think that's what it is. I think it's something else. So it's hard to say because it's such a unique creature. It's hard to say what. Like what like if it's a trazy devil or if it's actually a old dinosaur that was like still alive.

SPEAKER_01

Or it's I don't know. I try, I I hate to be the guy that like explains everything away, but I can I can see well, yeah. I mean, because I've never seen one. And it's it's like my understanding of what should be real and what isn't, you know, that doesn't fit the description unless it is some sort of prehistoric something, which is, in my opinion, unlikely because we don't have you know, there's a lot of prehistoric animals that are gone. So no, I get that. I feel like maybe the story has been something that has been told so many times, people believe things, and man either manifested it on a level that, yeah, maybe it is now a creature, or that they just convinced themselves that that's what it is that they saw.

SPEAKER_02

So earlier you were talking about the Benjamin Franklin thing we're talking about. I don't have any notes on that.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, okay. So give me give me a second, let me pull it up. Oh, where is it at? Yeah, so the almanac feud. Give me a second. So my understanding of it is this the lead family, they had an almanac that they had published, which was like what's gonna happen in the years. It was almost like or not years, but within the year, like what's coming this year.

SPEAKER_02

It was more like almanac type thing, yeah, kind of like a prediction of sorts.

SPEAKER_01

Franklin also had one. So there was a feud, you know what I mean? They're going back and forth because he obviously wants to be, you know, the one that everybody chooses or whatever, and so does this person. I can't remember the name, and I can't I apparently didn't write it down in my notes. Oh, but yeah. I think it was Daniel Leeds.

SPEAKER_03

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01

He published in 1687 the first edition of his very own almanac. This became a lightning rod for controversy. Many Quakers who read the text objected to its use of astrology and heathen, Greco-Roman planet names. So well, what I don't know what the difference was between the two, but unless unless what they were practicing or bel like their belief was considered to be more of like witchcraft or whatever the case may be. Interesting. So that's what I mean. Now I now knowing this little bit about Ben Franklin and the almanac situation makes me go, okay. So did the Jersey Devil story come from just being trying to print them all, bro. Yeah, trying to trying to be better than the other person and sell more almanacs or whatever the case was.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, if that's the case, I'm gonna with almonds like I mean now, but I'm gonna wanna Jan Z devil behind it.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, I don't know what the difference was because I thought that I thought that the the almanacs were all kind of determined by astrology, but maybe I'm wrong.

SPEAKER_02

Speaking of almanacs, I know this is off topic, but this year is the last year of the farmer's almanac. This year is the last year of the farmer's almanac. There's not gonna be anymore after this. Why? Because they don't sound like they used to. Oh.

SPEAKER_01

I see.

SPEAKER_02

Wondering. Yeah, but I don't think anybody cares that much anymore about it.

SPEAKER_01

I never, I never, I actually never even opened one. I've seen them before.

SPEAKER_02

I haven't even seen one to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_01

That kind of sucks. Now I'm disappointed because it's like that could have been something interesting to look forward to. So Franklin used poor in poor Richard's almanac. Unlike Daniel and Titan Leeds, who used astrology as celestial alignments, and occult symbols to make predictions. That's interesting. Occult symbols to make predictions. Benjamin Franklin took a completely different approach. Franklin relied on practical weather observation, humor and satire, practical household and farming advice, mathematical, tidal, astronomical data, moon phases and sun cycles.

SPEAKER_02

So what you say makes sense.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say that it was a Satan type of thing. No, no, you're with a no, I'm not saying that, but I'm saying, like, you said there was a retro Yeah, it was more it was more based off of well, Ben Franklin would consider that to be superstitious nonsense.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

The Leeds Family Vs. Ben Franklin

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So Leeds relied on astrology, which Quaker saw as a cult. That's interesting. I'll have to I'll have to dive more into that because that's an interesting topic for me, at least. I don't know if anybody else would want to hear more about that. If you guys want to hear more about that, drop it down in the comments. Let us know what your thoughts are. I had uh I thought I had some oh some encounters from like Reddit. I do. So 11 years ago, I encountered the Jersey Devil. For those of you who have not heard of the legend, I'll give you a brief outline. The Jersey Devil is a legendary creature that only lives in New Jersey and the U.S. Okay. Well, we've we spent 20 minutes talking about what it is. Let's skip to the main story. So, my part of the story, it was only about 10 o'clock at night. I was slowly drifting off to sleep when I heard what sounded like horse hooves outside my window. I rationalized it to be the horse farm down the road, but then I realized the horse farm was three or four miles away, and I wouldn't be hearing hooves this clearly. I was instantly seized with fear, though I couldn't figure out why. I wanted to look out the window to look at the wooden deck just outside to see what it was, but I was nearly too scared to look. I eventually peeked out. I saw a large creature standing on my deck. It had bat-like wings and a pronounced snout. Two horns sprouted from its head and it had two smaller claws on its upper body with horse-like lower legs. It looked at me for a moment before beating its wings and flying away. I didn't sleep at all that night. I'd imagine not. Could they have been dreaming though? Possibly.

SPEAKER_02

Needless to say, your house and seeing a Jersey Devil just standing on your back porch.

SPEAKER_01

No. No, I would that would that would be just as bad as seeing Bigfoot. I think it'd be worse.

SPEAKER_00

You think it would be worse than seeing Bigfoot?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, why would it be a description of the thing compared to Bigfoot? I mean Bigfoot's the giant creature.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I know, but I feel like I feel like Bigfoot's out there. This might not be out there. Yeah. No, I get it. I don't know. But here's something interesting. I know we're coming up on about 30 minutes here, so we're probably gonna start wrapping this up, right? Yeah. But here's something interesting. So the reason that Luke and I did this episode on the Jersey Devil, because we've done we've done the Jersey Devil before. Right?

SPEAKER_02

We haven't, yeah. This is the first time I've seen it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I thought we've done it before. Anyways, but the reason that we're doing is because we have a future episode coming up featuring featuring a living relative of the historic Leeds family, the bloodline directly tied to the Jersey Devil legend. I am too. I am too. I did I watch the uh the podcast with her. What was it? I did it was like two days ago, which that's whenever getting into the Ben Franklin stuff, I was like, oh, okay, now the Jersey Devil thing makes a little bit more sense because then they're like showing like the the family crest and stuff or the almanac thing and like how it looks like the depiction of the Jersey Devil. But yeah, did you have any more that you wanted to add? No. Good. Would you rather? Are you ready? Okay. So let's say that you are let's say, hold on. Okay, here it is. It's not so much a would you rather. Okay. But this one's also for the for the audience, too. So post down in the comments what your answer to this question would be. If you had to spend one night alone in the pine barrens, what one tool would you bring?

SPEAKER_02

What one tool would I bring?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um okay. Is it tent like is that like a giving or is that like would that be a tool? Like, am I going like you say I only get one item? I'm going camping and I only have one item. Yes. Is it tank one of those items? Or is it right?

SPEAKER_01

I'm thinking deep, I'm thinking deeper into the I didn't yeah, yeah, you're you're looking further into it than you need to. Let's you're just spending one night.

SPEAKER_02

I got my basic camping equipment, right? Okay, yeah, sure. You got your basic camping equipment. Well, that makes a difference on what I'm gonna bring it.

SPEAKER_00

You know what? Let's answer it both ways. Let's answer it. Let's say let's say you don't have your camping stuff. What are you bringing? I'll probably bring a tank. Just a tent.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. A tank and a flashlight. No, you can bring one. I mean, I guess I'm bringing a flashlight because I'll just sleep in my truck. You can take the truck. I mean, how am I getting there? Am I just getting dropped off in there and be like, bye? Yeah, yep. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_01

Um okay, so let's say you have your camping, your camping equipment, all right. What is the one other tool that you would bring on this one night alone in the pine barrens?

SPEAKER_02

Bring my phone.

SPEAKER_01

Your phone?

SPEAKER_02

The only reason why I say my phone is because it has multiple different things on it. I can take pictures and I can record audio.

SPEAKER_01

That's actually a pretty good and it has a flashlight. There's a flashlight, it's a multi-tool.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, it's uh yeah, once it's gods that you're screwed. Then it's a then it's a hammer and it's uh it's a rock, it's a nice paperweight. Yes, but I would like to be able to bring something out where I can document the or scan on. So the phone would be the best option, which I mean I feel like I would have that either way, so yeah. Is it really a tool? But I'll say my phone.

Reddit Encounter And Fear Factor

SPEAKER_01

That's a good that's a good answer. I would probably say my phone as well. I would say my phone. So drop down in the comments what you guys think. What would you bring as your one tool if you had to spend one night alone in the pine barrens? And then also, if you guys have had an encounter and would like to be on our show, you can send us an email at exploring the unknown pod at outlook.com. Or you can call our phone number, uh 724. No, that's not right. 412-533-3483. I was gonna give out the wrong one. And then also, if you're looking to get some exploring the unknown merch or some spooky Christmas merch, you can find that at exploring the unknown pod.com in the merch section.

SPEAKER_02

I'm excited for that. I want to Bigfoot Alien uh Christmas shirt.

SPEAKER_01

You want a Bigfoot Alien Christmas shirt? Yeah, we'll have to get we'll have to get some more some more shirts and that because we are currently out because they are sold out, everybody, but we're getting some more in, and then you can get yours as soon as possible.

SPEAKER_02

Me too.

SPEAKER_01

Thanks for listening.

SPEAKER_02

Till next time keep exploring more of the unknown.

SPEAKER_00

All right, guys. See ya.

SPEAKER_02

See ya.