Manuel Navarette of UFO Clearinghouse recently received the following report from a man who claimed to have seen a six-foot-tall creature flying over the Des Plaines River near Rosemont, Illinois, early last July.

I’ve been following your investigations into the Chicago Mothman for about a year and a half now, and I’ve always been skeptical and always thought there was a logical explanation for them; until I had a sighting myself. It was after reading the latest sightings in Rosemont that I decided to write in and report mine. I work for a company that services billboards along the expressway, we service both the static boards as well as the electronic ones that are popping up all over the place. I was working on a billboard that is alongside The Jane Addams Tollway (I-90), it sits behind the MB Bank building in Rosemont just off of Evenhouse Avenue. I was working on replacing some lights that shine up onto the board and about to wrap it up and come down. As I was gathering some tools, I saw something out of the corner of my eye and turned to see a large black animal that was coming down toward the nearby Des Plaines River. At first, I thought it was a crow, but then realized that this thing was way too big to be a crow. It was black, but the wings had a sort of sheen to them and were not as black as the rest of his body which was solid black. It flapped its wings faster as it descended and then disappeared behind the tree line on what looked like the opposite bank of the river. I did not see anything else and after that, I came down off the board and put my tools away and left the area. I was a bit of a chicken and decided not to walk toward the trees to see if I could find or see something. I enjoy reading your blog and will continue to follow the investigations and hope this sort of sighting helps you guys.

Navarette was able to speak to the witness over the telephone after receiving the report.

"I spoke with the witness at length about the sighting," Navarette said. "He stated that he had just finished replacing some lights on the billboard, and was putting all his tools away when he saw the entity. Per the witness, at the initial sighting, the entity was flying north, parallel to the Des Plaines River, [and] descending down to the bank of the river next to St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery."

"At first, the witness stated that he thought it was a crow but realized that it was not making any noise. He stated that he sees crows in and around the river all the time and they are always cawing and making a racket and that this object was not making any noise whatsoever. He estimated that it was about six feet tall but could not give a definitive answer as there were no points of reference to compare it to," he explained. "The witness said he watched it for a few seconds before he lost sight of it, when it went below the treeline on what seems to be the opposite bank of the river. The witness said he came down from the billboard and started putting his tools back in the truck and left the area. When asked if he walked toward the area to investigate, he stated that he was too “chickensh**” to go find out and left without investigating."

Navarette was impressed by the witness’ seeming sincerity.

"After talking with the witness, he seems very grounded and down to earth and shows no signs of fabricating any of this story," he said. "When asked questions designed to divert the path or embellish the story, the witness stayed on course and stuck to the original description of his reported encounter. When asked why it took so long to report the sighting the witness stated that he initially forgot about the sighting until reading about the other more recent Rosemont sightings and that is what triggered him to report his sighting. "

"It is [my] opinion that the witness’ report is valid and no initial indicators of hoaxing or fabrication exist. A field investigation of the area is required and will be updated when it is completed," he added.

Singular Fortean Society lead investigator Tobias Wayland contacted Navarette to inquire if the witness would be open to speaking with another investigator, and any new information resulting from that or Navarette’s investigation will be released as it is received.

The sighting location is just over 12 miles west of Lake Michigan, and is bordered to the east by a natural area through which flows the Des Plaines River.

Several other sightings have been reported in the same area, including an October 30th sighting of a large, winged humanoid in Park Ridge, an October 29th report of a winged humanoid accompanied by several other beings, an October 5th sighting of a "tall creature" with "bright red eyes" and "large wings” near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, and an October 19th sighting of a “giant-sized bat” outside of the Edward Hotel in Rosemont.

This is the latest news in a string of ‘Mothman’ sightings from within a few hundred mile radius surrounding Lake Michigan, including every state bordering the great lake. These sightings ostensibly began in the spring of 2017, but more historical accounts are being reported as more people become aware of the phenomenon. Sightings of weird winged beings around Lake Michigan have been reported at all hours, often in or near a park, and around water. Witnesses consistently describe a large, gray or black bat or bird-like creature—although in a small number of cases the creature was described as insect-like—sometimes with glowing or reflective red, yellow, or orange eyes; and humanoid features such as arms and legs are often reported. Many of the sightings are also of something seen only briefly or are described only as a flying creature with few details, which leaves open the possibility that a large avian being could explain some encounters. Sightings of anomalous avians, including thunderbirds and pterosaurs, are often reported in or near the same locations as those where witnesses have reported winged humanoids.

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

You can view a timeline of the sightings so far here, and an interactive map here.