A woman called Lon Strickler of Phantoms and Monsters on September 11th to report a "huge bat-like creature" she had seen "circling above and along the tall buildings located on S. Lake Park Ave." prior to it flying out towards Lake Michigan.

According to Strickler,

I received a telephone call today (Monday September 11, 2017) at 11:39 AM ET from a witness 'PM' who states that she observed a 'huge winged object' at 10:25 AM CT (15 minutes prior to the telephone call). This was the second time she has seen this winged object (previously seen in May). The witness lives on the 25th floor of a high-rise building at E. 47th St. & S. Lake Park Ave. in the Kenwood community in the south side of Chicago.



The witness told me that she saw a huge bat-like being circling above and along the tall buildings located on S. Lake Park Ave. and then out toward the lake. She states that she frequently observes airplanes from her home, but that this object was definitely not a fixed winged aircraft. As well, she has never seen a bird as large as this being. She described it having a 6-7 foot human-like body that was dark brown in color, with wide black triangular-like shaped wings that closely resembled those of a bat and spanned at least 12 foot. She mentioned that the wings moved occasionally when it gained altitude. The winged being eventually headed north toward downtown.



I asked if she attempted to take a photograph. Her response was that when she was watching the flying humanoid, she had an 'overwhelming creepiness' come over her. She wasn't paralyzed or unable to move, but was shocked and transfixed by what she was observing and never had a notion of taking a photograph.



When I talked to the witness, it was obvious that she was shaken by the incident and exhibited nervousness in her voice...though she was very well-spoken and forthright. She stated that when she looked below from her apartment, she noticed people on the street looking toward the being and pointing it out to others. Other residents in her building have also seen this flying being in the past, having commented to each other and to the witness. The witness will be letting others know that I would like them to contact me and to forward any photographs.

Strickler also recounted a story reported by the woman, who claimed that she and her husband had previously seen something strange emerge from Lake Michigan.

"'PM' also relayed some very interesting information that may be significant. She stated that her and her husband frequently jog the trails along the lake front together. On at least two occasions, they have observed an unknown creature or being emerging from the water...once near the lake shore along the rocks and at another time out a bit further. She described it as 'reptile-like,' but was not able to get much detail since most of the body stay submerged. I asked if it was possible that it may have been the same winged being emerging from the water. Her response was that she wasn't sure. I'm going to look into this information much further," said Strickler.

The Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago abuts Lake Michigan, and is approximately four miles north of Avalon Park and two miles southeast of Douglas—the two areas of the previous day's sightings. This sighting represents one of the earliest sightings yet, having taken place before noon.

This is the latest in a string of flying humanoid sightings reported in the Chicago area. Most of the sightings have taken place near the lakefront within a few miles of Lake Michigan, although there are some reports coming from the suburbs surrounding Chicago. The sightings generally take place in the evening or at night, often in or near a park and around water, and witnesses consistently describe a large, bat or bird-like creature with humanoid features; although in one case the creature was reportedly "insect-like."

To report a sighting, contact Lon Strickler at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com or call him directly at 410-241-5974; fill out UFO Clearinghouse's contact form to get in touch with Manuel Navarette; or 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.