The video, posted on June 26th, 2018 to a YouTube channel titled ‘IllinoisHustler’, was accompanied by the following description:

Large flying creature caught on home security camera at 2:19 a.m. June 25, 2018. This was recorded in Rantoul, Illinois.

A large creature or object can be seen flying across the screen and in front of an exterior light at about the 00.04 mark, but details are otherwise scant.

The Singular Fortean Society commented on the video to request further information from the witness who posted it.

In response, the witness confirmed that the streetlight behind the ‘creature’ is approximately 65 feet from their garage.

"The camera is sitting inside of the house pointed toward [the] driveway in front of [my] garage," the witness said. "It is a very normal streetlight."

Emily Wayland, the Singular Fortean Society’s photo and video analyst, thought that the ‘creature’ was likely between the streetlight and the vehicle.

“Based on how the thing is backlit, I’d put it between the vehicle and the light,” she said. “If it was closer to the camera I’d expect it to be illuminated like the vehicle, and it would be casting a shadow. Also, if it was small and extremely close to the camera, it should appear fuzzier than it does.”

Some have speculated that it could be a normal-sized bat between the car and the camera; reasoning that a larger creature between the streetlight and the vehicle would have cast a huge shadow.

“Is that possible? Sure,” Emily said. “But it’s also possible that the creature’s shadow is being cast somewhere we can’t see it, like between the vehicle and the camera. It’s all dependent on the size of the creature and its angle in relation to the light; things that aren’t readily apparent from the video.”

The flying object can be seen blocking the light, but appears to have a negligible effect on the illumination of the vehicle. The lighting does change as it passes in front of the streetlight, but only minimally; lens flare disappears from one frame to the next, and the illumination of the car’s hood and windshield dims slightly.

The camera has caught nothing else unusual to date.

"Nothing before or after," the witness said. "I check everyday."

The village of Rantoul is about 120 miles south/southwest of the cities of Chicago, Illinois and Gary, Indiana; both of which have seen a flurry of flying humanoid sightings in recent years.

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. They generally take place in the evening or at night, 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 bird or bird-like being could explain some encounters.

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.

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