“True Jersey” NJ.com published a stinker of a story on the Jersey Devil

A paranormal investigator who writes a column called Paranormal Corner for NJ.com broke a story this weekend that was both a coup for web hits and an utter disaster for her credibility.

Kelly Roncace received an email with a photo of what the sender said was the Jersey Devil. The JD is one of the most iconic American legends dating back to colonial times. The story in a nutshell is that a woman gave birth to a cursed baby who turned into a monster unlike any biological creature. It supposedly haunts the Pine Barren woodlands of New Jersey to this day. Great myth! For many and various reason, it’s clearly a MYTH and not factual.

Roncace set up the story by relating the legend and noting that many people still claim to see it.

“For more than 200 years, people living in or passing through New Jersey’s Pinelands have reported seeing a strange, winged creature that has come to be known as the Jersey Devil.

There are tons of stories about the monster, and thousands of witnesses who claim they have encountered it.

Late Tuesday night, I received an email from a reader who recently became one of those witnesses.”

What did she do next? She had to verify his sincerity:

Before I could write about his experience and print the photo, I had to be sure he was sincere.

“Yes, I swear it’s not Photoshopped or a staged thing,” Black responded when I asked if he was willing to let me use his name and state that the photo he sent was not manipulated in any way. “People have said it’s fake, but it’s not. I’m honestly just looking for an explanation for what I saw.”

Why not be sure he was not pulling your leg?

Roncace claims she’s a “very skeptical” paranormal investigator who would “need proof” before considering something paranormal. She acted as neither skeptical nor as an investigator in this case. She didn’t investigate anything but simply reprinted an email from someone who basically said “I’m not lying, trust me.” That’s the opposite of skeptical and investigation. It’s clear she knew the story would be fun and interesting for Halloween time. The JD is one of if not my very favorite monster legends. But this photo and claim, which was followed by a just as absurd video, was not worth a news report. It was not worth any attention at all, in my opinion.

Paranormal Corner is a column that promotes activities of a local paranormal group along with films, events, etc. I can’t recall ever seeing any skepticism displayed there. I’m on the record repeatedly saying I don’t mind paranormal investigation as a personal hobby but when you claim that you are actually investigating, being skeptical, and providing conclusions to the public, I will call out BS. Roncace deliberately avoided giving an opinion on this case and asked her readers: “Have you ever seen the Jersey Devil? Do you believe in the legend? What do you think of the photo captured by Black in Galloway Township?”

What else would we think about this photo? It’s laughable. Why aren’t you laughing, Kelly? We could all be laughing together.

I’m unclear as to the point of Paranormal Corner except to promote the paranormal. It’s not journalism and it’s not necessarily opinion. This is in evidence by her reply to a commenter:

First of all, I never said if I believed it or not. Second, Paranormal Corner is a column, so I thought I would share what I received via email with the readers to get their opinions. While your assessment of the ‘creature’ itself is appreciated, there’s no need to name call. It’s simply a column, and I’m simply sharing some information that I received. Relax and have fun. It’s Halloween!! Thanks for reading!

Regardless of the lack of validity to this story, it was picked up by several reputable news outlets. Some treated is as the joke it was and others also treated it as clickbait. Readers will gravitate to such outrageous stories, no matter how stupid. Many can’t resist commenting about how dumb it is, how it’s obviously a hoax, or how they had their own experience.

The site BGR notes:

At any rate, the “Jersey Devil” photo has quickly gone viral on the Internet and is trending at the top of Facebook right now. For humanity’s sake, we hope that people are finding this amusing and aren’t actually believing in the Jersey Devil.

Well, many people really do believe in the JD and also in even more outrageous stuff. The average reader will have enough critical thinking skills to see these monster hoaxes as obvious fakes, however, take it from someone who has seen PLENTY of questionable claims, TOO many people do think there is “something to it”, even that there is monster hiding in the New Jersey woods.

Paranormal State did a serious episode on it. Several monster pseudo-documentaries and websites treat it as a real creature, even if they are unclear just what it is. There are groups of monster hunters who really do attempt to find the thing. While this is a fringe belief, it is a real belief nonetheless. If you want to do this stuff, have fun, but leave it out of the news because it’s not.

I would assume that the purpose of a journalistic outlet would be to at least confirm something before putting it out there as news. Many don’t do that, like in the very similar Lizard Man episode this past summer. Or, in an opinion column, one expects an actual opinion. To leave people hanging or asking for their opinion makes it clear there was no critical thinking or much of an effort here, and it appears instead to be cheap clickbait. That’s rather irresponsible and a hit to a site’s reputation for providing credible information. I guess the outlet can decide if it was worth the extra web traffic.

I understand Roncace’s approach in that perhaps she didn’t want to offend anyone by appearing to be a killjoy and was sharing a fun story. A Halloween monster story is fine, but I would suggest an alternative framing such as the following approach would have ultimately been better and still have achieved the same response:

• State that email submissions from readers are not reliable as news, that this one was not checked for validity, it’s not actual “proof” of anything, and that it is likely a fun prank.
• Avoid clickbaiting by presenting a “you decide” sensational story.
• Be clear that the claim has serious flaws and should not be treated as “news”.

It’s nice to appear open-minded to your readers but you run the risk of looking gullible and foolish. That is what happened here.

Many readers certainly love the myth and lore of monster stories and would gladly read more. Let’s not cheapen it by presenting a baseless, silly claim as potentially real. That’s insulting.

Once again, the pranksters have the ultimate laugh.

#hoax #jerseyDevil #media #newJersey #paranormalCorner

https://sharonahill.com/?p=2674

🌲 I made a little forest in which some of my mini cryptids could frolick and/or menace as desired. 🌲

#diorama #cryptids #BigFoot #JerseyDevil #FlatwoodsMonster

Bruce facendo o diablillo.

#JerseyDevil
#ANightWithAJerseyDevil
#Samain

https://youtu.be/l6leNRGhOqA?si=eoKDZ4nfYp3fAs9z

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Pop Cryptid Spectator 18

Hi, everyone.

The Pop Cryptid Spectator is about the proliferation of depictions of cryptids in popular culture. In particular, these depictions are outside the context of the original, and serious, concept of cryptozoology as a specialized branch of zoology.

I realize this is a very niche topic. First, you have to know about cryptozoology. Then, you have to have some concept about how it was framed in its early inception. Finally, you have to be aware of, and interested in, the modern cryptid landscape, which exploded with new and imaginative ideas. Cryptids are EVERYWHERE today. And their presence in popular culture rarely has anything to do with a scientific endeavor to find a mystery animal unknown to science.

That calculation results in a tiny population of people that is going to get the gist of this specific newsletter. If you are one of them, thanks for coming along with me on this journey.

There are self-styled cryptozoologists and even scholars writing about these topics that don’t see the subject through the lens of pop cryptids. Even they aren’t catching this vibe. It’s still important for me to document the pop cryptid concept, since it helps me understand what’s happening in real time and tease out the reasons why cryptids are so popular these days, both commercially and socially. As always, I’m here to deliver examples of this popularity with each edition.

Through the pop cryptid lens, the creatures called “cryptids”, as defined and redefined continually through products of our society, transcend the idea of a “hidden animal” to be identified by zoological science. This is no longer the primary goal. Instead, the pop cryptid model shines a light on the many other purposes and goals. It’s important to document these cultural ideas because they can affect how we identify with the places we live or visit and our beliefs and our immediate environment. Cryptids are used in the stories we tell to convey important messages about ourselves and how we see the world. They reflect our fears and our relationship with the nature or the beyond-nature. The stories also play a huge role in tourism and media products. Let me illustrate…

In this edition:

• Jersey Devil is a Cryptid of the Moment
• Cryptid AI vlogs
• SpiracyCon goes heavy on cryptids and Christian commentators
• What’s with the “archiness” of water monsters?
• Monster Festivals Season – Thank the Mothman
• In Research Of… The Mothman Prophecies deep dive
• Pop Cryptid trivia

Jersey Devil is a Cryptid of the Moment

One can reasonably argue that the Jersey Devil (JD) is not a cryptid because it was viewed as a folklore creature, a mass panic event, or, in reality, a political smear campaign, instead of an animal to be discovered. However, JD clearly ranks as a top pop cryptid. It’s a fantastic creature and I love it. Reactor magazine has a lovely article about how a current book of poetry, a play, and a comic about the Jersey Devil have arrived to show it is still beloved. The three very different ways of utilizing the same subject show how versatile JD is. The writer remarks that it is “a combination of the Jersey Devil’s unique qualities and vague history that make it so appealing to writers and storytellers right now.”

Cryptid AI vlogs

I wrote a new piece for Modern Cryptozoology about the sudden proliferation of cryptid vlogs on visual social media platforms.

Starting in June 2025, video blog shorts have been materializing daily featuring cryptids rendered with amazing realism. They are meant to be humorous, with the cryptids pointing the phone cam at themselves and their friends, making jokes, and showing the viewer what it’s like to be their best selves. They talk, sing, demonstrate life skills, discover cool things, and even interact with people. Check out the piece here.

SpiracyCon goes heavy on cryptids and Christian commentators

I just want everyone to take a look at the header for SpiracyCon. This is really something!

This conspiracy conference promises “a world of intrigue and revelation!” “With a wide variety of speakers—bold investigators, daring theorists, and passionate truth-tellers… this event promises to challenge everything you think you know.” You wouldn’t expect cryptids to feature so prevalently – maybe UFOs and JFK. But, the dogman/werewolf, Bigfoot, and Mothman imagery is concerning when the content is advertised as “a thrilling mix of talks and discussions that dive deep into topics like government cover-ups, unexplained phenomena, and forbidden knowledge.” The term “truth seekers” is mentioned several times.

Of the content creators on the speakers list of 19 so far, 16 have “Christian” or Biblical studies in their bio. The other 3 might just not say it out loud, but clearly know this is an event with a seriously militant Christian vibe. Four mention Bigfoot research or cryptids in general. More than a few bios are downright terrifying in an evident personality disorder kind of way. If you know anything about the insane conspiracy ideas such as aliens as demons, Bigfoot as Nephilim, and Satanic allegations against one’s political enemies, you can bet what will be mentioned here will be even worse.

I would not be the least bit comfortable in such a crowd. However, it is not new that ideas about cryptids are popularly blending with the supernatural and occult, government coverups, and End Times Biblical stuff. Some people go hard core. Take this as a wake-up call – not all cryptid fans are in it for the fun.

What’s with the “archiness” of water monsters?

Charles Paxton and Adrian Shine have a new journal article out examining the “sticky” cultural image of water monsters depicted with “arches” of their long, serpentine bodies out of water. The conclusion of the article is that only very few eyewitness reports describe these “arches” in contrast to the very many media, art, and consumer imagery that does.

The more common description of “humps” (showing no space between the flesh and the water), while not examined in this article, is treated in Shine’s book A Natural History of Sea Serpents where he argues that the appearance of humps are frequently the result of natural wakes or waves on calm water. There is no related trend of eyewitnesses reporting “arches” even though the common pop-cultural depiction of, say, Nessie, shows these. This conclusion contrasts with other evidence that clearly suggests that pop-cultural depictions of cryptids influence eyewitness reports of seeing them. So, this is an intriguing finding.

It’s important to emphasize that NO vertebrate animal can move in a way that creates vertical “arches”, not even snakes. The best nature can do is a series of surface breaches just on the surface, such as when dolphins or porpoises travel in a line. Therefore, if a witness reports “arches” instead of humps, they can fairly be deemed to be mistaken to some degree.

A closing note on this, the BBC had a write-up where they got things confused regarding arches vs humps. People definitely see humps, but not arches.

Monster Festivals Season – Thank the Mothman

Town monster festival season continues: The Grafton monster festival, in its second year as one of several cryptid festivals located in West Virginia, was a huge success, and Port Henry, New York will hold its 40th Champ Day at Lake Champlain in early August.

Several other events coming in later summer and fall are ramping up to attract more visitors than ever as previous visitors tell their friends and families and word spreads via social media. Typically, these festival feature vendors, bands, and speakers. The speakers are frequently content creators, or associated with a TV show, what we colloquially call “para-celebs”. It used to be ghost hunters who got all the attention; but this social cachet is now rubbing off on cryptid investigators. If you visit one in your area, let me know how it was by emailing me!

Why do we have cryptid town festivals multiplying and growing every year? Mothman. Several new festivals, such as for Ol’ Green Eyes, Albatwitch, Grafton, Van Meter, and more, are spun from the template of Point Pleasant’s Mothman Festival.

In Research Of… The Mothman Prophecies deep dive

Here is a fantastic two-parter podcast that you must check out. Jeb Card and Blake Smith of In Research Of… go step by step through The Mothman Prophecies (2002) film. They compare the book to the movie and discuss aspects of the film and the phenomenon that you will certainly not have heard before. Instead of the usual Wikipedia-referencing shallow cryptid podcast, indulge with two extremely well-versed commentators sharing their thoughts on Mothman, movies, John Keel, and pop cryptids.
Part 1 https://inresearchof.libsyn.com/s04-bonus-the-mothman-prophecies-part-1
Part 2 https://inresearchof.libsyn.com/s4-bonus-the-mothman-prophecies-part-2

The Mothman festival, one of the most popular cryptid town festivals in the world, was almost certainly a result of this movie. And, remember, without the Mothman festival, there would probably not be the plethora of other monster festivals worldwide that we have today.

Pop Cryptid trivia

See if you can answer this movie trivia question.

What actress has appeared in TWO movies as a cancer-stricken wife of a man who embarks on a personal journey involving a cryptid?

Debra Messing. She played Mary Klein in The Mothman Prophecies (2002) and Thea Linnea Pyle in The Dark Divide, a 2020 movie based on the memoir Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide by Robert Pyle. While neither movie was primarily about the cryptid aspect, I thought this was an interesting commonality.

Thanks for reading.

Please continue to send me links to interesting news and content. I really appreciate that. Email sharon(at)sharonahill.com.

For more, click on Pop goes the Cryptid landing page. Make sure you subscribe to all the posts – it’s always free and I don’t send annoying spam. 

Pop Cryptid Spectator is also available on Substack. Please share this with cryptid fans you know!

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#BigfootMuseum #cryptid #ElCuero #FresnoNightcrawler #GeorgiaBigfootHoax #hoax #lakeMonsters #Nahuelito #PuebloMysteryCreature

https://sharonahill.com/?p=9756

Fifth of the #cryptid #prideart series! #Asexual pride #JerseyDevil!

Haunting the Pine Barrens of South Jersey (and that REALLY scary X-Files episode), the Jersey Devil is here to remind everyone that asexuality is a spectrum...so be kind, or ELSE! #art #pride

The mythical world of Safari Ltd cryptids

Listen, I am not a toy collector, I don’t buy toys. But these Jersey Devil and Mothman cryptid models from Safari, Ltd, Mythical Realms creatures line are wicked and delightful. Let me show you.

Firstly, and importantly for my Pop Cryptid framework, the Mythical Realms line has four of the world’s most popular cryptids (Bigfoot, Yeti, Mothman, and the Jersey Devil) in a collection with unicorns/pegasus, armored dinosaurs, gnomes, mermaids and even a “Halfling”. It is perfectly and culturally acceptable to lump these entities together as “mythical”.

I’m not going to talk about the Bigfoot model because it’s straight-up dull. Bigfoot’s aim is to blend into the woods. And so does the monster model. If you drop it in the dirt, you will not find it again. The Yeti is better because it looks like a video game Yeti, all blue-white and ripped. But I’m not much of a fan of this look because it is so entirely off the mark from the origin stories, which, in my view, tell of a rare bear.

The Mothman, however, was born wildly scary. Eyewitness accounts don’t include reliable specific details. The original accounts, however, aren’t actually moth-like, but the idea of a “mothman” is what really counts. It’s not thought of as a zoological creature (though it could have been a case of mistaken ID, as with most cryptids). It carries significant fantastical baggage thanks to John Keel. Therefore, extreme versions of Mothman are fair game. Safari has a black version and a bizarre but fascinating glow-in-the dark version. I like them both. Safari’s take on Mothman includes book-like abs, which make no biological sense, the characteristic red eyes, and moth-y antennae (used for catching scents in the air). Two-toed feet and three-fingered “hands” plus the fantasy-based ribbed wings (dragon- or demon-like, with no analog in nature as they are not formed from phalanges, flaps, or feathers) give it a totally “mythical” quality.

Let’s be clear: when people still say they see “mothman” anywhere from West Virginia to Chicago, they aren’t seeing a creature as depicted here. This Mothman is concocted to be ultimately and sensationally spooky.

The Safari, Ltd. object that really caught me and reeled me in, however, was the Jersey Devil. Everything I said about Mothman doubly applies to this creature. It’s depicted with a hairy but ripped human torso, and similar dragon wings unconnected to human arms with three clawed fingers and an opposable clawed thumb. The ridiculously implausible legs begin with a human thigh, knee, and calf, that then develop into horse ankles, extra long pastern bones, and ends in cloven hooves. The back is ridged, extending into a scaly tail, ending in a tuft of fur. Crazy! The head is the best part, however – extra thick and horse-like with ribbed curved goat horns, and horse nose/lips, but straight blunt, perfectly occluded teeth revealed by a masterful snarl (my favorite detail). It’s an entirely unnatural devilish mashup of, like, four different animals plus our idea of a stylized dragon. It’s glorious. Someone buy this for my birthday!

The Jersey Devil is probably my favorite cryptid. I’m not sure why, but I think the monstrous and incredible mixture of features along with its sheer unreality have much to do with it. The JD is so fun; the traditional origin story of the monstrous birth and subsequent forest haunting lacks grounding in reality. Without any restrictions on biology, the tall tale aspect allowed creativity to run wild. Perhaps that’s why I love this toy’s depiction so much, too – it’s absurd. And who would argue!? There is no question that this not a real animal; it’s a supernatural story. There is no zoology involved. The “mystery” will remain forever. We shall never see one IRL, so it gleefully lives on in our imagination.

Thanks to the Monster Toy Blog who reviewed the JD model. Check it out here.

#collectables #cryptid #JerseyDevil #Mothman #popCryptid #toys #Yeti

https://sharonahill.com/?p=9852

Jersey Devil (Mythical Realms by Safari Ltd.)

First reported in the late 18th century, the Jersey Devil (Diablus leedsi) is a rare and dangerous predatory mammal that inhabits the vast Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Its secretive and savage nature combined with its frightening appearance has led to many tall tales being told about its origin, including even one about how it began as the demonic spawn of a human mother.

Here is the 2025 […]

Read more... https://monstertoyblog.com/jersey-devil-mythical-realms-by-safari-ltd/

#JerseyDevil#SafariLtd_