During 2008, there were numerous reports of UFO sightings and other strange incidents reported from across the Keystone state. Reports of unusual incidents originated from 50 counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. That is an increase over 2007, when such reports were received from 37 counties. Some of the strange incidents reported included sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects, strange sky illuminations, Bigfoot, giant birds, mountain lions, strange sounds and mysterious footprints.

An example of some of the more interesting 2008 mysterious events from Pennsylvania.

Giant Bird Sightings

There has been a history from Pennsylvania and other states of sightings of giant birds with enormous wingspans that are occasionally reported, and are commonly referred to as "thunderbirds." In recent years, the reports of these huge flying creatures have increased. Rick Fisher of the Paranormal Society of Pennsylvania received a report which occurred in February at a rural location outside of Harrisburg. The driver of a vehicle, who was also an active hunter, saw a huge bird-like creature drop from the trees and approach his vehicle. The man stopped and got out to take a better look at the creature, which seemed to soar or glide without flapping its wings. He hesitantly told Rick that what he saw looked, "prehistoric almost."

Researcher Jim Brown investigated an incident which occurred on the afternoon of May 20, on a major roadway in Washington County. Motorists reportedly pulled off the road to watch as a huge dark colored flying creature that looked more like a giant bat than a bird, circled low, and passed over some cars. One witness noticed that the wingspan extended beyond the edges of the two lane highway. One man was seen taking pictures of the giant flying creature. That person has never come forward.

Bigfoot Sightings

Over the years, there have been hundreds of sightings of huge hair covered man-like or sometimes more ape-like creatures reported statewide. A very active area is along the Chestnut Ridge in Westmoreland, Fayette, and Indiana counties. While such sightings are reportedly yearly, the number of such reports have dropped in recent years.

The Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society (PBS) received a report from Warren County in May that a woman had seen such a creature climb up her lattice and onto her back deck. She watched it from her patio door as it climbed over the railing and departed. In August, from rural Warren County, I received a report that a man and his son observed a 7 foot tall, hair covered creature with very long swinging arms cross a roadway with very long steps and enter a wooded area.

I also received reports of strange screaming sounds coming from along the Chestnut Ridge near Latrobe. An experienced woodsman came across 18 inch long, five toed footprints, unlike anything he had ever seen before, while hiking in the Forbes State Forest above Rector on August 22.

UFO Sightings

While there was a lot of UFO activity reported from the eastern portions of the state, many UFO sightings were reported in western Pennsylvania and elsewhere. While spherical, and disc shaped objects were reported, as well as formations of luminous objects, there were numerous triangular shaped objects sighted as well.

On July 2, near Connellsville, witnesses observed a triangular shaped object with a curved bottom and numerous lights. The silent object passed overhead and moved toward the Yough River. During the early morning hours of August 12, in a rural area between Greensburg and Youngwood, a witness observed what was described as, "two huge double headlights," side by side, and slightly yellow in color, hovering low just above the road. The silent lights rose up from the ground and moved off over the trees.

I received several independent UFO sighting reports from Westmoreland and Allegheny Counties on September 5. About 12:30 a.m. a glowing round white object with various colored lights was observed hovering in the western sky from New Stanton. The object suddenly disappeared from sight after a few minutes. Soon after, a second object shaped like a glowing football moved rather fast across the sky, then suddenly stopped, then dropped lower toward the ground. With binoculars, the object appeared round with evenly spaced lights.

Another report was received which had occurred at nearly the same time. A motorist driving near South Park in Allegheny County watched as what appeared to be a large lighted object passed over him at an altitude of about 100 feet. His attention was first drawn to a series of bright white lights that were non-blinking and about 3 feet in diameter that were attached to the object. The driver lowered his window and heard no sound. The object made a sharp bank and rose up over the trees and moved off. That same morning, a slow moving silent orange sphere of light was observed at about 3 a.m. near Jeannette as it moved across the sky, then suddenly vanished.

It was during the early morning hours of October 4, that two hunters in Elk County encountered something unusual. As they moved into a wooded area, they first noticed two baseball sized glowing lights about 15 feet above the ground. Soon they noticed multiple beams of light which seemed to originate from about 10 feet from above the ground, and projected parallel with the ground.

Their attention, however, was drawn to a glowing human-like form, which was estimated to be about 3 feet tall. The color was described as a light green, lime color, and it had arms that hung straight down, and were longer than that of a human. The movement of the being gave the impression that it was gliding. On that same date at about 8:20 p.m., in nearby Tioga County, witnesses observed a silent bright solid cigar shaped object approaching from the north, and it suddenly faded out and vanished as it moved overhead.

This year will mark 50 years that I have been investigating and logging such strange accounts from Pennsylvania. My interest in mysterious happenings started at age 10 in 1959. I began conducting on scene investigations of such matters after the Kecksburg UFO incident in 1965. I started taking phone calls from the public in 1969, from those wanting to report alleged UFO sightings. In 1970, I founded the Westmoreland County UFO Study Group, the first of three volunteer, scientifically oriented research groups that remained active for many years, and which investigated UFO sightings and Bigfoot encounters, as well as other strange events around the state.

Today I continue to investigate and document current reports of such matters as an independent researcher. I am still receiving information about that event, and continue my investigation into this UFO incident which has gained international interest.

I receive anomaly sighting reports from the public via my UFO Hotline at 724-838-7768. I also receive e-mail sighting reports at paufo@comcast.net. For update information visit my web site: www.stangordonufo.com. I also maintain contact with numerous researchers and organizations in the state and from throughout the country and elsewhere. The National UFO Reporting Center in Washington state, and the PA Chapter of the Mutual UFO Network also receive numerous UFO reports. Roger Marsh also provides current sighting information [HERE]. The Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society continues to receive alleged sightings of Bigfoot encounters as well.

When I first began investigating UFO sightings and other strange reports, I found that while many sightings reported seemed initially odd, many were determined to be natural or man-made in origin. Many UFO sightings, for example, can be explained as bright planets and stars, meteors and searchlight beams. Some Bigfoot observations were determined to be large dogs or bear. In recent months, many UFO reports that I received of a very bright light low in the southwestern sky was determined to be the planet Venus. But not all mysterious sightings can be explained away so easily.