Type: Supernatural / Extraterrestrial
Height: 1.5-5 feet tall
Appearance: Walking pants, pure white, long legs, no arms, small torso, no visible eyes or mouth.
Location: California, USA & Poland
Abilities: Gliding
In 2008, the city of Fresno, California would make its mark on the cryptozoology community. Seemingly out of nowhere, a new and unknown and strange entity decided to visit an unsuspecting homeowners property only to be caught on camera, creeping through this mans backyard. A short amount of time later the same type of creatures made another appearance elsewhere in the Golden State. This is the story of the Fresno Nightcrawlers...
The first video footage of these alleged creatures was done by a Fresno resident named José in 2008. José had been woken up in the middle of the night by his dogs barking and they seemed to be distressed in a way he hadn't experienced before. Thinking it could be an intruder, he checked his security camera and to his shock, he allegedly saw some weird alien looking creatures making their way across his back yard. A terrified Jose eventually approached a local tv station, Univision with his tape, who in turn contacted local ufo investigator and member of MUFON, Victor Camacho to review the footage.
Unfortunately what is available to see on the internet is badly distorted and degraded. This is due to the original being on an old VHS tape, which was then recorded by the tv station reporter by recording the tv screen with a camera. needless to say, any trickery in the film would be nearly impossible to discern! It also didn't help convince skeptics when editing the video, an animatronic gray alien was used as a scene buffer which popped up and furthered peoples feelings on this just being a clever hoax.
In addition to MUFON, several paranormal investigators have analyzed José's footage but results were inconclusive. Some claimed it could have been cgi, while others believe these creatures were just pairs of pants hung off a line and manipulated to give an appearance of walking. In the video, the creatures strange walk does also have a glide-like characteristic, so it is possible this was all a hoax in the end. however, the truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction.
A Second Sighting
In 2011, these creatures were captured on a security camera once again, this time in Yosemite National Park in California. This second film was apparently the result of park caretakers trying to catch vandals in the act. Instead they captured something far stranger... when the footage was reviewed, apparently two walking pairs of white pants-looking creatures, slowly moseyed their way by the camera. The quality on this second film is far better than the first and some details in the features of these beings can be made out. One thing of particular note is the size difference between the two creatures. If real, perhaps this shows a juvenile version of the Nightcrawler and an adult. Though this footage is fantastic, it has been claimed by experts that this would be easy to superimpose cgi to make it appear real enough to convince the layman of its authenticity. So far, the jury is still out on the second film.
Some researchers have claimed these beings have show up in Native American folklore, specifically the Yokuts, Miwok, and Ohlone tribes. However, this theory seems to have largely been debunked by experts familiar with Native folklore, but some would disagree. Furthermore, there are wood sculptures somewhere outside a California DMV building, which bare a striking resemblance to the Fresno Nightcrawlers, but thus far there is no discernible connection between the two.
Additional sightings of Nightcrawler type creatures have been recorded elsewhere in the world as well. In Ohio, there is a story of a 60 year old ex-marine and his wife which encountered such a being. In 2014 they reported witnessing something that appeared to be a 7 foot tall pair of gray legs that darted in front of their car one night. This creature has Is known as the Carmel Area Creature, and while it has similarities in physical appearance to the Fresno beings, there isn't a concrete connection between the two. Additionally in recent years a Nightcrawler-esque creature was supposedly captured on camera in Poland, though it's hard to make out any real details due to the shaky cam effect.
The Fresno Nightcrawlers seem to be a newer phenomenon and not much is known about them aside from their appearance. What is known is that, if real they do not appear hostile to humans, and some say they might be here to help us, which is a good thing!
Possible Explanations
• Extraterrestrial beings
• Hoax like pants or puppet on a string, man in a suit
• An Undiscovered animal
• Supernatural or spirit beings
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