North America's UFO and Paranormal HOTTEST HOT-SPOT

North America's UFO and Paranormal HOTTEST HOT-SPOT

by Bill Knell

It's an area historically known for early English occupation and wars between European settlers and the Algonquin native nations. In terms of the unexplained, the “Bridgewater Triangle”, in my well-informed opinion, is North America's number-one UFO and paranormal hot-spot. Reported incidents include UFOs, Aliens, Cryptids, Ghosts, Animal Mutilations, Cults and Unexplained Phenomena. Among its more mundane, but no less concerning incidents are cult-linked and famous murders, regular electricity and electronic equipment outages and failures, and odd disappearances. The Triangle is a who's who and what's what of weirdness.

The Bridgewater Triangle was given its name in the 1970s by Cryptozoologist Loren Colmen after researching the area. He believed its level of unexplained activity matched that of the Bermuda Triangle. The area encompasses a 200-square-mile region in southeastern Massachusetts marked by Abington, Rehoboth and Freetown. Triangle towns include Taunton, Brockton, Raynham, Bridgewater, Marshfield, Norton, Easton, North Middleboro, Segragonset, Dighton, North Dighton, Berkeley, and Myricks. Among its troubled places are locations like the Hockomock Swamp and the Freetown-Fall River State Forest.

Here are some highlights among the hundreds of incidents throughout the years…

UFOs and UAPs

Reports of unidentified flying objects, glowing orbs and “spook lights” date back to colonial times.

John Winthrop, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, recorded the first known UFO sighting and possible Alien Abduction in the American colonies in his diary in 1639. In March of that year, he described three men in a boat who saw a great light that moved with incredible speed, sometimes flaming and sometimes contracting into a pig-like shape. The men also reported their boat had moved back to its original starting point without explanation, despite rowing with the tide, so the incident included missing time.

On November 6, 1908, around 3AM, two undertakers saw a bright light above the Stanley Iron Works in Bridgewater. It moved rapidly in different directions, appearing close, then far away.

The Spring of 1979 was the year when more UFO sightings were reported in the Bridgewater Triangle than any other in modern times.

News reporters Jerry Lopes(L)and Steve Sbraccia(R) were on Route 106 out to cover a story when they spotted a light, then a huge object shaped a bit like a baseball home plate.

The object hovered over a “dog track” for about a minute, then took off at incredible speed. Both agreed that the huge object was the size of five 747s wing to wing.

The next day the police and the local news media reported that hundreds of people saw and reported the exact same object.

Spook Lights, also known as Ghost Lights, have been seen in many places across the world for centuries. In the USA places like Marfa, Texas, have become regular hosts to unexplained lights seen as long as people have populated these areas.

Sample of Ghost Lights

Throughout the Triangle these lights have been and continue to be seen on a regular basis. No explanation has ever been found that successfully explains this phenomenon.

Cryptids

Local news sources reported that in 1988 two boys followed a pair of huge, three-toed footprints into Hockomock swamp where they were confronted by a massive winged creature. When the monster saw them, it took off flying straight up into the air. Afterward, they reported the encounter to family, police and neighbors.

Many dismissed it as nonsense until Thomas Downey, a respected Norton police sergeant. came forward with his own encounter. In 1971 he was driving home along Winter Street in Marshfield when he saw a giant creature standing at the edge of the swamp. He described it as looking a bit like a bird, but the thing was over six feet tall. It moved towards his car, then suddenly flew straight up. He estimated its wingspan at eight to twelve feet. After he reported the incident other officers arrived and found several large, three toed footprints. Ironically, Native people called the place of the sighting “Bird Hill”.

In 1970, residents living near the swamp reported seeing a giant hairy “monster” running through their yards. Local and state police conducted a lengthy manhunt, but couldn't find it.

On April 8, 1970, two officers were parked in a police cruiser near the swamp. Suddenly, the rear end of the car lifted into the air and then dropped with a loud bang. The officers quickly spun the car around and trained their spotlight on something huge and hairy which ran away on two legs behind a house. Again, police searched but nothing was found.

A hunter shot at a large animal in the woods in 1980. It ran away and gave a half human, half animal cry. Later, he found brown hair and blood on some leaves along the path the creature ran.

In 2009, a woman in West Bridgewater heard a noise in her yard at night. Looking out a window, she saw a large, hairy, bipedal creature eating a pumpkin in her garden. It looked at her with reddish-orange eyes, grunted, then took off into the woods with the pumpkin.

Ghosts and Unexplained

The original Algonquian name of “Hockomock” swamp means "the place where the spirits dwell". Early English settlers nicknamed it “Devil's Swamp”. Apparitions and Pukwudgies (mischievous spirits) were reported by both natives and settlers. The area was the site of King Philip's War, a brutal conflict that led to many deaths in the and is considered by some to be a source of trapped spirits,

According to Wikipedia:

“King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands against the English New England Colonies and their indigenous allies. The war is named for Metacom (alternatively Metacomet), the Pokanoket chief and sachem of the Wampanoag who had adopted the English name Philip because of the friendly relations between his father Massasoit and the Plymouth Colony. The war continued in the most northern reaches of New England until the signing of the Treaty of Casco Bay on April 12, 1678.”

Reports include sightings of Native American "ghost dancing" and shadowy figures. Natives say the “Pukwudgies" regularly reported in the area for centuries are short, human-like, furry creatures that inhabit the area and are sometimes described as "soul stealers".

Regular reports of transparent or translucent people dressed in clothing from older time periods are common. Visitors report being “touched” or “pulled” by unseen forces. There have been numerous reports of “cults” having meetings in the area at night.

Freetown State Forest is another very troubled place in the Triangle with ghosts, murders, booby traps and cult rituals. Located on a once Native reservation, legends say a curse was placed on the land after a sacred tribal wampum belt was stolen. Visitors often report paranormal phenomena, including sightings of ghostly figures and demonic creatures. Cables were strung from tree to tree in 2016 as illegal booby traps designed to stop motocross riders from using the area.

Profile Rock, located in the forest, is a 50 foot tall outcropping that resembles the profile of Chief Massasoit, a significant figure in Wampanoag native history. Profile Rock was also the location where Anawan, a leader of the Native forces and the successor to King Philip (Metacomet), was captured by Benjamin Church on August 28, 1676, effectively ending the war of King Philip.

Some sightings describe the ghost of a man, potentially Anawan, sitting on the rock with crossed or outstretched legs. Another oddity is that people who tried to climb or jump from the rock sometimes just instantly disappeared, appearing elsewhere minutes later. Just like Hockamuck swamp, the rock and forest may have been cursed by natives. The rock recently and mysteriously collapsed, so the area is now closed to the public.

Fall River is home to the Lizzie Bordon murders house. The Borden house is haunted by the spirits of the victims, Andrew and Abby Borden, the murdered parents of Lizzie Borden. She was charged, tried and found innocent.

Visitors report phenomena like objects moving, flickering lights, spectral figures, disembodied voices, and an oppressive atmosphere. The house, now a museum and bed & breakfast, is known for the unsolved 1892 double murder of Lizzie's father and stepmother, with tour guides and guests frequently experiencing paranormal activity, particularly in the rooms where the murders took place. Some have reported seeing spectral figures, hearing disembodied giggling, whispers, and even a child's laughter.

Guests have experienced doors opening and closing on their own, lights flickering, and objects like marbles rolling. Some have reported feeling an unsettling chill in the air, and a fire alarm has gone off with no explanation in the middle of the night.

Andrew Borden is said to be a particularly restless spirit and reportedly does not like people in the house, with tour guides claiming he has physically punched them. Abby Borden is believed to linger in the bedroom where her body was discovered. Some stories also mention the spirits of drowned children from a neighboring property.

It should be noted that many horrific serial murders have occurred in areas with an already existing reputation of paranormal activity, like the area of Long Island where the “Amityville Horror" house is located.

Hornbine and McElwain Schools in the Triangle are locations of regular ghost sightings, including reports of 19th-century apparitions of teachers and children at Hornbine.

At some point in the 1990s a young student saw and allegedly conversed with a ghostly female teacher (dressed in out of date clothing) trying to help her solve an arithmetic problem. No one else saw the ghost, but all the children and the actual teacher noticed a sudden drop in temperature and an overhead light flickering above the student's desk. The next day her parents took her out of the school permanently. The incident was reported, but names were withheld.

A young boy has been seen many times over decades by teachers, staff and students at McElwain. Nick-named the "little boy ghost", he is usually seen in the boy's restroom, but some have reported him as running or walking fast down hallways. Sometimes he can be heard saying, “I'm late!” without actually looking at anyone. Most agree he wears clothes from the late 1950s or early 1960s, but no one has ever been able to identify him.

Bridgewater State University is home to numerous instances of ghostly activity. Most of the hauntings occur in Woodward Hall, Shea and Durgin Hall, the Student Apartments, and in the Rondileau Campus Center Auditorium.

In the Woodward Hall, haunting includes someone running up and down the halls screaming “fire”. In 1924, the Old Woodward Dormitory burned down and legend has it that the girl screaming “fire” was the one who set the blaze. Many believe she died that night.

Jennifer Kilgallon, a senior majoring in English, remembers living in Woodward Hall her freshman year and doing a ghost hunt with a psychic. “We explored some people’s rooms including mine, the bathroom, and a few other things,” said Kilgallon. “When we entered my room, I panicked because you’re never fully sure if it's just a glitch or something that just happened to happen. The radio scanner answered questions and switched languages.”

There is sometimes an overwhelming stench of death in the Student Apartments. Students have said they will walk into their apartment and the entire room will smell of rot and death, but no surrounding apartments will have any whiff of the scent.

One of the really frightening hauntings occurred in a second floor room in Shea-Durgin Hall. It is said people can hear the sound of a woman choking. The story behind it is a man choking his girlfriend because he was convinced she was cheating.

On the fifth floor there's a bathroom ghost who will run around the bathroom and turn showers on and off, as well as run them colder or hotter while students shower. Another one likes to rearrange furniture or belongings and stack cans.

That isn’t the only trickster ghost on campus, as there is supposedly a ghost named George who haunts the Auditorium and plays pranks on the students working there.

A former student explained that George seemed to especially like playing pranks on students who would get upset with him. He would do things like steal scripts or play with the lighting and move props around.

Animal Mutilations

Animal mutilations in the Triangle involve mutilated carcasses found in the woods or clearings. There have been reports of cattle and other livestock found mutilated in the Freetown and Fall River areas. Local police have investigated some of these cases and suggest cult activity as a possible cause. However, no one has been arrested or charged. As in the case of mutilations in other areas, UFOs are sometimes seen and associated with this phenomenon. Cults usually perform rituals that are messy and leave carcasses with a look of being haphazardly slaughtered. UFO or Alien related mutilations leave animals bloodless, with various areas cut and organs removed with surgical precision. US Ghost Adventures has investigated a number of paranormal incidents in the Triangle and say that animal mutations are among the most often reported.

Satanic Cults and Murders

In 1979 self-styled Satanic cult leader and known pimp Carl Drew murdered Karen Marsden. He was convicted of her murder in 1981. However, that was considered just the tip of the iceberg. People have reported seeing Satanic cult rituals taking place in various parts of the Triangle. Two other murders may have been linked to Satan worship and ritualistic killing. Other murdered or missing young women include the ongoing case of Jennifer Mbugua, who disappeared in 2014, and the 2025 disappearance of Kylie Montero from nearby Rehoboth, whose body was later found. Additionally, Janet Jimenez was reported missing and later found dead in 2018. Crime, in general, is a problem in many Triangle towns.