SJ Attractions: The Jersey Devil

As the sun sets over the scrub pines the cool night air sends a chill down your spine. Was it the cool night air, or was it something else that caused the chill? The Pine Barrens is a wonderful place to be, especially at night, and especially if you happen to be looking for the Jersey Devil!

We’ve all heard the stories of Mrs. Leeds, a poor mother of 12 children who cursed the birth of her 13th, and demanded it be the devil. The child, born horribly deformed, flew up the chimney and into the woods where it has been living, or at least rumored to be living since the 18th century, said to survive by eating small children and livestock. This large winged creature is said to have the head of a horse, claws and a serpentine body. As with all folklore there are numerous versions to the story, but the one fact that remains is that anyone who lives or has lived in South Jersey has heard the story.

There are sightings (word of mouth) of the Jersey devil dating back to the mid 1800s, and even Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, claimed to have seen the creature while hunting. Rumor has it that appearances of the Jersey Devil have preceded disasters such as shipwrecks and wars.

With the advent of print, sightings of the Jersey Devil could now be recorded. A Philadelphia newspaper recorded one of the earliest sightings in 1899. A businessman named George Saarosy was awoke one night by high-pitched screams in his yard, and when he looked out his window he saw the Jersey Devil flying past his house.

Not much more activity was reported until the year 1909, when so many reports of the Jersey Devil were reported that the story was given national coverage. From Woodbury to Trenton and even as far away as Philadelphia and Delaware, the creature was reported to be wreaking havoc. Even with all these reports, the region fell prey to the press and was the butt of many a joke. The Philadelphia Zoo (as a joke) even went as far as to offer a $10,000 reward for it’s capture. As you can well imagine, the lure of $10,000 brought on the scam artists, and two men, Norman Jefferies and Jacob Hope claimed they had captured the creature. They reported it not to be a demon, but in fact a rare Australian vampire. What the two men actually had was a kangaroo that they painted with stripes, and glued wings and claws to.

As the years slowly slipped away so too it seemed did the legend of the Jersey Devil, with only a few sightings here and there. It was not until 1951 that the sightings were again reported, when The Philadelphia Record reported a ten-year-old boy sighted a creature "with blood dripping from its face" outside his window. This initial report sparked the regions interest again, and prompted numerous “sightings” throughout the area. Police stations became inundated with reports, and eventually resorted to posting sings that read “The Jersey Devil Is A Hoax”. The signs did little to say the opinion of local residents who headed into the Pine Barrens, gun in hand looking to kill the creature. Police fearing the worst, were forced to arrest several residents in order to prevent what would have undoubtedly been a tragedy. As in the past, the reports of the Jersey Devil slipped away, until a local farmed reported in 1966 that his entire shed of chickens had been killed, along with his two German shepherds. The dogs had been torn to shreds. This report was to be the last that Police and the Press would acknowledge.

Just because the Police and the Press have refused to acknowledge the Jersey Devil does that mean that it no longer exists? There are many South Jersey residents who would say “No”. To this day, folks still report hearing blood-curling screams coming from the woods late at night, and some even swear that have seen the creature themselves. I remember as a kid growing up in Medford Lakes seeing the plaques nailed to trees marking the spot as one where the Jersey Devil had been reportedly spotted.

Weather you believe or not is up to you, but one thing is for sure; something has captured the imagination of South Jersey, and continues to entertain, intrigue and terrorize this region. So next time you’re feeling brave, pack up some gear and head deep into the Pine Barrens for the night. When (if) you come out the next morning I’ll bet you too will have a story about South Jersey’s most famous resident.

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Author: Steve Kelly - Editor, SouthJersey.com