Mothman Sightings: 10 Chilling Eyewitness Accounts from Point Pleasant
It’s been nearly 60 years since the winged harbinger of doom first terrified the residents of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. But if the whispers from the Ohio River Valley are to be believed, the Mothman isn’t just a legend from the past he’s back.
As Point Pleasant geared up for its massive Mothman Festival, reports of strange lights, aerial anomalies, and that familiar sense of dread began flooding local paranormal forums. Is it mass hysteria, or is the creature warning us again?
We’ve compiled 10 of the most chilling and credible accounts from late 2024 through 2025. Grab your flashlight; we’re going into the TNT area.
1. The TNT Area Encounter (September 2025)
The Sighting:
Just days before the 2025 Mothman Festival, a group of urban explorers ventured into the McClintic Wildlife Management Area (the “TNT Area”), the creature’s original stomping grounds. One explorer, identifying as “Jake_ExPlores,” reported hearing a mechanical, high pitched screeching sound that didn’t match any local wildlife.
The Details:
- Location: Bunkers north of Point Pleasant
- Time: 11:45 PM
- Witness Quote: “It wasn’t an owl. It sounded like metal grinding on metal, but organic. My EMF meter spiked to red, and then we saw two red reflections in the tree line, too wide apart to be a deer.”
For a firsthand look at the atmosphere in Point Pleasant this year, check out this vlog from the festival: MOTHMAN FESTIVAL 2025 VLOG | Point Pleasant, WV. It gives a great visual context to the locations mentioned in these sightings!
2. The Drone Operator’s Footage (August 2025)
The Sighting:
A local drone enthusiast, testing new night vision equipment near the Silver Bridge memorial, captured footage of a large, winged anomaly darting between the bridge piers.
The Details:
- Analysis: The object moved against the wind at speeds estimated over 60 mph. Skeptics claim it’s a large heron or drone, but the heat signature showed a body mass significantly larger than any native bird.
- Credibility: The footage is currently being analyzed by paranormal researchers from the Mothman Investigation Workshop, who were guests at the 2025 festival.
3. The Festival Eve Shadow (September 20, 2025)
The Sighting:
During the Mothman Festival weekend, thousands of tourists flooded Main Street. Amid the festivities, a vendor packing up late at night reported a tall, dark figure perched on top of the Lowe Hotel.
The Details:
- Witness Account: “I thought it was a cosplayer doing a stunt. But then it just… dropped. It didn’t fall; it swooped down into the alleyway without a sound. No guy in a costume moves like that.”
- Context: The Lowe Hotel is already famous for being haunted, but roof top sightings of “The Bird” are rare in recent years.
4. The Route 2 Chase (January 2025)
The Sighting:
A delivery driver on Route 2 claimed his truck was “paced” by a flying creature for nearly three miles.
The Details:
- The Terror: The driver reported the creature flying parallel to his cab at 50 mph, gliding without flapping its wings. He described it as “grey, headless, with eyes set deep into the chest area”, a description terrifyingly consistent with 1966 reports.
- Aftermath: The driver refused to take the night shift for two weeks following the incident.
5. The “Red Eye” Glitch (July 2025)
The Sighting:
Visitors snapping selfies with the famous Mothman Statue reported strange technological malfunctions.
The Details:
- The Glitch: Multiple tourists reported their phones shutting down or photos becoming corrupted with “red static” when trying to photograph the statue at night.
- Paranormal Connection: High strangeness often includes electromagnetic interference. Is the statue itself becoming a beacon for the entity?
6. The Kanawha River Splash (May 2025)
The Sighting:
Fishermen on the Kanawha River reported a massive splash and a dark shape launching itself out of the water and into the sky.
The Details:
- Witness Description: “It looked like a man in a wetsuit, but with wings. It shook the water off and shot straight up. No sound, just the splash.”
- Theory: While Mothman is an aerial cryptid, this report mirrors rare accounts from the 60s of the creature being sighted near water sources.
7. The Fallout Fan’s Fright (September 2025)
The Sighting:
With the Fallout 76 fanbase having a huge presence in Point Pleasant, many fans explore the woods in costume. A group of cosplayers reported being stalked by something that wasn’t part of the game.
The Details:
- The Encounter: While taking photos in the woods near the TNT area, the group heard heavy, bi pedal footsteps crunching leaves behind them. When they yelled out, thinking it was another fan, they were answered with a “guttural vibration” that they could feel in their chests.
8. The Warning Dream (March 2025)
The Sighting:
Not a physical sighting, but a psychic phenomenon reminiscent of the 1967 tragedy. Several local residents reported sharing an identical nightmare of a “collapsing structure” and waking up with unexplained red conjunctivitis (pink eye).
The Details:
- Why it matters: In the 1960s, witnesses often suffered from “conjunctivitis” and nightmares before the Silver Bridge collapse. This recurrence has paranormal researchers on high alert for a potential “harbinger” event.
9. The Gallipolis Ferry Incident (June 2025)
The Sighting:
Across the river in Gallipolis, Ohio, a couple reported a large winged creature crouched on the roof of their shed.
The Details:
- Visual: They described it as “darker than the night,” blocking out the stars. When they turned on the porch light, it unfurled wings that “spanned the entire shed roof” before shooting straight up into the air.
10. The Museum Anomaly (October 2025)
The Sighting:
Security cameras inside the Mothman Museum reportedly captured movement in the “eyewitness accounts” exhibit after hours.
The Details:
- The Footage: A shadow figure was seen moving through the glass display cases. While the museum has not released the full footage, leaked stills on Reddit show a distorted, dark mass hovering near the original police reports from 1966.
Mass Hysteria or The Return?
Skeptics will say the 2025 surge is due to the Mothman Festival’s record breaking attendance or the popularity of video games like Fallout 76. They might point to sandhill cranes, drones, or even owls.
But for the people of Point Pleasant, the red eyes staring back from the dark are all too real. Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, one thing is certain: in 2025, the legend isn’t sleeping.
Have you seen something strange in Point Pleasant? Share your story in the comments below.
