While the legendary bipedal ape is most commonly linked to the rugged terrain of the Pacific Northwest, a dedicated band of investigators is turning its attention to the opposite coast. Sasquatch hunters in New Jersey are actively tracking reported Bigfoot sightings, hoping to crack a decades-old mystery in a state better known for dense suburban sprawl than untamed wilderness.
Leading the local effort is Mike Familant, creator of the online documentary series “In the Shadow of Big Red Eye.” Familant points to several heavily wooded expanses across the state as primary hotspots for potential activity, including High Point State Park, Stokes State Forest, and the Delaware Water Gap.
Interest in the region is bolstered by historical data compiled by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, which catalogs 79 reported sightings statewide. Sussex County leads the tally with 18 accounts, followed by Burlington County with 16 and Ocean County with 11.
Investigators point to strange acoustic anomalies as potential evidence. Familant recounted an incident from 2022 when his team broadcasted a barred owl call at High Point State Park and recorded an unusual vocalization in response. According to Familant, a military linguist who analyzed the audio reported that the sound fell entirely outside the human vocal range and did not match any known animal native to northwestern New Jersey.
Not all investigators began with a belief in the creature. Jacob Korbel, an outdoorsman and field investigator for the research organization, entered his first expedition in the Pine Barrens in 2021 as a skeptic.
That perspective shifted during a night in the woods when team members heard an unexplained vocalization. About 100 yards away in front of us, there’s this whoop response, Korbel told local media, recalling that the sound resembled nothing he had previously encountered from local wildlife like owls, coyotes, or foxes. He described hearing the noise gradually close the distance, as if something were moving in to investigate or flank their position.
Despite decades of anecdotal accounts, audio recordings, and organized field expeditions, conclusive physical proof of Sasquatch remains elusive. Whether the creature represents an undiscovered, highly evasive animal or simply folklore remains an open question. Public polling on the subject shows modest belief, with a 2012 Angus Reid Public Opinion survey indicating that 29 percent of Americans considered Bigfoot to be definitely or probably real.
