YEAR: 1977

SEASON: Summer

MONTH: August

STATE: New Jersey

COUNTY: Warren County

LOCATION DETAILS: Waterloo Road, near the Sussex - Warren County border.

NEAREST TOWN: Allamuchy NJ

NEAREST ROAD: Waterloo Road

OBSERVED: It was August of 1977 and I had missed my ride home from Hacketstown NJ to Byram NJ. The road to get back to Byram is Waterloo Rd. It was about 9:30-10:00 PM so I decided to hitch hike it on Waterloo hoping that someone would give me a lift back to HWY-206. It was very dark and as I was walking past Stephens State Park and then the old Saxton Falls area, I could hear something that sounded like it was on 2 feet stalking me in the woods on the ridge side of Waterloo Rd. It got very interesting when I started sprinting, it also started sprinting keeping up with me for what seemed like at least a mile. When I would walk, it would walk. It was loud as it went thru the woods as I stayed on the road hoping for a car to pick me up. Eventually I did get a ride near a few houses after passing an old Tavern on the river side of Waterloo Rd.

ALSO NOTICED: I was being stalked by something on 2 feet as I walked and ran on Waterloo Road. It was very dark so I was unable to see anything but my adrenaline from the fear I sensed was very high.

OTHER WITNESSES: No. Just me unfortunately.

OTHER STORIES: YES. I think there are a few other reports from this area.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: 10:00 PM Very dark, bright stars, not much moonlight.

ENVIRONMENT: Very dark, Musconetcong River on one side of the road, ridge, hills woodlands on the other side. Very near Waterloo Village.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator Larry Rippon:

I spoke with the witness over the phone. The witness was unable to meet at the location of the encounter because he lives out of state. I am very familiar with this portion of New Jersey and I frequently travel on the road the incident took place.



The following details can be added.

-- The witness stated that he didn’t think it was a bear or deer that was pacing him. He described hearing a heavy, thumping sound, like bipedal foot falls, from approximately 30-50 yards into the western portion of the wooded area on Waterloo Road. Although some bears such as grizzly and brown bear will track humans, there are no such bears in New Jersey, only black bears, which are not usually known to follow humans.

-- The witness used Google Maps to pinpoint the spot where the encounter began. Interestingly enough, a utility company transmission right-of-way crosses the road at the location. Bigfoots are known to use right-of-ways as thoroughfares. Bigfoots are also known to intimidate humans as a defense mechanism, which in this case would be stalking or paralleling.

-- From where the incident began, to where the witness was finally picked up, the western portion of Waterloo Road has no houses or side streets, which would mean the biped would have been running at high speed through constant woods.

-- At the time of the incident, the witness was a college athlete and in great shape. Although at times the witness was running at full speed on a paved roadway, the stalker in question kept pace with him.

-- The location of the incident is surrounded to the west by Allamuchy State Park, which is 9,000 acres of thick woods and to the east by the Musconetcong River.

-- The witness had no visual sighting but experienced a tremendous amount of fear and anxiety.

-- The location of this incident is right where Sussex, Morris and Warren counties intersect.

-- A future visit to the site by me is planned

About BFRO Investigator Larry Rippon:

Larry is a lifelong New Jersey resident, having lived the past 26 years in the northern part of the state. He became interested in Bigfoot after seeing the Paterson-Gimlin film when he was a young boy. Larry likes spending time with his family and is an avid hiker. He is the curator of all BFRO northern New Jersey sightings, reports and investigations. Larry has attended the following BFRO expeditions:

2014 northern New Jersey
2016 southern New York
2017 northern New Jersey
2018 southern New Jersey
2019 northern New Jersey (co-organizer)
2020 southern New York #1
2022 northern New Jersey spring (organizer)
2022 northern New Jersey fall (organizer)
2023 northern New Jersey spring (organizer)
2023 northern New Jersey fall (organizer)
2024 northern New Jersey spring (co-organizer)
2024 northern New Jersey fall (co-organizer)

If you have seen a Sasquatch anywhere in northern New Jersey, please contact me immediately.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @NewJersey_BFRO