A Rhode Island man says he encountered what he believes was an 8-foot-tall Bigfoot while driving near Pachaug State Forest in eastern Connecticut.
The alleged sighting occurred during the early morning hours of July 5, according to a newly published report from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO).
The group classifies the incident as a “Class A” sighting, which they defines as a visual observation of an alleged Sasquatch under conditions it considers credible.
In the report, Kevin Klimas claims he was leaving a friend’s rented cabin in New London County, near Beach Pond in Voluntown, around 1:44 a.m. when he crossed a bridge near the intersection of Wylies School Road and Forge Hill Road.
Klimas said he had just opened Google Maps to navigate home to Westerly, Rhode Island, when something suddenly entered the roadway.
He said he slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting what he described as a bipedal creature standing between 8 and 8½ feet tall.
The witness described the animal as having long, coarse brown hair covering most of its body, exceptionally broad shoulders, unusually long arms reaching near its knees, and a slightly conical-shaped head with minimal facial hair, according to the BFRO report.
Klimas said the creature crossed the road in three strides without looking toward his vehicle before disappearing into the woods.
“I was (and remain) dumbstruck,” Klimas wrote in the report. “This was not a bear. This was a cryptid. I’m no longer a skeptic.”
No other witnesses were present, according to the report.
BFRO investigator Mike Young interviewed Klimas at the location two days later and concluded the witness appeared “honest” and consistent in recounting what he saw, according to the organization.
“The woods around Voluntown have had significant Bigfoot activity,” Young wrote in his follow-up investigation.
BFRO founder Matt Moneymaker, who also spoke with the witness but did not visit the site, said he believed Klimas was truthful about his experience, according to the report.
Moneymaker said heavy rain following the reported sighting likely erased any chance of finding physical evidence such as footprints.
He also speculated the creature may have been drawn toward Beach Pond by Fourth of July fireworks, theorizing the explosions could have resembled distant gunfire associated with deer hunting.
That explanation reflects Moneymaker’s personal theory and has not been independently verified.
According to the BFRO, New London County has three publicly posted Bigfoot reports in its database, along with 22 additional reports that have not yet been vetted.
The neighboring Washington County in Rhode Island has three public reports and 20 unvetted reports, according to the organization.
No physical evidence, photographs or video of the alleged creature accompanied the July 5 report, and the existence of Bigfoot has not been scientifically established.
