The Legend of the Jersey Devil: 250 Years of Fear in New Jersey

For more than 250 years, the Pine Barrens of New Jersey have been haunted by the legend of the Jersey Devil—a winged beast with cloven hooves, bat-like wings, and a chilling scream.

Born from the curse of Mother Leeds in the 1700s, the creature’s story has fueled terror for centuries. Farmers reported slaughtered livestock, travelers swore they heard its cries in the night, and in 1909, mass hysteria gripped New Jersey and Pennsylvania as newspapers detailed dozens of encounters in a single week.

Is the Jersey Devil nothing more than folklore and superstition? A cryptid lurking in the wilderness? Or a myth twisted by history and fear?

Join The Nocturnal Archives as we uncover the enduring mystery of the Jersey Devil.