THE PINE BARRENS, N.J. (Amazing America TV) — For over 250 years, the mysterious and terrifying Jersey Devil has haunted the forests of the Pine Barrens in South Jersey. Described as a kangaroo-like creature with a goat-like head, leathery bat wings, cloven hooves, and a pointy tail, it reportedly emits a “blood-curdling scream.”
The legend began in 1735 when a local woman, Mother Leeds, allegedly cursed her thirteenth child, proclaiming, “let the child be the devil!” On a stormy night, the baby was born normally but soon transformed into a hideous creature, flying up the chimney and into the pines.
Throughout the 1800s, sightings and strange occurrences were reported by prominent citizens, government officials, and policemen. Commodore Stephen Decatur, an American naval hero, claimed to have fired a cannonball at the creature to no effect. Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother, also reported an encounter while hunting in 1820…