An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. Hear more audio stories at weirdnj.com/weird-news/weird-nj-audio-stories.

This year marks the 93rd anniversary of the fatal crash of Captain Emilio Carranza, the “Mexican Lindbergh,” deep in a remote area of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. It was in the early morning hours of this day, July 13, 1928, that local residents of the town of Tabernacle heard the engine of a small plane stuttering over the vast and lonely wilderness of the during a terrible electrical storm. Piloting the struggling aircraft was a young Mexican captain en route from New York to Mexico City, guided by nothing more than a hand held flashlight. Soon the sound of the engine was heard no more.

Read the full story here: https://weirdnj.com/stories/mystery-history/carranza/

The Dusty Show

Emilio Carranza, the “Lindbergh of Mexico,” Goes Down in the Pines

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. Hear more audio stories at weirdnj.com/weird-news/weird-nj-audio-stories.

It seems the lack of pigmentation in a person’s skin really freaks some people out. Perhaps for this reason one of the most fabled places in New Jersey lore is the land of Albino Village. 

The legend dates back to the early 1900s, to an area of Clifton on the banks of the Passaic River once known as Frogtown. Rumors began to spread of an enclave of pigmentally impaired people who were shunned by society and chose to live on their own in the ramshackle shacks of Frogtown...

ALBINO VILLAGE, Clifton, NJ

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. Hear more audio stories at weirdnj.com/weird-news/weird-nj-audio-stories.

Passing any dark graveyard late at night can be an unnerving experience for some. A person’s imagination can play tricks on them until every crack of a twig or wind-turned leaf is a cause for heightened anxiety and a feeling of dread.

Add to that the element of an eerie green light cast over the grave yard, and well, that’s makes for a downright creepy setting. The Bay View Cemetery in the Chapel Hill section of Middletown became notorious for just such a mysterious light, earning it the moniker “Green Light Cemetery” in local mythology... Read the whole story here: https://weirdnj.com/stories/green-light-cemetery/

GREEN LIGHT CEMETERY, Middletown, NJ

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. Hear more audio stories at weirdnj.com/weird-news/weird-nj-audio-stories.

For about a hundred years now something strange has been going on at St. Joseph’s Church in Jersey City. Two mysterious lights have been gleaming out onto the Pavonia Avenue neighborhood from the church’s belfry.  

The lights, or “cat’s eyes,” as locals call them, are... Read the full story here: https://weirdnj.com/stories/unexplained-phenomena/cats-eyes-of-st-josephs-church-jersey-city/

CAT'S EYES of St. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, Jersey City, NJ

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. Hear more audio stories at weirdnj.com/weird-news/weird-nj-audio-stories.

There’s a peaceful little graveyard near the heart of Historic Newton New Jersey where a very unusual memorial can be found nestled along a wooded hillside. 

The marker is set about fifty yards into the forest beyond the cemetery’s boundary, far from all the other old tombstones. It’s a marble plaque that’s mounted against the sheer rock face of a hill, and it actually seals off the entrance to a cave. Inscribed on the stone are the names... Read the full story: https://weirdnj.com/weird-news/cave-grave-newton/

THE CAVE GRAVE – Newton, NJ

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. Hear more audio stories at weirdnj.com/weird-news/weird-nj-audio-stories.

After being tried, convicted and executed for the triple murder of one of Morristown’s most respected families, the story of Antoine Le Blanc should have been over. But his public hanging on the town green was really just the beginning of a tale so gruesome that Morristonians still recoil at its telling one hundred and sixty years after the incident. For it is said that the remains of Antoine Le Blanc may rest in pieces, to this day, amongst the treasured family heirlooms in some of the finest homes of New Jersey... Continue reading → https://weirdnj.com/stories/antoine-leblanc

HUMAN SKIN WALLETS of ANTOINE LEBLANC

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. For the full story go to: http://weirdnj.com/weird-news/annies-road/

This is an excerpt from Weird NJ magazine, “Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” which is available on newsstands throughout the state and on the web at www.WeirdNJ.com.  All contents ©Weird NJ and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.

THE GHOST OF ANNIE'S ROAD

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. For the full story visit https://weirdnj.com/weird-news/figures-woodbridge-clay-pits/

This is an excerpt from Weird NJ magazine, “Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” which is available on newsstands throughout the state and on the web at www.WeirdNJ.com. All contents ©Weird NJ and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.

Weird Figurines of the Woodbridge Clay Pits

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. For the full story visit https://weirdnj.com/stories/unexplained-phenomena/wanaque-reservoir-ufo/

This is an excerpt from Weird NJ magazine, “Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” which is available on newsstands throughout the state and on the web at www.WeirdNJ.com. All contents ©Weird NJ and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.

The Wanaque UFO Invasion

A Weird NJ audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU-FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. 

For the full story visit https://weirdnj.com/stories/cemetery-safari/edgar-allan-poe-tombstone-lenore/

This is an excerpt from Weird NJ magazine, “Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” which is available on newsstands throughout the state and on the web at www.WeirdNJ.com. All contents ©Weird NJ and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.

The Edgar Allan Poe Monument of Mystery

A Weird NJ audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU-FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA.

For the full story visit http://weirdnj.com/stories/unexplained-phenomena/round-valley-reservoir-njs-bermuda-triangle/

This is an excerpt from Weird NJ magazine, “Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” which is available on newsstands throughout the state and on the web at www.WeirdNJ.com. All contents ©Weird NJ and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.

Round Valley Reservoir: NJ's Bermuda Triangle

A Weird NJ audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU-FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA.

For the full story visit https://weirdnj.com/stories/unexplained-phenomena/thomas-edisons-spirit-phone/

This is an excerpt from Weird NJ magazine, “Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” which is available on newsstands throughout the state and on the web at www.WeirdNJ.com. All contents ©Weird NJ and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.

Thomas Edison's Spirit Phone

A Weird NJ audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU-FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. 

Full story at: http://weirdnj.com/weird-news/newark-steam-man

This is an excerpt from Weird NJ magazine, “Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” which is available on newsstands throughout the state and on the web at www.WeirdNJ.com. All contents ©Weird NJ and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.

Newark's Steam Powered Robo-Man

A Weird NJ audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU-FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. 

Like Bigfoot, Big Red Eye sightings of the northwest corner of the state describe a large bipedal creature covered with long hair from head to toe. But what witnesses in Sussex County who have seen the beast for themselves remember most are the creature’s glowing red eyes.  Here, some of our readers recount their run-in with Big Red... Continue reading → http://weirdnj.com/stories/big-red-eye/

Bigfoot in NJ – Big Red Eye

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. 

The New Jersey Pine Barrens have a plethora of deserted villages, most of them simply abandoned decades, even centuries ago. One of the most infamous of these is Ongs Hat, which some believe to be a mysterious portal to another dimension. Continue reading → http://weirdnj.com/stories/ongs-hat/

The Strange Story of Ong's Hat

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA.

The New Jersey Shore has always had its fair share of spectacular eye-popping sights to see. Historically there have been the hulking shipwrecks of the Sindia in Ocean City, the Morro Castle in Asbury Park, and the concrete ship SS … Continue reading → http://weirdnj.com/stories/lucy-the-elephant/

Lucy the Elephant

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. 

One of the most storied sites in all of southern New Jersey is a mysterious body of water known as the Located deep in the Pine Barrens of Winslow, this small but legendary pool is said to not only be bottomless, but also a frequent pit stop of the Jersey Devil. Continue reading → http://weirdnj.com/stories/legends-of-the-blue-hole/

Legends of the Blue Hole

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA.

In the mid-1950s, a man named Howard Menger and his wife Connie transformed the sleepy town of High Bridge, New Jersey into a mini-Roswell with their thrilling and enchanting stories of alien contact. Close encounters were different then. Generally, the … Continue reading →

http://weirdnj.com/stories/unexplained-phenomena/howard-menger-high-bridge/

Aliens Come to High Bridge, NJ to Meet Howard Menger

‌An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA.

Word has it there were some murders back there a while ago, and some Pig Lady roams the area and can be summoned by driving down the road, turning the car off, flashing the lights three times, screaming  “Pig Lady!” … Continue reading → http://weirdnj.com/stories/pig-lady-road/

The Pig Woman vs. Pig Lady

‌An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA.

Built in 1878, the Victorian Era hotel, with its red brick façade, French mansard roof and orate two story tall porch, has been the centerpiece of Flemington’s Main Street ever since its days as a stagecoach stop. 
In 1934 it stood witness to the media event dubbed the “trial of the century,” when Bruno Hauptmann was tried for the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh’s infant son at the courthouse right across the street… Continue reading → http://weirdnj.com/stories/ghosts-union-hotel/

Ghosts of the Union Hotel, Flemington

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA.  

The 1972 film “Jeremiah Johnson" starring Robert Redford as the title character, is about a man who seeks solace in the American West, and to live the life of a mountain man in the 1850s. What many people do not know though, is that the story was loosely based on the life of a New Jersey man named John Garrison, who was born in 1824 in the area of Hunterdon County between Pattenburg. Garrison was a a scout, a soldier, a gold prospector, a hunter and trapper, a whiskey-peddler, a guide, a deputy, and a constable. But most notably, John Garrison would become known as the Indian killer and cannibal, “Liver Eating Johnson.” … Continue reading → http://weirdnj.com/stories/local-heroes-and-villains/liver-eater-johnson

NJ's Liver Eating Mountain Man

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. 

Perched high atop the Weehawken Palisades, before the panoramic backdrop of the Manhattan skyline, is a grim reminder of the tragic death of one of this country’s great Founding Fathers — Alexander Hamilton. It was on this spot that the United States’ first Secretary of Treasury was shot dead by his political rival, personal enemy, and Vice President of the United States, Aaron Burr. On the morning of July 11, 1804, at seven am, the two men traveled across the Aaron_BurrHudson to meet each other on the rural Jersey side of the river. Standing at the customary ten paces … Continue reading → http://weirdnj.com/stories/roadside-oddities/hamilton-burr-duel/

Hamilton's Duel to the Death in Weehawken

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. Hear more audio stories at http://weirdnj.com/weird-news/weird-nj-audio-stories

There’s a ghost story in the southern New Jersey town of Atco that tells of a young boy who was run down on a lonely stretch of road after chasing his basketball into the middle of the street. The tale centers around a sparsely populated lane on the fringes of the Pine Barrens known as Burnt Mill Road, and there are some very detailed instructions would-be ghost hunters must follow in order to see this apparition. Weird NJ readers share their experiences… http://weirdnj.com/stories/atco-ghost

The Atco Ghost Boy of Burnt Mill Road

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. Hear more audio stories at weirdnj.com/weird-news/weird-nj-audio-stories.

While New Jersey is famous as the home of the Miss America Pageant, the state’s reputation for producing a beauty to hold the title itself has been dubious at best.  Only twice has contestant from our state gone on to be crowned Miss America. One of these two women only served as Miss America for a few months (Suzette Charles, of Mays Landing, took over as Miss America for Vanessa Williams after she was dethroned when her pornographic past came to light.)  The only other Garden State beauty to ever don the crown and hoist the scepter would become famous not for the tenacity with which she sought the coveted title, but for the lengths to which she would go in order to pretend she never won it at all. Continue reading at http://weirdnj.com/stories/bette-cooper-miss-america/

Bette Cooper – The Runaway Miss America

An audio story told by Mark Moran with sound collage by Clay Pigeon. One of a series of Waking Weird episodes which can be heard broadcast live every Monday at 8:39 am (EST) at WFMU FM and WFMU.org. Hear the program archives at www.wfmu.org/playlists/WA. Hear more audio stories at weirdnj.com/weird-news/weird-nj-audio-stories.

Clinton Road just seems to strike terror into the hearts of those who travel it.  But  why is Clinton Road so much richer in lore than any other road in New Jersey?  Yes, it is a long and lonely stretch of poorly paved asphalt, fraught with perilous curves. True, it runs through a vast expanse of seemingly impenetrable wilderness.  And without a doubt, it is a very dark lonely trip when traveled alone on a moonless night, when your only companions are the mysterious sounds of the forest which seem to surround you. Read the full story here: http://weirdnj.com/stories/clinton-road

CLINTON ROAD – America's Scariest Road

Your Travel Guide to New Jersey's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. 
http://weirdnj.com

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