New Jersey isn’t the first state people think of for Bigfoot, but the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) lists 79 reports there, according to coverage by The Independent and lehighvalleylive.com. Sussex County leads with 18, followed by Burlington with 16 and Ocean with 11. Researcher Mike Familant, author of In the Shadow of Big Red Eye, points to High Point State Park, Stokes State Forest and the Delaware Water Gap as hotspots.
The newest entry is BFRO report 82683, rated Class A. On October 11, around 10 p.m., witnesses on Route 542 near New Gretna in Burlington County described an eight-foot, jet-black figure that looked soaking wet, with long arms and a hunched posture. They called state park police and the NJDEP, who pointed them to BFRO.
Investigator Jacob Korbel visited about a week later and found a game trail, broken branches and ambiguous impressions; heavy rain may have washed away tracks. The sighting lasted four to five seconds, and both investigators considered the witnesses credible. As always, it is one report, not proof.
Sources: The Independent (via Yahoo); lehighvalleylive.com, October 2026; BFRO.