This beast is said to have inhabited the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey, with tales beginning in the 1800s and continuing until the 20th century. The creature is usually described as a flying biped with hooves, wings like a bat and a head resembling a horse. The legend of this creature stems from a tale about “Mother Leeds”, a local witch who invoked the devil while giving birth to her 13th child. When the baby was born it immediately transformed into a demonic creature and flew off into the surrounding pine barrens. The Jersey Devil was blamed for many livestock killings, strange footprints and bizarre sounds. In the early 1900’s, scores of people in New Jersey and neighboring states claimed to witness the Jersey Devil, or at least to see evidence of its continued presence in the form of anxiety-inducing footprints.
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