Chad and Eilfie interview Ken, who’s given the on-screen caption as being the “local historian.”

He plays two sounds for them, one which sounds like an animal (possibly a big cat indigenous to New Jersey), and a second, which was a high-pitched squeak (quite possibly trees rubbing against each other). Ken said the noises are why people might “think there’s something out there.” Ken never said the sounds were evidence of the “Jersey Devil.” He just called them noises. But the way this was edited into the episode could lead a person to falsely believe that the noises presented in the audio recordings were of the “Jersey Devil.”

First published: 10 Mar 2010

Written by: Ernie Marsh

“Local Historian” Ken played some noises he “picked up.” Paranormal State portrayed the sounds as if they could be from the “Jersey Devil.”

Screenshot 1, from Paranormal State “Devil in Jersey”

Ken mentions why people might think sounds in the forest could be the “Jersey Devil.”

Here’s what Ken says when he starts the conversation with Chad and Eilfie:

It isn’t clear if Ken made the recordings himself, because he says they are noises that he “picked up.” His statement is too vague to know if he made the recordings, or if other people gave him the recordings. It should also be understood that Ken never said the audio recordings were of the legendary Jersey Devil. He said they are “noises” to show “why people think there’s something out there.”

FIRST NOISE: PRS DIDN’T PRESENT THIS SOUND TO A ZOOLOGIST
First we heard an animal-sounding noise. It is very likely this is a recording of a big cat, indigenous to New Jersey. Notice that neither Chad, Eilfie, or any other PRS member, went to a zoologist and played that recording for them. Had they done so, the recording could have compared to a known sample of animals, and could have determined if a known animal made that particular noise.

Notice that at the end of the episode, an on-screen caption was made about the FLIR® thermal camera images (not Ken’s audio recordings):

“Local Historian” Ken presented Chad and Eilfie with audio recordings of noises as examples of why some people might believe that what they hear in the woods is the “Jersey Devil.” He never said the recordings were of the “Jersey Devil.” But the way the sounds were introduced, some people may erroneously be led to think these sounds were made from unknown source(s), such as the “Jersey Devil.”

The animal sound was probably a big cat, indigenous to the area, and the squeak-sound could very likely have been two trees rubbing against each other.

The PRS failed to enlist the help of an audio expert to examine the recordings to try to determine exactly what we heard. Nor did the PRS present the animal-sound to zoologists for comparison to known animals indigenous to New Jersey to see if it was say for example, a big cat.

Incorporating these sounds into the episode was nothing more than a ploy that might lead an uninformed viewer to think the sounds were recordings of the “Jersey Devil.”

Note: the zoologists couldn’t “positively” identify the images. If they were presented with the same images we saw in the episode, in part because those images are only colored shapes, lacking the necessary detail to 100% “positively” identify the images as say, a white-tailed deer.

The on-screen caption should have said (and more accurately in my opinion), “Zoologists state that the images captured by the PRS share similar characteristics such as shape, size, and movements, of a white-tailed deer. A 100% “positive” identification can’t be made to positively identity the animal to a known species of deer because the images lack the requisite details.”

Note: If the PRS had zoologists review visual images, then why didn’t they have the zoologists review the audio recordings Ken played for the PRS? Wouldn’t enlisting the expertise of qualified professionals, such as zoologists, help Ryan and the PRS be “one step closer to finding the truth” if the animal sound was just a big cat, indigenous to the area?

SECOND NOISE: MOST LIKELY TREES RUBBING TOGETHER
The second noise Ken played for Chad and Eilfie was of a high-pitched squeak. It should be understood that the squeak noise shares many similarities with what it sounds like if two trees rubbed against each other.

THE PRS LACKED PROPER INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES AND DOCUMENTATION OF THE SOUNDS

1. 1.The PRS did not hire or consult with an audio expert to provide a professional analysis of the sounds.
   

2. 2.The PRS did not present the sounds to a zoologist for a professional analysis.
   

3. 3.There was no mention as to the time, date, specific location, equipment used, or who, made the recordings.
   

Note: This site is not owned by, or affiliated with Penn State, the Paranormal Research Society, A&E Television Networks, Go Go Luckey Productions, or Four Seasons Productions International, nor is it maintained or endorsed by them. Copyright © 2008-2012 Ernie Marsh.