9 Spine-Tingling NJ Urban Legends

NEW JERSEY - Anyone who lives in the Garden State has heard rumors of haunted happenings and urban folklore close to home. Patch has taken up the task of exploring these myths throughout October and has compiled a master list comprised of the best of the unexplained throughout New Jersey.

Here they are in no particular order:

1. Encounters with the Jersey Devil

Is the Jersey Devil real? The people who believe they've heard his screams in towns near the Pinelands would tell you so. And the state Pinelands Commission website? Well, it doesn't completely deny the possibility. Read more....

2. The Mystery of the Westfield Watcher

Fans of thrillers, mystery and suspense will find plenty of material in the tale of the Westfield Watcher. The story made international headlines in 2014 when Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased their dream home on the highly-coveted Boulevard in Westfield. But before they were even able to move in, an anonymous letter writer began sending menacing letters with disturbing references to their three children. Read more...

3. The Ghost of a Child on Burnt Mill Road

It is said that the Atco Ghost resides on Burnt Mill Road in the Pine Barrens, where the little boy was struck and killed by a drunk driver. He appears whenever someone driving down the road honks their horn three times. Read more...

4. The Gates of Hell In a Tunnel In Clifton

According to local tall tales, the tunnels found off Paulison Avenue are the stuff of nightmares. As recently as June, particularly daring urban explorers have created videos exploring the tunnels, hoping to find the gate in question, which is supposedly guarded by "Red Eyed Mike." Read more...

5. "Hoppie" The Lake Monster In Hopatcong

Hoppie is one of the lesser known tales. In the New Jersey section of an 1894 New York World newspaper (which was published from 1887 through 1931) the Lake Hopatcong sea Serpent was said to have the head of a St. Bernard dog and the body of a snake. Citings were ranged, but supposedly the creature could be found near the inlet to River Styx. Read more...

6. Deptford's Indian Curse Road

The tale of the Indian Curse Road begins in the early 1980s, when a 4-mile stretch of road was added to Route 55 in Deptford despite warnings that a sacred Native American burial ground existed in that spot. Read more...

7. A Ghostly Push for Your Car in Jackson?

Pull up to the stop sign at North New Prospect Road in Jackson. Put your car in neutral and take your foot off the brake and watch your car roll in reverse up the hill behind you. Is it the ghost of a man who legends say was murdered nearby, pushing you out of harm's way? Or is it just an optical illusion? Read more...

8. Witch Trials In Mount Holly

About 40 years after the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, more sorcery came under fire in Mount Holly, New Jersey. According to an article published in the Oct. 22, 1730, issue of the Pennsylvania Gazette, a wizard and a witch were put on trial for controlling the local farm life, including making a "sheep dance in an uncommon manner" and "causing hogs to sing and speak in psalms." Read more...

9. The Hookerman on the Long Valley Railroad

As the story goes, a rail worker suffered an accident on the line and fell unconscious. When he awoke he found his arm, which was sprawled across the track, had been severed at the elbow. Read more...