Horrific Hauntings : The San Pedro Haunting

 According to a paranormal research, a staggering 50 percent of sane humans have experienced or will experience something out of the ordinary during their lifetimes. While some are more receptive to these occurrences than others, there are reports to suggest that paranormal happenings are drawn to certain individuals. Unfortunately, 23-year-old Jackie Hernandez seemed to be one of them when she moved into the rented bungalow at 593 West 11^th Street, San Pedro, California in November of 1988.

(Source: Road Trippers)

 As a single mother working multiple part-time jobs, studying to advance her career, and going through a stressful post-divorce phase, all while being pregnant with a second child, Jackie was indeed enduring the most challenging phase of her life. Unbeknownst to her, things were only going to get worse over time.

The Initial Phase

 One evening, Jackie returned home after enduring a long and stressful day. With her kids sound asleep, she switched on the TV and sat in front of it trying to relax, before hearing sounds resembling falling pebbles, emanating from the insides of the walls around her. With curiosity getting the better of her, she walked towards a wall and placed her ear on it, trying to hear it better.  She initially assumed this to be the work of a rodent in the attic, but the thumping footsteps that followed, prove her wrong. The moment the startled woman pulled herself off the wall, the sound stopped.

 From this point onwards, Jackie described to friends and neighbors how she felt as if she was constantly being stalked by something, that was always at her back. When she turned around, however, there was never anyone there. This feeling only intensified over the months and whatever presence she felt was in the household with her, would gradually make itself known.

(Source: Youtube)

 The activity started small and was, for the most part, benign in nature. Objects would disappear only to reappear elsewhere in the house, odd inexplicable bangs would be heard on the walls and doors, and a strange decaying smell would emanate out of nowhere. Although eerie, these things were not too bothersome for the pregnant single mother and she would assume that her mind was simply playing tricks on her.

 However, one evening she was watching television, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pencil holder on a table in the hall, levitating and flying towards her, as if thrown by an invisible hand. The experience frightened her so much that she grabbed her young son, left the house, and ran to her neighbors in panic. The police were immediately called but they failed to believe her account. Nevertheless, Jackie had to spend the remainder of the night inside the house, knowing she was not entirely alone.

 Although her friends were initially skeptical of the paranormal happenings, it would not be long before they would have a first-hand experience of the phenomena.

 According to Susan Castaneda, Jackie’s neighbor, and friend, whilst having dinner together, the two of them heard a painting fall from where it hung in the kitchen. When they went to investigate, it had inexplicably moved five feet from where it originally hung and beside it had been the nails holding it, standing on their head. It allegedly appeared as if someone had placed it that way. On another occasion, Susan also claimed to have seen a lamp float seven feet across a room before dropping to the floor right in front of her.

  The accounts of her friend assured Jackie that she was not losing her mind. This led to a brief period of reassurance, but unfortunately, the activity escalated after the birth of Samantha, her second daughter.

The Figure of An Old Man

 One evening, while doing chores around the house, Jackie discovered a blood-like ooze seeping from the cracks in the ceiling and running down the kitchen walls. With the intention of determining the source of the leak, she climbed on top of her washing machine to reach the attic opening. As she hesitantly poked her head through the hatch into the darkness, she was greeted by the severed head of a menacing old man, floating in the corner before it rapidly flew in her direction. Terrified by the sight, she fell backward into her kitchen following which she decided to never enter the attic again.

 One night, while watching a film on her own, Jackie witnessed a dark mist float into her living room through an open window before quickly dissipating. Alarmed, she immediately rushed to check on her two children who were in bed. Both were fast asleep as expected, but she had not anticipated seeing what was the figure of a thin old man with grey wrinkled skin, wearing a red flannel vest and high-water trousers, sitting cross-legged on the vacant bottom bunk. The man stared at her with his intimidating red eyes before eventually disappearing.

Introduction of Barry and his Team

 Jackie was deeply unsettled by this incident, and her friend suggested contacting Barry Taff, a well-known parapsychologist with experience in over 4,000 cases. He and his team showed an immediate interest and visited Jackie’s home on the 8^th of August 1989 in order to conduct a preliminary interview. Soon after their arrival, they noticed an overwhelming stench of decay spread across the house, seemingly emanating from the attic. Upon hearing Jackie’s accounts of the severed head, they expressed a desire to explore the attic, hoping to find a rational explanation for the activity.

 Shortly after entering the attic through the small hatch, Gary Boehn, the team’s photographer, and Jeff Wheatcraft, his assistant, reported a feeling of being watched. Blanketed by the darkness around them, Jeff took out his camera and tried to capture some images with the aid of his flash, but something suddenly pulled it from his hands and threw it across the room, causing him and Gary to hastily descend back to the kitchen. After composing themselves, they ascended into the attic again to retrieve their equipment and found that the lens had been forcefully removed from the rest of the camera. Barry took a sample of the blood-like ooze and passed it to a colleague in the scientific community for analysis, whose results revealed traces of male blood, iodine, and copper in it.

 Barry and his team remained in contact with Jackie over the next few weeks, a period where her courage had begun to fade. During this time, he attained commendable knowledge regarding Jackie’s background. Citing the abuse she had suffered at the hands of her lovers, the high levels of stress she had been subjecting herself to, and the negative outlook on the work she had carried, Barry went on to explain how she matched the predetermined profile of a victim of a poltergeist haunting.

 On the 28^th of August, almost three weeks after their initial contact, Jackie called Barry in a state of hysteria. In line with her statement, objects were being thrown around the house by invisible hands, which had attacked her upon trying to retrieve some of the items. The team had arrived within hours, following which Gary and Jeff entered the attic once again. Immediately, they reported seeing orbs of light accompanied by the distinct sound of the snapping of fingers, which could also be heard by the ones standing below. Jackie, in a terrified state, asked them to descend back to the kitchen.

 While the two of them were walking towards the ladder, Jeff was yanked back into the attic. His flashlight fell down, thus covering the place in darkness. Gary was overcome by fear and he spammed clicks on his camera, using its flash as a makeshift flashlight. With the aid of the flickering light, he found Jeff, hoisted up into the rafters of the attic and tied to a post. Fortunately, he was still able to breathe but needed assistance in freeing himself. The desperate man was soon freed and the team left the house shortly afterward. This would turn out to be the last time they visited the property.

(Source: Paranormal Witness)

A Series of Relocation

 In September 1989, following the continued increase in frequency and intensity of the paranormal occurrences, Jackie decided to move to a trailer park in Weldon, California. She felt a new sense of calmness for the first few months, but unbeknownst to her, it would be short-lived. In April 1990, scratching sounds emanated from the shed outside her trailer and they were soon followed by orbs of light with no apparent source. A few days later, Jackie spotted a black mist floating inside the trailer following which her daughter’s bedsheet caught fire. Similar to the events in San Pedro, these occurrences were also witnessed by her neighbors. Among the lot were Jim and Janice Sobert, who claimed to have witnessed the reflection of an old man’s face in Jackie’s trailer.

 Soon afterward, Jackie decided to use a Ouija board to communicate with the entity tormenting her, and she called Barry and his team to monitor them. Although the team had attempted to record their activities, their cameras allegedly didn’t work.  In the aftermath of the incident, Jackie moved house several more times and with each relocation, the activity dwindled. She now lives in Los Angeles and she claims that the terrifying ordeal has completely stopped now.

 Even to this day, the allegedly haunted house in San Pedro has seen many residents move in only to leave again after a short tenancy. Some of these tenants had reported hearing strange bangs and smelling the sickening stench of decay, emanating from the attic.

A Skeptical Point of View

 Citing the fact that the San Pedro Haunting has umpteen similarities with a well-directed horror movie, the skeptics in us indicate it to be a hoax. There seem to be many inconsistencies in the chronology of events and it seemingly appears as if the tale had been artificially sensationalized.

 The lack of credible evidence to support the claims further tarnishes the validity of the tale. Furthermore, the identity of the scientist involved in the analysis of the blood-like ooze has never been revealed, thus putting forth two possibilities; it could be that whoever carried out the tests did not want to associate their organization with a paranormal investigation or it could be that this scientist simply never existed.

Conclusion

 Poltergeist activity has been observed for centuries. While the phenomena may be spiritual in nature, many paranormal researchers assume that it could be manifested by individuals going through a rough patch. It is also proposed that the poltergeist itself may be a mental projection acting out the subconscious thoughts of the sufferer.

 Although the case of the San Pedro Haunting seems farfetched to be true, the sheer number of independent witnesses involved in the case cannot be undermined. Perhaps, many of the simpler aspects of the case are true while the stretched accounts are artificially blown. However, with no scientific evidence to back the phenomena, it can never be confirmed to be true.