Vegetable Monster

When thinking of the various "monsters" out there, the New Jersey Vegetable Monster will undoubtedly come up. 

Wait a minute...

A vegetable monster?

C'mon, man...

What the *%^* is a vegetable monster? 

Glad you asked. I briefly discussed the New Jersey Vegetable Monster in my book Detours Into the Paranormal: Atlantic City Road Trip. 

The following is an excerpt:

...This creature, if it ever existed at all, has little evidence to support its existence. In fact, New Jersey Vegetable Monster is a term used within the cryptozoology community to describe a report that is so “out there” that no one could possibly believe it. The addition of the New Jersey Vegetable Monster to the lexicon comes from a sighting by an elderly gentleman who was severely intoxicated. The man claimed to see a large humanoid that resembled a stalk of broccoli. Unsurprisingly, the encounter occurred in the Pine Barrens.

As ridiculous as a “broccoli man” sounds, there is another case that comes to mind from West Virginia that might be even more absurd—and in this instance, the witness was sober. It is the case of the Vegetable Man and was reported by the UFO author and researcher Gray Barker (1925–1984) in his book, Men in Black: The Secret Terror Among Us.

The story begins when Jennings H. Frederick of Rivesville, West Virginia was in the woods hunting. Jennings heard a high-pitched telepathic message asking for help which seemed to say: “You need not fear me, I wish to communicate. I come as friends. We know of you all…I wish medical assistance. I need your help.” From there, the story took an even weirder—and terrifying—turn. Frederick stuck his hand in his pocket to retrieve his handkerchief, but realized it was tangled in thorns. He removed his hand from his pocket to realize his arm was attached to a strange hand. The hand was green and had three long fingers with suction cups and needle-like tips. The hand tightened its grip on Frederick’s arm to the point of puncturing a blood vessel.

The creature, who had tricked Frederick into coming near with its telepathic message, had yellow eyes that it used to put Frederick into a trance and temporarily paralyze him. The paralysis lasted for about a minute during which time the creature presumably received a blood transfusion. The creature then released Frederick and departed into the woods.

As unusual as the “blood transfusion” seems to be, the description of the being is even more perplexing. It had a “stalk-like” appearance, as if it were a giant plant. It also had “semi-human facial features” and pointed ears. When the creature left Frederick and disappeared into the forest, it moved with 25-foot strides!

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