Whether it’s a sunny day or a dark and stormy night, there is nothing like a good urban legend to leave you sleeping with the lights on. It may surprise you, but New Jersey actually does have its fair share of myths and legends. Read on to learn about three terrifying urban legends taking place right here in New Jersey.
- The Atco Ghost
In the town of Atco, New Jersey, there is a road that was never finished called Burnt Mill Road. The road goes for about two miles before ending in the Pine Barrens. On Christmas night, a little boy was playing with a basketball he got as a present, when it rolled into the street. The little boy ran into the street to collect his ball, when he was hit and killed by a speeding drunk-driver. The driver, after hitting the boy, continued to drive only to hit the dead end and have to turn back, driving past the scene of his crime. Though this is not the only way the story is told, one thing they all have in common is a boy hit by a vehicle on Burnt Mill Road while going after his ball.
According to the legend, if you drive to the end of the street and turn around, stop at a crack that runs from one side of the asphalt to the other, honk your horn and flash your headlights three times, and sit and wait in the dark for a bit, you should see the ghost of the boy dribbling a basketball across the street.
Another way to supposedly see his ghost is to drive to the road in the middle of the night, park on the side, turn off your engine and headlights, get out of the car, and begin to walk away from the road. Once you make it about 20 feet, turn around, and you should supposedly see the ghost boy coming towards you.
Burnt Mill Road
- Hoppie
Believe it or not, New Jersey has its own lake monster! Said to reside in Lake
Hopatcong, the legend originated in the late 1800’s, when a fisherman claimed to have spotted a 40-foot-long serpent with the head of a dog in the water. Nicknamed “Hoppie”, the creature has been supposedly sighted multiple more times throughout the years. Despite its unsettling appearance, Hoppie is actually thought of as a friendly creature, and no one has managed to capture it on camera.
Hoppie
- The Jersey Devil
The Jersey Devil, also known as the Leeds Devil, is one of New Jersey’s most popular legends. The Jersey Devil is an ugly creature said to be inhabiting New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. It is said to be a bipedal creature with the head of a horse, wings like a bat, horns, hooves, and a tail. A common version of the story is that a woman named Mother Leeds was unhappy when she learned that she was to have a thirteenth child. Before the child is born, she cried, “Let it be the devil!” And so after it was born, the child changed into a hideous creature and flew away, disappearing into the shadows of the Pinelands to this very day.
The Jersey Devil
In all, our little state of New Jersey is full of creepy and weird myths and legends. From the Jersey Devil to ghosts, to even a dog-headed serpent, there truly is some kooky stuff to discover here; that is, if you know where to look.
Works Cited
“The Atco Ghost.” Weird NJ, https://weirdnj.com/stories/atco-ghost/. Accessed 30 October 2024.
Braden, Beth. “11 Eerie Urban Legends of New Jersey.” Travel Channel, https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/haunted/articles/11-eerie-urban-legends-new-jersey. Accessed 30 October 2024.
“Hoppie | Cryptid Wiki | Fandom.” Cryptid Wiki, https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Hoppie. Accessed 30 October 2024. (For Picture)
“The Jersey Devil and Folklore – Protecting the New Jersey Pinelands and Pine Barrens.” Pinelands Preservation Alliance, https://pinelandsalliance.org/learn-about-the-pinelands/pinelands-history-and-culture/the-jersey-devil-and-folklore/. Accessed 30 October 2024.
“The Legend Of The Lake Monster In New Jersey May Send Chills Down Your Spine.” Only In Your State, https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nature/new-jersey/lake-hopatcong-monster-nj. Accessed 30 October 2024.
