Newberry County, SC – A recent Bigfoot sighting in Newberry County has garnered significant attention, particularly due to the credibility of the witness—a local police officer.
On November 2, 2024, at approximately 6:30 a.m., the officer was deer hunting on his family’s property near Pomaria, about 25 miles northwest of Columbia. While concealed in a ground blind along a power line route, he heard a deep grunt accompanied by a stomp. Turning to investigate, he observed a 7 to 7.5-foot tall, amber-colored, human-like figure with long arms and an ape-like face. The two watched each other for about 30 seconds before the creature walked away. The officer, who has hunted this area since childhood, stated, “I’m a police officer and had no clue what to make of it. At this point, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I am convinced it was a Bigfoot.” (BFRO)
Matthew Moneymaker, founder of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) and host of Animal Planet’s “Finding Bigfoot,” investigated the report. He noted that the sighting’s location—a hardwood forest with a large deer population and proximity to the Palmetto Trail—aligns with areas where Bigfoot sightings have been reported. Moneymaker emphasized the significance of the witness’s law enforcement background, stating, “I spoke with the witness at length. He is indeed a police officer for a jurisdiction on the west side of South Carolina. He is very credible.”(BFRO)
This incident adds to a series of Bigfoot sightings in South Carolina. In February 2023, another sighting was reported in Union County, where a creature was said to have repeatedly visited a rural home. Additionally, in August 2022, three individuals reported a close-range daylight sighting in Hunting Island State Park. (BFRO)
While skepticism remains, the BFRO continues to document and investigate such reports, aiming to determine the existence of Bigfoot through credible eyewitness accounts and field research.