A woman hiking in upstate New York says she captured a photo of an “inhuman” Bigfoot-like figure wading through murky water, but critics suggest the so-called monster could have a more mundane explanation: an elderly, overweight skinny-dipper.
The blurry images, now going viral online, have been dubbed the “Syracuse Figure.” Taken in Onondaga County, New York, they were shared and investigated by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), which probes Sasquatch sightings across the US.
Witness Report and Investigation
The witness, a 25-year-old hiker identified only as “K.D.,” reportedly took two photos while walking near a remote glacial pond and bog. The BFRO has kept the exact location secret.
According to the report, the encounter happened on August 10 at around 1pm, while K.D. was out on a hike on her day off. She said she spotted something wading through the mud and water and initially thought it was a naked man. But she panicked and ran when the figure allegedly snapped its head around and stared at her, the New York Post reported. “It really looked inhuman,” the woman reported to the BFRO, according to Fox News.
Skeptics and Alternative Theories
The BFRO and other cryptid watchers say the setting makes the sighting harder to dismiss. A BFRO investigator referred to as “Ben C.” visited the site to recreate the shot and said the mud and debris were roughly waist-deep and packed with sharp roots. This made it a painful and awkward place for an older or barefoot person to slog through.
Using recreation markers, BFRO investigators estimated the figure in the water stood at about 4ft 9in tall. Because of its short size, what some say looks like a pronounced brow ridge, and BFRO head Matthew Moneymaker’s suggestion that the image could show “wet fur” rather than sagging skin, the group has floated the idea it could be a juvenile Bigfoot. They’ve even pointed to recent claims of “mini-Bigfoots” reported in nearby Pennsylvania as possible context.
Online Reactions and Next Steps
Online skeptics have been brutal. Some have argued the pot-bellied, hunched silhouette looks like an overweight elderly man, with social media users joking the hiker may have unwittingly become a “Peeping Tom” by photographing someone’s private dip in the woods.
“I’ve never seen a more obvious picture of an old guy,” said one X (formerly known as Twitter) user. Another added: “Oh for f**k's sake that’s some hairy dude with man boobs doing a little catfish noodling.”
The BFRO says keeping the pond’s location under wraps could allow the “Syracuse Figure” to come forward and identify themselves - if it really was just a local enjoying a secluded swim, rather than a baby Bigfoot caught out for a muddy paddle.
