On July 9th, 2025, a resident of Rochester, New York captured footage of a large cat, believed by state DEC officials to be a cougar, on their doorbell camera, with the video going viral and putting the city in the media spotlight. The Seneca Lake area also has reports of large cats in the past decade or so, with multiple witnesses spying what appeared to be a black leopard in two locations including the Town of Benton. Was it an escaped pet? Or was it linked to the Alien Big Cats (ABC) phenomenon, which are often seen near military bases and areas with high rates of UFO and paranormal reports?
Next, we revisit one of the most widely-reported Seneca Lake UFO sightings ever: the 1952 Watkins Glen silver sphere splashdown. The incident occurred during one of the biggest UFO waves in American history, when the arrival of “flying saucers” over the U.S. Capitol in Washington forced the Pentagon to publicly admit for the first time their interest in UFOs. The Watkins Glen story is well-documented in books and publications, but some additional details reported in a local newspaper have been almost completely overlooked for the last seventy-plus years. These forgotten details provide another layer of credibility to the '52 flying silver sphere sightings near, over and in Seneca Lake.
We wrap up with a listener's story of an unsettling experience several years ago on Connecticut Hill, also known as the Alpine Portal, a hotspot of UFOs, ghosts, Bigfoot, and other reports of the paranormal and unexplained. The story begins with a troubling visit to Connecticut Hill Cemetery, location of the reputed “witch's grave,” before things get weirder, culminating in missing time . Was it just a case of someone getting spooked in a creepy graveyard and letting their imagination take over? Or did something far more strange happen that day at the Alpine Portal, where warps in reality aren't unexpected?
New episodes on the 7th, 17th and 27th of each month
podcast@senecalakemysteries.com
