Riverside Monster

The Riverside Monster is on OK MAP because of a widely retold 1958 encounter near the Santa Ana River in Riverside. Charles Wetzel said a tall two-legged creature with unusually long arms, clawed hands, glowing eyes and a scale-like body confronted his car near a flooded river crossing. Contemporary reporting also suggested a possible prank or costume. No comparable well-documented sighting has followed.

What ODDKNOWN records

The Riverside Monster is on OK MAP because of a widely retold 1958 encounter near the Santa Ana River in Riverside. Charles Wetzel said a tall two-legged creature with unusually long arms, clawed hands, glowing eyes and a scale-like body confronted his car near a flooded river crossing. Contemporary reporting also suggested a possible prank or costume. No comparable well-documented sighting has followed.

Source classification: documented · Status: reported.

Sources & references

1. PBS SoCal — Legendary SoCal Monsters