Class B First-hand BFRO #7514

Video footage shot at dusk shows a primate in a tree in the background

23 May 1997 at dusk Modena, Ulster County, New York

Account

A group filmed their campfire in upstate New York in 1997 without noticing anything unusual at the time. Years later while transferring the tape, a viewer noticed a dark figure moving in the trees in the background. The footage is described as showing a smaller ape-like figure about five feet tall climbing and swinging between trees with great agility, and follow-up review describes a second larger bipedal silhouette nearby.

Summary drafted by AI from the source report and checked by code before I publish it. The witness's own words remain with the publisher — read the original report .

What was reported

Every kind of observation in the account. Select one to find other encounters with it.

Sightings

Described appearance

In the source's own words, field by field. Hover a field's marker to see where it was read.

Height src
about 5 to 5-1/2 feet in height
Build src
very strong upper body
Hair colour src
dark in color
Face src
conical shaped head
Arms src
hangs by one arm
Posture src
bipedal
Age / size src
baby
Other features src
no tail

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
23 May 1997
Stated BFRO report #7514 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month, Date
Time of day
at dusk
Stated BFRO report #7514 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
Modena, Ulster County, New York
Stated BFRO report #7514 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Location Details
Map point
41.67, -74.09 (± 1000 m)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 7514 with published boundary
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #7514 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Figures reported
2
Stated BFRO report #7514 · BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Witness was
drinking around a campfire
Stated BFRO report #7514 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
big monkey
Stated BFRO report #7514 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class B
Stated BFRO report #7514 · BFRO classification label

Evidence & investigation

What the source says was found or done. Claimed evidence is listed as claimed; the Anomadex has not examined it.

Video

1997 dusk campfire video reported to show two silhouetted bipedal figures in background trees

Measurements: large figure on film approximately 10-14 seconds; smaller figure approximately 40 seconds

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Follow-up

Investigators reviewed the tape frame by frame, spoke with the filmer for months, checked weather records, and concluded it was not hoaxed.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section

Source timeline

Every record this entry is built from, earliest known first. Records are versioned and never edited in place.

  1. Published 2003-12-07 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 Hash b2ba0374ad72
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
  2. BFRO map layer Reference
    Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash cfb8a3d423b7
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization

The report refers to

  • “feature on the BFRO homepage”
    Not in the Anomadex yet