Overview
A report published by Loch Ness researcher Roland Watson recounts two alleged sea-serpent sightings in New York, involving witnesses who described large, unusual animals in or near bodies of freshwater. The accounts, presented on Watson’s blog on Oct. 6, 2026, are based on personal testimony rather than photographs, physical evidence or independent verification. They nevertheless add to a long tradition of reported aquatic “monster” sightings across North America.
The first account came from a woman identified as “Laura from Pennsylvania,” who said she and her sister saw an animal while traveling with their mother across the Amvets Memorial Bridge over the New Croton Reservoir. The sighting reportedly occurred during a trip to the Stormville Airport Flea Market in the 1980s. According to her account, the family was crossing the bridge in the early morning, shortly after sunrise, when both sisters noticed something moving near the shoreline.
New Croton Reservoir Account
Laura described the creature as very dark against the blue water and said it appeared to be traveling quickly. She recalled seeing what looked like flippers moving through the water, while her sister viewed the animal from the opposite side of the vehicle. Because the car continued across the bridge, the witnesses did not stop to take a photograph, despite Laura saying she had a camera with her.
The sisters later compared their memories and concluded that they had been looking in opposite directions. Laura believed she had seen the creature’s front portion, including a long neck, while her sister had observed what appeared to be a long tail. That difference led them to estimate that the animal was exceptionally large. Both witnesses eventually came to believe they had seen a plesiosaur-like creature, although that identification remains their interpretation rather than a scientifically established finding.
Bronx River Story
Watson’s report also includes a second New York account that the Pennsylvania witness said she had heard from other people. It concerns an alleged sighting in the Bronx River during the 1960s, when observers reportedly saw a dark animal with a snake-like face and a neck extending approximately 12 feet above the water. The available account, as presented in the report, does not include photographs, physical traces or details of an investigation conducted at the time.
Descriptions of long-necked aquatic animals are common in sea-serpent and lake-monster reports, but they can be difficult to assess decades later. Misidentified wildlife, wakes, floating debris, unusual lighting and the effects of distance can all influence eyewitness impressions. In this case, the stories remain anecdotal, and no evidence cited in the report establishes the existence of an unknown animal in either the New Croton Reservoir or the Bronx River.
A Separate Reward for Pepie Evidence
The New York stories appear alongside a separate effort involving Pepie, a legendary serpentine creature said to inhabit Lake Pepin, a widened section of the Mississippi River along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border. A Minnesota author is offering a $60,000 reward for convincing evidence of the creature, but the offer reportedly comes with stringent eligibility requirements.
Such conditions are intended to distinguish credible documentation from unsupported claims. Evidence would likely need to be clear, verifiable and capable of independent review, rather than relying solely on a witness narrative. Until material meeting those standards emerges, Pepie—as with the reported New York creatures—remains part of regional folklore and cryptid investigation rather than established zoology.
