The Hooker Man Long Valley
I recently brought up the Hooker Man at a dinner conversation. The 3 other people at my table had no idea what who Hooker Man was or it's legend. I was shocked. Anyone here remember this scary phenomenon?
Common
Greg To Common - Being a 1978 WMC Graduate, I have heard and seen the alleged Hookerman. At night, we would stop the car on Naughright Road, on the railroad tracks - Everyone would look to the right and see nothing, we would look to the left and see nothing, we would look to the right and there he was, about 20 feet from the car - everyone in the car would scream and we would zoom off. Brings back fond memories of having fun with the gang - Of course you never saw a man, you just saw a light and with anticipation being high, that's all you needed to have a car full of screaming teens.
Will H i am a 1970 graduate of wm and i have to say i have seen Hooker man!!! Will never forget it!
Jrn It's a ghost of some sort that walks around with a light on the former RR tracks now called the Columbia Trail. Apparently it's pretty frightening. Never seen it myself, lived in Htown my whole life except for university.
Also, my colleague's kids, who go to WMC told me a few months ago that they no longer even talk about the Hookerman at their school. What a shame.
1988LJ 
Valley Girl A northern NJ legend. Reported along any of the rail lines with long straight stretches that ran to and from the iron producing areas. Especially between the iron mines near Mine Hill and the forge in High Bridge. The story was that a signalman lost his arm to a train and now hung a lantern on his hook and was searching for a teenager to skewer with said hook.
Science geeks determined it was in fact ball lightning that was formed by the magnetic influences of all that iron along the track. Especially likely to be seen on warm summer spring nights with a pretty girl in the passenger seat and some boons farm wine in both of you.
Agust Grew up in Mine Hill and indeed Hookerman was a tale told many nights especially the nights when bon-fires and beers were going on at the "cabin". I know those tracks well Agust - Boone's Mountain Berry.. Wow memories!! LOL!
JrzyGirl70 I saw him in 2000! Creepy. Green ball of light coming towards me at 11:30ish at night. Saw him at the four bridges spot in the Columbia Trail
Kelleo22 Class of 83 WMC
the white lights are cars but spent many night around the Naughright rd. crossing and the green light is creepy.
HDW My sighting was not a green light. it was a white light. It came at us so smoothly.It was errie! Not possible to be a human held light. And we were sober!! LOL!
My ex-husband and I spent many an evening along side those tracks and were never disappointed. The lights went across the tracks and would sometimes change from amber to red to green. Leonard Nemoy's "In Search Of" did a piece on the lights and, I understand the government investigated the area as well.
FormerNJ_Geek Same experience many years ago myself. Can't explain it but something weird was going on down there
CraftBeerBob Spent many a night with a pretty girl in a car along stretches of railroad tracks in Warren County. Can't say that I ever saw green balls or white balls, but blue balls were a not uncommon occurrence (-;
ianimal 
positive Saw the light several times years ago. It was a white light. Yes it was studied and they found that a fault line runs in that area. They found that the parallel rails acted as a collector far static discharge, and the light would follow the rails for a distance. Once the tracks were removed, the lights stopped.
4paws This story goes back for a long time. I grew up in Monmouth County in the 60's and have heard several versions. Might not be the same one but it is out there
shorty when was the last time anyone saw lights? I heard tale of sighting after the tracks were ripped up...I was on the Columbia trail with a friend recently late afternoon.. and I have to admit I was a little, a lot, nervous.. it does have a scarey feel to it.. Gonna go back at night...there is definitely a presence...
nadine When you walk there at 11PM you find about 9 fresh bottles of MD 20/20. They see "the lights" every time...
GC Out in belvidere we had the hooker man to on the line from great meadows to belvidere near belvidere this story happen by each town trains carried mail and on a post the mail bag was hung a man on the train would snag the bag and the mail was on its way some wise ass kids tied the bag to the post and when the hooker man snagged it it pulled off his arm so the hooker man still looks for his arm
Caged Animal Not the Man, but still can be funny, creepy and it happens on any clear night. Out around and past Great Meadows, in places where the light pollution is lower, there are plenty of sites where you can stand on the incoming glide path to Newark. You need a place where the planes are coming dead-on direct to you. Because they are getting lower, lights are on, but all you see is the center headlight which appears to be a hovering, slightly bouncing orb, and ever moving closer and closer. If they are busy, you might get two at a time at staggered distances. Chances are, because of the ridges, you won't see more than that.
First trick is not to pre-announce, but instead just seem to stumble upon it like: 'hey, what is that, do you see it?" Chances are the rest of the joke will unfold by itself as your guest's anxiety rises under expectations that you are witnessing a real UFO. Best most people can come up with is, "it could be a plane," but they never seem fully committed. Especially is you add the fact that planes don't hover, planes are not just a single light..... And it keeps getting larger, closer, OMG ---- until you get a broadside and the jig is up.
FYI -- thanks. Now Hooker Man has ruining The Great Gatsby for me. Great :>)
strangerdanger If you "escape" the Hookerman and make your way down the Columbia Trail into High Bridge, there is also a historical marker describing the Gorge Bridge train crash on April 18, 1885.
That section of the Columbia Trail is beautiful and perfect for hiking, jogging, or riding a bike. It does has some hills, but it is worth the trip (about 11 miles if you park in Long Valley, but there are other places to park closer to High Bridge).
https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=21806
Heard it was piezoelectric effect:
https://books.google.com/books?id=dXtBIvwPN84C&pg=PA95&lpg=PA95&dq=piezoelectric+effect+HOOKERMAN&source=bl&ots=ncb15yWO6f&sig=ACfU3U06afn3WhcSth7DbJA8Mv0o8_f_cQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjplb-w1oLkAhVPmVkKHZerDWgQ6AEwAHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=piezoelectric%20effect%20HOOKERMAN&f=false
ru Yes say it years ago. Several times actually and it scared the crap out of me and my friends.
Lisa Commenting is no longer available.