A Mother’s Terror
In 1989, Jackie Hernandez, a single mother of two, moved into a bungalow on West 11th Street, San Pedro, California, seeking a fresh start. Instead, she found horror. One night, she saw a haggard old man with glowing eyes in her children’s bedroom, staring silently. Objects flew, a foul stench filled the air, blood-like ooze dripped from walls. Those attuned to the unseen might feel a malevolent force, lurking in the shadows of that quiet neighborhood.
Jackie, panicked, fled to her neighbor Susan Castenada, who urged her to contact Dr. Barry Taff, a parapsychologist. The terror had only begun, threatening her family’s safety.
Investigators Under Attack
Dr. Taff, with cameramen Barry Conrad, Jeff Wheatcraft, arrived at Jackie’s home, met by a putrid smell, unattributable to any source. Loud bangs echoed from the attic, where Jackie claimed to have seen a floating severed head. During the investigation, Wheatcraft was attacked in the attic, his camera thrown, his body shoved by unseen hands. On a second visit, September 4, 1989, a rope mysteriously tightened around Wheatcraft’s neck, nearly strangling him, as captured on video. Another photographer, Gary Boehm, freed him.
The team recorded orbs of light, voices, objects moving. The activity, relentless, drove Wheatcraft to never return, shaken by the unseen force.
A Haunting That Followed
Jackie fled to Kern County, 380 miles north, hoping to escape. The phenomena followed. In a neighbor’s shed, a TV flickered, showing the old man’s face. Bangs echoed, as in San Pedro. Taff, Conrad investigated, holding a séance. The spirit, claiming to be a murdered sailor, Herman Hendrickson, killed in 1930, said it targeted Jackie for her energy, Wheatcraft for resembling his killer. The house’s builder, John Damon, was another possible entity. The activity lessened with each of Jackie’s moves, eventually stopping.
Tenants at 593 West 11th Street later reported attic noises, suggesting the bungalow’s dark legacy endured, a shadow over San Pedro.
Signs of the Unexplained
The San Pedro Haunting bears chilling hallmarks of the occult:
- Violent Poltergeist: Lamps, objects flew, targeting Jackie, her children, investigators, defying physics.
- Blood-Like Ooze: Human blood plasma, with iodine, copper, seeped from walls, cupboards, baffling analysis.
- Ghostly Apparition: A haggard old man with glowing eyes appeared, linked to a murdered sailor, John Damon.
- Attic Assault: Jeff Wheatcraft was shoved, nearly strangled by a rope, witnessed by the team.
- Persistent Phenomena: The activity followed Jackie, suggesting a personal, predatory spirit, not bound to the house.
These signs cast a veil over reality, pointing to a force beyond human grasp, tormenting Jackie’s family. The blood-like ooze, identified as human plasma, chilled investigators, hinting at a vengeful spirit, psychic energy, or something darker. Was it Hendrickson’s restless soul, tied to a harbor murder, or a demonic force feeding on Jackie’s distress? Why did it pursue her across miles, attack those who dared enter the attic? Some whisper of a cursed bungalow, others of Jackie’s emotional turmoil fueling the chaos. Those who visited felt a weight, as if eyes watched from the walls. Have you ever sensed a room’s air turn heavy, heard a sound no source could claim? What waits in San Pedro’s attic, eager for its next visitor?
Theories and Speculation
Skeptics argue Jackie’s emotional stress, as a single mother post-separation, triggered psychokinetic energy, explaining the poltergeist. The blood plasma, some claim, could be contamination, though its source was never found. Paranormal experts, including Taff, point to the sailor’s murder, verified by 1930 records, and the house’s history under John Damon. Social media in 2025 debates whether Jackie’s trauma amplified a spirit’s power or if a demonic entity latched onto her. The attic’s persistent noises, reported by later tenants, suggest an enduring presence.
The séance’s claim of multiple spirits, “phantoms fill the skies,” adds a chilling layer. The truth remains elusive, a shadow in the bungalow’s dust.
A Haunting Legacy
The San Pedro Haunting burns like a cold ember in occult lore, a tale that claws at the edge of reason. Jackie’s ordeal, witnessed by investigators, neighbors, etched itself into San Pedro’s quiet streets. Her story drifts like a specter over the harbor, whispering of forces unbound by place, time. Have you ever felt a gaze from an empty room, heard a creak no footstep explains? Would you climb that attic ladder, or dread the eyes that might stare back?