Monsters Among Us – S20 Ep11: Keystone Paranormal: Spooky Tales from Pennsylvania

Host: Derek Hayes
Release Date: November 18, 2025

Overview

This episode of Monsters Among Us, hosted by Derek Hayes, delves into the eerie paranormal happenings and firsthand witness accounts from the Keystone State—Pennsylvania. Listeners are treated to chilling stories involving haunted houses, mimicked voices, shadowy apparitions, cryptid encounters, and mysterious disappearances, all recounted by callers from various corners of the state. Derek’s narrations provide context and a quintessentially spooky, cozy tone as he weaves together the state’s rich supernatural folklore and present-day mysteries.

Key Stories & Insights

1. Pittsburgh’s Echoes: Ghostly Voices and Pleas for Help

Caller: Eric
[03:00–07:10]

• Carnegie Mansion Incident: While renovating an old triplex, Eric heard an old woman’s cough echo from the staircase—despite being alone and the door locked.
  • "I heard an old lady cough, like from that center stairway. I could tell exactly where it's coming from. The hair on the back of my neck stood up..." — Eric [03:27]
• Lawrenceville Senior Housing: Years later, working as a facilities manager, Eric heard a distorted plea for help, as if through a megaphone. He searched every room, finding nothing. Other tenants shared stories of nightly knocks and ghostly occurrences.
  • "It was like a yell, scream, like, help me, help me, but it was weird. It was like through a megaphone, through a radio. It wasn't like a real… person calling." — Eric [04:57]

2. Mimicking Voices & Doppelganger Auditory Phenomena

Caller: Holly
[07:39–09:28]

• Mimicked Husband and Wife: Holly details hearing her husband’s voice inside the house after he left, asking the dog if she needs to go out. Later, her husband and daughter heard Holly’s voice at home while Holly was out. Neither saw apparitions, only heard familiar voices.
  • "We didn’t see each other’s doppelgangers. We just heard each other's voices." — Holly [09:17]
• Creepy Coincidences: Each incident is accompanied by family members and pets reacting in confusion.

3. Southwestern Pennsylvania Ghost Hunt & EVPs

Caller: Justin
[12:11–18:37]

• Haunted South Point Mental Institute: Justin and friends explored an abandoned building, experiencing unexplained cold spots, frightening noises, and a loud bang that sent them fleeing.

  • "The loudest bang I ever heard in my life, short of a shotgun. I mean, it shook the whole building." — Justin [15:21]

• Capturing EVPs: On a return trip, the group conducted an EVP session. A whisper called Justin by his nickname, and another voice replied, "We're not scared," after provocation.

  • "First response was clearly an EVP, a whisper... The next one is definitely a male, and he definitely wasn't whispering. It was kind of raspy: 'We're not scared.' " — Justin [17:36]

• Host’s Note: Derek mentions he was unable to confirm a South Point Mental Hospital, suggesting it might be a local name for the Western Center near Canonsburg, now demolished.

4. Childhood Encounters: The Man Over the Bed

Caller: Ashley
[20:31–24:04]

• Dunbar, PA, Late 1980s: As a young child, Ashley repeatedly heard the front door jiggle by night for days. On the final night, she awoke to find a tall, thin man bent over, staring into her face; she was frozen in fear until he vanished.
  • "I woke up and saw a very tall, lean man bent down over top of me, staring directly in my face. I was frozen in fear..." — Ashley [22:38]
• Mother’s Validation: Ashley’s mother confirmed her story never changed over the years.

5. Pennsylvania’s Reputation: UFOs (But No Calls)

Host Segment
[25:52–27:15]

• Statistical Context: PA is ranked 4th in UFO sightings in the US. Oddly, the show has received no direct UFO stories from the state.
  • "Despite the state being fourth in reports, I don't have a single UFO call out of the Keystone state, which I admit is super odd. Odd enough that I'm bringing it up here tonight." — Derek [26:52]

6. Missing Time on the Highway

Caller: Gabrielle
[27:15–29:12]

• Highway Glitch or Lost Time: Gabrielle missed her usual exit (77) driving home and did not recall passing it, “waking up” at the next exit (80). She questions if it was abduction, missing time, or merely zoning out.
  • "I don't remember ever seeing exit 77 as I was driving home. So not sure if that's a little bit of a time thing... or just a glitch in the matrix." — Gabrielle [28:05]

7. Persistent Haunting & Recurring Nightmares

Caller: Shelly
[29:58–37:47]

• Haunted House near the Poconos: Shelly and her husband both experienced recurring, paralyzing nightmares of footsteps and a threatening male figure. Echoing dreams led to real changes (keeping the door closed, a rifle under the bed).
  • "I started having recurring dreams... I'd be paralyzed in bed, hearing footsteps coming up the stairs... I couldn't do anything about it." — Shelly [30:42]
• Physical Manifestations: Unexplained footsteps, the dog’s terrified reactions, and guests witnessing an older man pacing at the foot of the bed.
  • "One night our dog went to bed before us... a huge crash... bedroom door was shut and our dog was cowering in the corner, shivering." — Shelly [33:34]
• Final Act: After she left, all her photos in the house were found face-down.
  • "There was all this racket upstairs in the bedroom. Every picture of me was face down on the bureau, like something had come in and just knocked 'em over." — Shelly [36:51]

8. Gettysburg: Ghost of the Battlefield

Caller: Tom
[42:19–47:07]

• Phantom Civil War Soldier: Tom and his ex-wife see a young, bearded teenage boy in period-correct attire cross the road near Devil’s Den before vanishing.
  • "These shoes were just. I looked at them and I said, man, those look authentic... Sure enough, ...my ex wife goes, 'Is he gone?' Yes, he had disappeared." — Tom [43:44]
• Cosmic Coincidences: The sighting occurs the same night Princess Diana died (Aug 31, 1997). Later, Tom finds a plaque marking a battle involving soldiers from their own home counties.
  • "There you go, Derek. Love the show, keep it spooky..." — Tom [46:45]

9. Cryptids: Black Panther Sighting

Caller: Kim
[48:13–50:08]

• Big Cat in Western PA: As a teen, Kim encounters a large black panther, unexplainable by local wildlife standards. The disbelief and emotional impact persist to this day.
  • "It looked like a black panther... went out in front of my car, looked at me and then it went into the woods. ... I just saw a black panther." — Kim [48:31]

10. The Pale Crawler in the Poconos

Caller: Anonymous
[51:05–54:43]

• Encounter with a Crouching, Humanoid Figure: The caller’s son, a skeptical outdoorsman, sees a pale, bald, lanky creature crouched by the treeline that bolts upright and runs on two legs into the woods. He is so disturbed he refuses to go out at night thereafter.
  • "He said, 'But mom, it ran off on two legs.' And I said, well, what do you mean, like a person? And he said, not like any person I've ever seen. The best way I can describe it is it looked like a pale, bald, tall, skinny person jumped out of the bush and just took off into the woods." — Anonymous [53:46]
• Host's Lore Segment: Derek references other regional cryptids—Waterford Sheepman, the Alpatwich, the Trotterhead, and the Jawaggle.

11. The Hazmat Man: Grinning Man Phenomenon?

Caller: Brandon
[56:11–61:59]

• Large, Smiling Figure in Hazmat Suit: At a Grove City warehouse, multiple witnesses see a very tall man in a bright yellow hazmat suit and N95 mask, exaggeratedly walking and gesturing. He interacts with a child, waves at the caller, then vanishes behind a security shack.
  • "He just looked so out of place and so off. Even the way he was walking, it looked like he didn't really know how... he just vanishes." — Brandon [56:44, 58:29]
• Speculation: Caller and host compare the sighting’s details to the infamous “Grinning Man”/Indrid Cold reports.

Memorable Quotes

"Hearing someone yell, 'help me.' Paranormal or not, that's the kind of thing that'll make your skin crawl."
— Derek Hayes [07:10]

"We didn’t see each other’s doppelgangers. We just heard each other's voices."
— Holly [09:17]

"The loudest bang I ever heard in my life, short of a shotgun. I mean, it shook the whole building."
— Justin [15:21]

"I woke up and saw a very tall, lean man bent down over top of me, staring directly in my face. I was frozen in fear..."
— Ashley [22:38]

"We're not scared."
— Unexplained EVP, Justin's Recording [17:36]

"I started having recurring dreams... I'd be paralyzed in bed, hearing footsteps coming up the stairs... I couldn't do anything about it."
— Shelly [30:42]

"Is he gone? Yes, he had disappeared."
— Tom [43:44]

"He said, 'But mom, it ran off on two legs.' And I said, well, what do you mean, like a person? And he said, not like any person I've ever seen..."
— Anonymous [53:46]

Notable Moments & Timestamps

• [03:00] Eric’s tale of working alone in a haunted Pittsburgh mansion.
• [09:17] Holly’s family “voice swap” experiences.
• [15:21] Justin’s group flees haunted institution after an unexplained bang.
• [17:36] EVP captures: “We’re not scared.”
• [22:38] Ashley’s encounter with a hovering shadow figure as a child.
• [28:05] Gabrielle experiences possible missing time or a “Matrix glitch”.
• [36:51] Shelly’s post-separation phenomenon—photos overturned.
• [43:44] Tom’s ghostly Civil War boy vanishes on Gettysburg’s Devil’s Den road.
• [48:31] Kim’s emotional recounting of a black panther sighting.
• [53:46] Anonymous caller’s son sees the “Pale Crawler”.
• [56:44, 58:29] Brandon describes and witnesses the “Hazmat Man” disappear.

Tone & Style

Derek Hayes maintains his signature, atmospheric, spooky-but-nostalgic tone throughout, grounding callers’ astonishing stories with historical asides, local folklore, and a steady dose of wonder and skepticism. The listener is drawn into each account as if by a flashlight beam, flickering across the haunted and unexplainable – the hallmark of Monsters Among Us.

Conclusion

This episode is a deep dive into the shadowy margins of Pennsylvania, from haunted staircases and echoing phantom voices to cryptid creatures and unexplained disappearances. Callers’ authentic, often emotional retellings—coupled with Derek’s thoughtful curation—offer a compelling look at how the supernatural continues to leave its mark on one of America’s oldest and spookiest states.

“Until then, you keep it spooky and have yourselves a good night.”
— Derek Hayes [65:34]