Sightings – "The San Pedro Poltergeist" (Nov 10, 2025)

Episode Overview

This chilling episode explores the infamous 1989 San Pedro Poltergeist case through a dramatized, first-person account by a (fictionalized) UCLA parapsychologist and a detailed discussion between hosts McLeod Andrews and Brian Sigley. The show blends immersive storytelling with critical analysis, raising questions about the limits of belief, the nature of poltergeist phenomena, and the lingering legacy of supernatural trauma. The case centers on Jackie Hernandez, a young single mother, and her battle with an escalating, violent haunting that follows her from one home to another.

Dramatic Retelling of the San Pedro Poltergeist Case

The Paranormal Investigator's Account (01:16–14:11)

Setting the Stage

• Mason Tufts (pseudonym for Barry Taff) describes his career in parapsychology and the rarity of cases "that defied conventional explanation."
• He’s contacted by Jackie Hernandez, a "traumatized single mother in Southern California," who’s been troubled by escalating paranormal activity in her San Pedro bungalow.

Quote:
"I've learned to listen for certain things in a witness's voice... the kind of measured desperation that came from someone who had exhausted all rational explanations. Jackie Hernandez had that voice." — Mason Tufts, 03:00

Early Activity

• Initially, Jackie experiences common hauntings: missing objects, odd sounds, a persistent feeling of being watched.
• The events intensify: objects levitate and fly, witnessed by neighbor Susan Castaneda.

Physical Manifestations

• Disturbing episodes include a red, blood-like substance oozing from ceiling cracks, and Jackie’s terrifying encounter with a disembodied, glowing head in the attic.

Quote:
"She described pushing her head up through the attic access and finding herself face to face with a disembodied head... it moved toward her with apparent intelligence and purpose." — Mason Tufts, 06:45

• During the investigators' first visit, they experience a foul stench and hear heavy thumping above.
• In the attic, Tufts' assistant Jeff is physically attacked: his camera is yanked away, later found disassembled and carefully separated—“deliberate, methodical action.”

Escalation and Daylight Apparition

• Jackie and her children become increasingly distressed; even in the daytime, a gray-skinned male apparition appears beneath her son’s bunk—witnessed by both Jackie and Tufts.

Physical Violence

• A lab analysis of the attic substance reveals “traces of human blood, specifically male, with high concentrations of copper and iodine” (14:11).
• The haunting escalates: Jackie is pinned and choked by invisible hands, leaving physical marks.
• Investigators witness orbs of light, hear unexplained rhythmic snapping, and the cord attack in the attic—Jeff nearly strangled by an unseen force:

Quote:
"For several terrifying seconds, I was locked in a literal tug of war with an invisible force…" — Mason Tufts, 16:37

Aftermath and Pursuit

• Jackie flees 400 miles north to Weldon, CA, but the phenomena follow: more disturbances, objects levitating, fires spontaneously starting.

Final Showdown: The Séance

• The team attempts direct contact using a Ouija board. The temperature plummets; the board moves before being touched.
• The entity claims:
  • It was suffocated in San Pedro Inlet in 1930 by Charles Pearson, believed to have lived in Jackie’s former house.
  • It “attacked Jeff because he is the likeness of my killer.”
• The séance reaches a crescendo as the planchette spells out “going,” and peace finally returns to Jackie’s life.

Quote:
"Sometimes the most important tool a paranormal investigator can possess isn’t equipment or knowledge. It’s simply compassion." — Mason Tufts, 21:30

Post-Story Analysis & Discussion (23:38–37:20)

The Tangibility and Skepticism of Poltergeist Phenomena

• Hosts contrast poltergeist experiences with typical ghost stories, highlighting the "hard experiential evidence"—objects flying, chemical substances, wounds—not just psychological impressions.

Quote:
"Unlike a lot of supernatural encounters... poltergeist stories are like: no, a thing flew across the room and hit me in the head." — Brian (co-host), 23:41

• Observations that multiple independent witnesses strengthen the case; red ooze was physically collected and supposedly analyzed.

Documentary Evidence and the Burden of Proof

• The case is notable for its thorough documentation by parapsychologist Barry Taff (the story's real-life investigator).
• Discussion of the limits of evidence:
  • No clear photographic capture of ghosts, but photo of Jeff during attic strangulation exists.
  • Questions about scientific rigor of the blood analysis (chain of custody, identity of tester not established).

Quote:
"They found that there was male blood in it, along with copper and some other elements. But the issue was they never identified the person who did the testing." — Brian Sigley, 29:28

The Nature and Evolution of Poltergeists

• Explanation of poltergeist origin: "Poltergeist" means "noisy ghost," defined by disruptive, overt activity—escalating from simple disturbances to dangerous physical attacks.
• The haunting followed Jackie, raising skeptical arguments: is the phenomena tied to the person rather than place?

Quote:
"If it's following the person, then is it the person?" — Brian (co-host), 26:41

• Alternative theories discussed: unresolved trauma of the spirit, confusion targeting new tenants, possible malice.

Sincerity vs. Sensationalism

• Skeptical points:
  • The main witnesses include people invested in the paranormal (potential bias).
  • No financial windfall from the story, and both Jackie and Barry Taff “never changed their story.”
  • Some analysis of the infamous attic incident where a photographer took pictures during the strangulation, raising the possibility of staging.

Emotional Impact & Cultural Resonance

• The hosts reflect on why the case is so compelling, resonating for its emotional throughline and the real suffering of those involved.

Quote:
"That's what resonates with me more than is it believable or is it not… it's a compelling story with an emotional through line and you feel for these people whatever they're experiencing." — Brian Sigley, 36:57

Timed Key Moments

| Timestamp | Segment | Notable Event/Discussion | |-----------|--------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:16 | Story intro | Mason Tufts takes the case, details Jackie's initial account | | 06:45 | Major apparition | Jackie meets the attic's severed, glowing head | | 08:49 | Physical attack | Camera yanked from assistant’s grip, deliberate disassembly | | 10:07 | Apparition in daylight | Gray-skinned man under child's bunk—witnessed by two adults | | 14:11 | Analysis & escalation | Male blood (unknown source), Jackie attacked, attic orbs | | 16:37 | Investigator attacked | Jeff nearly strangled in attic, photographic evidence discussed | | 18:53 | Haunting follows Jackie | Activity continues after 400-mile move, fire on daughter's bed | | 19:44 | Ouija board séance | Spirit identifies cause, claims vengeance, promises to leave | | 23:38 | Hosts' discussion begins | Tangibility of poltergeist phenomena | | 27:41 | Ghosts vs. poltergeists | Defining the difference—overt physicality vs. residual activity | | 29:28 | Red ooze examined | Issues with scientific validity of blood sample | | 30:10 | Attic attack photo | Analysis of strangulation photos and their ambiguity | | 32:20 | Ouija board’s role | Spirit’s identity, murder link, and possible researcher bias | | 34:27 | Skeptical/gecko view | Possibility investigators guided findings, no 3rd-party review | | 35:53 | Weighing evidence | Consistency of witnesses’ stories, living with its legacy | | 36:57 | Emotional resonance | Why this haunting endures in the culture |

Notable Quotes

• “She described pushing her head up through the attic access and finding herself face to face with a disembodied head... it moved toward her with apparent intelligence and purpose.”
  — Mason Tufts, 06:45

• “For several terrifying seconds, I was locked in a literal tug of war with an invisible force…”
  — Mason Tufts, 16:37

• “Unlike a lot of supernatural encounters... poltergeist stories are like: no, a thing flew across the room and hit me in the head.”
  — Brian (co-host), 23:41

• “That's what resonates with me more than is it believable or is it not… it's a compelling story with an emotional through line and you feel for these people whatever they're experiencing.”
  — Brian Sigley, 36:57

• “Sometimes the most important tool a paranormal investigator can possess isn’t equipment or knowledge. It’s simply compassion.”
  — Mason Tufts, 21:30

Conclusion

"The San Pedro Poltergeist" stands out as one of America's most unsettling and well-documented hauntings, featuring dramatic violence, multiple witnesses, and rare physical evidence—all explored in this episode with a blend of skepticism, empathy, and narrative flair. The hosts underscore both the ambiguity of such claims and the very real impact on people’s lives, inviting listeners to consider the tangled line between trauma, belief, hoax, and the unexplained.