Podcast Summary: So Supernatural – HAUNTED: San Pedro Poltergeist

Host: Ashley Flowers

Co-hosts: Racha Pecorero, Yvette Gentile

Date: October 24, 2025

Overview

This episode of So Supernatural delves into the true and chilling story of Jackie Hernandez, a young mother beset by terrifying poltergeist activity after moving into a small bungalow in San Pedro, California in the late 1980s. Hosts Ashley Flowers, Racha Pecorero, and Yvette Gentile follow the bizarre case from its humble beginnings—unsettling sensations and strange noises—to overt physical dangers, culminating in a near-death experience for a visiting cameraman. The hosts explore all sides: supernatural explanations, possible hoax, and the profound impact such hauntings have on real people.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Jackie’s Hard Times and First Signs of Haunting

• Background:

  • November 1988, Jackie Hernandez—a newly single, pregnant mother of one—moves into a modest, slightly rundown bungalow in San Pedro, CA.
  • Jackie is struggling financially and working multiple jobs. Her ex-husband provides occasional support.
  • The area is bleak and unglamorous, with most people working on the docks. (05:45–06:50)

• Early Haunting Signs:

  • Almost immediately, Jackie feels watched: “She gets this really eerie sensation as if somebody's watching her… and without fail, it always turns out she's alone.” —Ashley Flowers (07:14)
  • Noises escalate from animal-like thumps to shrieks and screams—beyond standard “old house” explanations.
  • Objects move on their own or turn up where she didn’t place them.

• Escalation—Shared Experiences:

  • Jackie’s friend Darlene witnesses a painting fly across the kitchen. Both are unnerved, but Jackie blames her pregnancy for possible hallucinations. (09:11–10:24)
  • Ashley shares: “According to a 2014 research study… four out of five mothers in a different study reported they had at least one hallucination between conception and their child's birth.” (10:52)

2. Intensification: Physical Manifestations & Malicious Messages

• Bizarre Phenomena:

  • The haunting persists after Jackie gives birth.
  • A strange thick, yellowish-red liquid (“not just water leaks—it was blood plasma, from a man” —Racha Pecorero, 25:33) periodically oozes from walls and light switches.
  • Fridge magnets spell out: “get the hell out.” Jamie and Samantha are too young to spell; Jackie didn’t do it. (13:01)

• Visions & Apparitions:

  • Jackie sees an unknown older man with unnaturally red eyes sitting on her son’s bed—he disappears instantly. (14:04)

3. Seeking Help: Enter the Paranormal Investigators

• Paranormal Team Arrives:

  • Jackie enlists neighbor Susan Castaneda for advice; Susan refers her to Barry Taft, a local paranormal investigator. Barry brings a camera crew. (15:03)

• Attic Incident—First Physical Attack:

  • Jeff Wheatcraft, a skeptical cameraman, goes into the attic.
  • “Then the camera flies out of his hand, almost like someone just yanked it away from him… Jeff is so freaking startled he actually screams.” —Ashley Flowers (19:41–22:15)
  • The camera is found carefully disassembled, pieces laid far apart—impossible by accident. No sign of human intruder.

• Subsequent Hauntings:

  • Jackie’s children are targeted; Jamie is pushed by an invisible force.
  • The ooze is analyzed and found to be human blood plasma.

• Second Major Attack—The Noose Incident:

  • During follow-up, Jeff is attacked in the attic. The team finds him:
    • “Jeff's hanging from the ceiling. There's a clothesline wrapped around his neck like a makeshift noose… his feet are off the ground… Jerry only pauses long enough to snap a picture or two…” —Ashley Flowers (28:20–31:37)
  • Jeff survives with quick intervention.
  • A photo is taken and becomes central to later debates over faked evidence.

4. The Ghost Follows—A Haunting Relocation

• Jackie Flees, Haunting Persists:
  • Jackie briefly reconciles with her husband but soon moves again to Kern County.
  • Friends helping her move see the old man’s face appear in the screen of an unplugged TV in her new shed.
  • Pounding noises emerge from the shed by night.

5. The Ouija Board Séance—Trying to Find Answers

• Desperate Measures:

  • Jackie asks Barry to conduct a séance—this time with a Ouija board—hoping for answers.
  • Barry admits skepticism: “He thinks Ouija boards are just toys. Still, Jackie is insistent…” —Racha Pecorero (36:50)
  • During the séances:
    • “The room becomes frigid… the table begins to shake… the planchette flies across the board so fast, they almost can't read the answers.” (36:50–39:29)
  • The Ouija board spells out a story: Jackie is haunted by two spirits—one good, one evil.

• Revelations from the Board:

  • The evil spirit claims to be a murder victim from 1930, drowned near Jackie’s old house.
  • Hostile actions, like attacking Jeff, were a result of mistaken identity: “Jeff the cameraman looks an awful lot like his murderer…[so] he flew into a rage.” —Ashley Flowers (39:29)

• Real-life Link:

  • Research uncovers Herman Hendrickson, a real man found drowned in San Pedro Bay in 1930. His death was ruled accidental, but the Ouija board suggests murder. (40:58)

6. The Mystery of the Second Spirit

• Second Haunting Presence:

  • During a later visit to San Pedro, Jackie follows a floating ball of light to a grave: John Damon—the man who built her San Pedro home. Jackie takes this as confirmation he's the second spirit. (42:12–44:35)

• Enduring Phenomena:

  • Jackie moves multiple times; paranormal events persist wherever she goes.
  • “The ghosts are with her no matter where she goes… from the sound of things, she eventually comes to accept the ghost's presence and even enjoys its company to some extent.” —Racha Pecorero (44:35)

7. Skepticism and the Evidence Debate

• Questioning the Story:

  • “Skeptics… claim Jackie could have faked the haunting. Some think Barry and the crew went along because they were desperate for evidence…” —Ashley Flowers (45:39)
  • The “hanging photo” is discussed at length, as are possible staging explanations (e.g., feet hidden behind plywood).
  • The hosts consider the impossibility of so many people being in on a hoax, including neighbors and babysitters, due to numerous corroborating accounts.

• On Living with the Unknown:

  • “If this was all faked, that means a ton of people had to be in on it… In my mind, it totally seems likely that the ghosts were real.” —Racha Pecorero (47:53)

8. Final Reflections

• The Human Element:
  • The real risk: “He didn't do anything wrong, but he had a target on his back because of a bizarre case of mistaken identity by a spirit.” —Ashley Flowers (49:34)
  • Empathy for the dead: “Maybe that's true even after we die… Perhaps we should offer these spirits—the lost souls—the same thing we give to the living: empathy, understanding, closure, and peace.” —Racha Pecorero (50:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the ongoing skepticism:
  “To play devil's advocate here... let's assume he is really in danger. If you look at that photo, you'll notice that you can't actually see Jeff's feet. There's a piece of plywood that's right in the way. So maybe Jeff's standing... with a cord loosely wrapped around his neck and might just be pretending to dangle from the ceiling.”
  —Ashley Flowers (47:23)

• On accepting the supernatural:
  “The ghosts are with her no matter where she goes… from the sound of things, she eventually comes to accept the ghost's presence and even enjoys its company to some extent.”
  —Racha Pecorero (44:35)

• Empathetic closure:
  “Rather than just jumping to conclusions, maybe we should offer these spirits... the same thing we give to the living: empathy, understanding, closure, and peace.”
  —Racha Pecorero (50:16)

Important Timestamps

• Jackie moves in & first experiences: 05:45–09:11
• Object movement, strange leak: 09:11–11:50
• Ouija board message on fridge: 13:01
• The red-eyed man apparition: 14:04
• Barry Taft's first investigation: 15:03–24:16
• Camera attack in attic: 19:41–22:38
• Blood plasma analysis: 25:33
• Noose/hanging incident: 28:20–31:37
• TV face & haunting follows Jackie: 35:08
• Seance and Ouija board session: 36:50–40:58
• Identifying spirits (Hendrickson & Damon): 40:58–44:35
• Skepticism and analysis: 45:39–49:34
• Final reflections: 49:34–51:12

Tone and Style

So Supernatural retains a conversational, respectful tone—balancing skepticism, empathy, and fascination. Ashley, Racha, and Yvette invite listeners to consider all angles, never dismissing witnesses but asking tough, logical questions.

Conclusion

The San Pedro Poltergeist case remains one of true crime’s strangest intersections with the supernatural, full of chilling close calls, odd historical connections, and unresolved mysteries. The story prompts as many questions as answers, inviting listeners to ponder not just the reality of ghosts, but the nature of empathy—whether for the living, or for those who may still be searching for peace long after death.