The Fresno Nightcrawler

The Fresno Nightcrawler is known from home security camera footage recorded at a house in Fresno, California, in the 2000s. The black-and-white clip shows one or two small, pale figures crossing a front yard at night. They appear to have no arms and no distinct head: just two long legs joined at a small, rounded top.

A second clip, said to have been filmed near Yosemite National Park, showed a similar pair of figures and circulated a few years later. Both clips spread through television segments and the early video-sharing internet, which is where the name stuck.

There are no named eyewitnesses and no physical traces. The footage is the entire case.

• Roughly three to four feet tall, judging by the yard.
• White or very pale, with no visible features.
• Two long legs topped by a small rounded body, with no clear head or arms.
• A stiff, deliberate walk, as if stepping carefully.

Many who have studied the footage believe it is a small puppet or marionette, or simple video editing. A paranormal investigation television show later recreated a convincing version using puppetry.

The original files and their full history have never been made public, so the footage can't be checked either way. Someone built a very good puppet, or someone has very long legs.