The San Pedro Haunting

Between 1989 and 1991, Jackie Hernandez and her children experienced one of the most intensely documented poltergeist cases in American history. The events in their small San Pedro, California home included violent physical attacks, mysterious blood manifestations, apparitions, and phenomena captured on camera by investigating researchers. The case stands as a landmark in paranormal research due to its extensive documentation.

The Setting

Jackie Hernandez

Jackie Hernandez was a single mother in her thirties, living with her children in a small bungalow in San Pedro, a port community in Los Angeles. In 1989, she began experiencing inexplicable phenomena in her home.

Unlike many poltergeist cases, Jackie had no apparent connection to the supernatural. She was not interested in the paranormal, had never played with Ouija boards, and practiced no occult activities.

The Phenomena

Initial Events (Early 1989)

The haunting began subtly:

• Objects moving on their own
• Unexplained sounds in empty rooms
• A pervasive feeling of being watched
• Her children complaining of “something” in their rooms

Jackie initially dismissed these events. As a busy single mother, she had more pressing concerns than mysterious noises.

Escalation

The phenomena intensified dramatically:

Physical Attacks:

• Jackie was pushed, scratched, and had her hair pulled
• Invisible hands grabbed her
• She was thrown against walls
• The attacks left visible marks

Object Movement:

• Heavy furniture moved across rooms
• Items flew through the air
• Locked doors opened by themselves
• The stove turned itself on

The Manifestations: Most disturbing were the unexplained appearances of:

• Blood dripping from walls
• Puddles of blood materializing on floors
• Foul odors with no source
• Substances that defied identification

The Apparition: Jackie and others observed a ghostly figure—described as an elderly man with a gaunt face and sunken eyes. He appeared watching from corners, in mirrors, and at the top of the attic stairs.

The Investigation

Barry Conrad and Jeff Wheatcraft

Jackie eventually contacted paranormal researchers. Barry Conrad, a professional photographer and investigator, and Jeff Wheatcraft, his colleague, began documenting the case in 1989.

What they encountered exceeded their expectations.

The Attic Incident

The most famous event occurred when Wheatcraft entered the attic to investigate. Inside, something grabbed him around the neck. Conrad captured photographs showing Wheatcraft with something dark wrapped around his throat—something that wasn’t visible to the naked eye.

Wheatcraft barely escaped. He described the sensation as being strangled by “something immensely strong.”

Photographic Evidence

The San Pedro case is notable for its photographic documentation:

The Face: Conrad photographed what appears to be a ghostly face materializing near Jackie—a gaunt, skeletal visage matching the apparition witnesses described.

The Light Anomalies: Multiple photographs showed balls of light, streams of energy, and other unexplained phenomena.

Physical Evidence: Photos documented scratches appearing on Jackie’s body, blood materializations, and object displacement.

The Documentary

The case was featured in a Sightings television special, which brought national attention. The footage showed:

• Objects moving on camera
• Researchers being affected by phenomena
• Physical evidence of the haunting
• Witness testimonies

The Entity

What Was It?

Through investigation, researchers developed a theory about the entity’s identity.

The house’s previous history included tragedies. An elderly man had reportedly lived and died there under difficult circumstances. Researchers believed his spirit—angry, confused, and attached to the property—was responsible.

The entity seemed particularly focused on Jackie, possibly because:

• She was a young woman living alone with children
• Something about her attracted poltergeist activity
• She resembled someone from the entity’s past

Communication Attempts

Investigators attempted to communicate with the entity through various means. The responses they received suggested an intelligence—but not one that could be reasoned with.

The Resolution

Jackie’s Departure

Eventually, Jackie and her children moved out of the San Pedro home. The activity largely stopped once she left—though she reported occasional minor phenomena at subsequent residences.

The House After

The San Pedro house reportedly continued to experience activity with subsequent occupants, though nothing as intense as the Hernandez case.

Significance

Documentation

The San Pedro case stands out for several reasons:

Photographic Evidence: Multiple photographs captured anomalies that have never been satisfactorily explained.

Video Documentation: Television crews captured phenomena on film.

Multiple Witnesses: Researchers, neighbors, and visitors all experienced events.

Physical Evidence: Scratches, blood, and moved objects provided tangible proof that something occurred.

In Paranormal Research

The case is studied as an example of:

• Classic poltergeist behavior centered on a person
• Photographic documentation of the paranormal
• The physical dangers investigators can face
• The psychological toll of intense haunting activity

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For two years, something tormented Jackie Hernandez and her children in San Pedro. Unlike most poltergeist cases, this one left evidence—photographs of faces that shouldn’t exist, images of researchers being attacked, documentation of blood appearing from nowhere. The San Pedro haunting proves that some things leave more than just memories.