By Tim Binnall
A teenager visiting an Ohio park over the weekend spotted a mysterious creature lurking in a pond and an investigation by authorities was seemingly unable to identify the unknown animal. According to a local media report, the strange sighting occurred on Sunday when James Bond was fishing at Dominick Lofino Park in the city of Beavercreek. The young man's afternoon took a wondrous turn when he noticed some kind of creature surface from the water of the pond where he was casting his line. "The first thing I had in my mind was maybe it was an otter," he recalled, "but then I zoomed in with my phone and I realized that there were scales."
When Bond sent the photos to his mother, she immediately expressed concern that the creature could be an alligator, which caused her to declare "you need to get off the bank or wherever you’re at, and call the police." The young man's pictures were subsequently shared on a local Facebook group, where they caused something of a stir among residents who wondered what the weird animal might have been. The online chatter eventually prompted the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to investigate the situation, though a proverbial stakeout at the pond on Monday raised more questions than answers.
In a statement released by the department, they indicated that "city officials and wildlife experts do not believe an alligator or any other exotic animal is present in the park's pond." That said, they offered no insight as to the true nature of the creature encountered and photographed by Bond on Sunday afternoon. For now, the aquatic animal at the center of the case remains a mystery unless it surfaces again to provide witnesses with a better look at it. What do you think the young man spotted during his fishing trip? Share your best guess with us at the Coast to Coast AM Facebook page.