The Grinning Man (sometimes known as Indrid Cold) is an entity first spotted in the 1960s in New Jersey. The Grinning Man is uniformly described as a tall man, wearing a shiny metallic-like set of green overalls, bearing a wide grin and beady eyes. Disturbingly, witnesses described that The Grinning Man had no visible ears or nose.[2] The entity's skin is described as being tan or greenish. One witness also stated that The Grinning Man was wearing a black belt.
The Grinning Man is sometimes connected with UFO activity and the Mothman cryptid.
Several sightings of The Grinning Man were recorded by John A. Keel, the author of "The Mothman Prophesies."
In October 1966, two boys (James Yanchitis and Marvin Munoz) spotted a strange man standing behind a fence. They described the man as having a "big grin" and, supposedly, someone in that neighborhood also reported being chased by a greenish man.[3]
Other reports placed The Grinning Man in West Virginia, about 40 miles away from the Mothman sightings. In November 1966, Woodrow Derenberger was driving home when he heard a crash. He stopped his car and saw a strange vehicle come alongside next to him. Allegedly this vehicle was pouring fire from both ends and was similar to a kerosene lamp in shape.[4] An individual exited the vehicle, supposedly The Grinning Man, dressed in metallic green overalls. This characteristic fits with what was reported by Yanchitis and Munoz a month earlier. The individual identified themselves as "Indrid Cold" and supposedly interrogated Derenberger telepathically about UFO sightings in the area.
The Grinning Man was also sighted in Point Pleasant WV, where the Mothman sightings took place. This leads some to associate the Grinning Man with the Mothman.
The Grinning Man (in the Derenberger case) seemed very interested in UFO activity in the area. This suggests that The Grinning Man, if real, might be some form of extraterrestrial life. However, this UFO connection is only present in the Derenberger case.
Skeptics assert that The Grinning Man is nothing more than exaggerated reports of a man who, while creepy, may not be paranormal in origin.
Indrid Cold (The Grinning Man) was thought to be an alien trying his best to gain the physical traits of a human.
Indrid Cold was first seen on October 16, 1966 when two boys in New Jersey were walking on fourth street, when they saw a surreal figure standing near a fence. As they walked closer, the figure was a tall bald man wearing a metal green suit who was staring right at them with a huge grin. The idiosyncratic man chased them until they got away from him.
On November 2, 1966 in Parkersburg, West Virginia,(around the same area and time period that the Mothman came about) Woodrow Derenberger was driving his way home until he heard a crash. Then, an extraterestrial vehicle landed in front of his truck. The Grinning Man came out of the vehicle with a dark tan. The Grinning Man then walked up to Derenberger and telepathically told hin that his name was "Indrid Cold" and that he meant no harm and he just wanted to know more about the human race.