THE SAN PEDRO HAUNTING - Jackie Hernandez Story - Pt 1

This is part 1 of an account of a haunting that took place in San Pedro, CA. This innocent looking little house, pictured above, was the home of Jackie Hernandez. It was also the place that struck terror into her and others who came to visit and/or investigate.

A little background: Jackie Hernandez was pregnant with her second child and had just split from her husband. Taking their son with her she moved into this unassuming bungalow in San Pedro. The first step in creating a new life for her, her son, and her unborn child.

Now, many versions of this haunting has been told over the years, from television portrayals, to magazine and newspaper reports, but the only thing that actually matches in each is that the home was most definitely haunted.

In this post I will try to stick to the account as told by Jackie. I will also include actual footage of some of the events to support what I add here. That way after reading what I report you can go and hear it for yourself straight from the horses mouth.

When researching I came across a few articles, one of which was from the Huff Post, dated 08/09/2012. It had gotten its information from the television show, Paranormal Witness. Unlike the television show Believers (aired 2020), Paranormal Witness had gotten a lot right about the haunting ergo Huff Post did too.

When Jackie moved into the home the activity didn't start right away. At first she reported feeling a "presence." Nothing she could see or hear, not at first. She marked the eerie feeling she was experiencing up to her fear of being by herself. The activity only began when her ex-partner had to move in (temporarily) with her due to being made homeless after a house fire.

The first poltergeist activity happened shortly after. Jackie was walking through the room when a pencil holder flew from where it was sitting almost hitting her. In the room with her was her ex-partner and one of her friends, but neither of them had been close enough to cause it, nor was Jackie.

After a few instances Jackie reached out to a paranormal group headed by Dr. Barry Taff. When they called to interview her August 8th, 1989, she would tell them of the apparition of a man she would see sitting on her sons bunk bed. She would go on to describe him as an old man, very thin in appearance. He was wearing grey pants, a red flannel shirt, and what appeared to be workman's boots. The old man looked angry and she stated, "He looked like a corpse." Thankfully, although the bedroom was set up and ready for her son and his sibling, he slept in the front living room with her. They slept on a mattress on the floor as she had no bed at that time.

That night Barry Taff was accompanied by Barry Conrad, Larry Brookes and Jeff Wheatcraft. They interviewed Jackie and then walked through the house taking photos and sketchings of different areas where she had reported sightings or strange things happening. Jackie's ex-partner, Al, was in the kid's bedroom with the door closed, keeping the children out of the way of those investigating.

Dr. Barry Taff Barry Conrad Jeff Wheatcraft

One of the strange things had been the apparition of a head in the attic. The only way to get access to the attic was via the kitchen. There was a tiny laundry room (cupboard almost) just to the side and that was where the trap door to the attic was situated. Jeff climbed up on top of the washing machine and through the trap door took a few pictures. After a brief chat with Larry Brookes Jeff agreed to climb up into the attic to take more.

He was only up there a matter of moments when those gathered below heard a scream. When Jeff climbed back down he was clearly shaken up. He was pale and seemed startled. He told them whatever it was up in the attic, it had taken the camera out of his hands. After a few minutes and giving himself time to calm down he went back into the attic to retrieve his camera along with two other guys. Jackie comments that although there was nothing in the attic, it took the three of them over half an hour to locate the camera. In interviews it is noted that the camera was found at one side of the attic while the camera lens was found in the opposite side of the attic. Jeff is noted as this being very strange as the lens could not just fall off. It would have to have been physically removed due to the mechanism holding it in place.

Barry Conrad tells how later that evening he accompanied Jeff into the attic and was witness to him being pushed by some unseen force. For the first night investigating, quite a lot of activity had happened. As well as the incident with the camera, and the pushing, they witnessed light anomalies (not to be confused with orbs caused by light reflection of bugs, dust or moisture) some of which they were able to capture on film, and a foul overwhelming stench. But it was apparent to those there that the activity seemed to be centred that night around Jeff Wheatcraft.

As the interview was wrapping up for the evening, and all were gathered in the kitchen, they could hear footsteps above them in the attic. Loud footsteps walking across the expanse of the space above them. They knew there was no one up there in the house were gathered together chatting in the kitchen below. In the second YouTube video below you can actually hear the sound of footsteps above them.

Part Two coming soon...

(I didn't want the post to be too long just in case some found it overwhelming)