ARGENTINA: POLICE CHASE “THE ROOFTOP MADMAN”

INEXPLICATA
The Journal of Hispanic Ufology
March 6, 2005

SOURCE: Bulldog edition of Diario Litoral del Día
DATE: Friday, March 04, 2005

ARGENTINA: POLICE CHASE “THE ROOFTOP MADMAN”

The head of the URI asked local residents to remain calm. Until the moment, no one has been attacked or injured, claimed Sheriff Legstra. The official asked that his men be allowed to do their jobs.

Sheriff Gabriel Legstra of the La Capital Police Department, told the press of his department’s actions due to claims made by numerous residents of Barrio Centenario and San Lorenzo — all of them alarmed by the escapades of “The Rooftop Madman”, a strange character to which ghostly characteristics have been ascribed.

How are police responding to the state of commotion visible among the neighbors?

At first we were greatly concerned over so much movement in the neighborhood, basically behind Centenario, were many people took to the streets armed with sticks, machetes, knives and even gomeras. All of this started last week, but fortunately, the area was calm last night and there were less calls about this character’s apparitions. Tuesday was the peak. We had 18 police units in the area to keep the peace and above all to convince people to stay in their homes. This was the message we wanted to convey on acount of the psychosis unleashed in the area. The fact is that we do not have any record of people attacked by this personage. Neither attacked nor beaten. There were only some frightened individuals. Yes, we do have records of people claiming to have seen it and who describe it in a variety of ways, but with some similarities.

Like which, for example?

They describe it as clad in black, with red eyes. They say it can leap five meters into the air or ten meters in length. That it can cross streets in a single bound, from one rooftop to the next.

Have any police agents seen something similar?

I have no official reports that any agent has seen something similar. I was in the area yesterday and, as has occurred on the four preceding nights, I heard reports of people claiming to have seen it. On Tuesday we had three reports at once. In other words, it was being seen in three different locations at the same time. Police units were dispatched, but nothing was found.

Is there any formal report on these apparitions?

There is none. We are working on a preliminary report as from the interruption of traffic on the perimeter road made by neighbors demanding lights in the area, lights that the Municipality has already installed. Also, one involving stories of persons who claim having seen a prowler in their backyards or on the roofs of their homes.

There was talk of an exhibitionist at first…

The initial stories were many, but the statements taken from people who claimed having seen something do not yield anyting aside from a character that appears at windows or on rooftops.

What about the gunshots that shattered the windows at the Itati School, how do you explain them?

As part of the same psychosis. That an episode such as this should repeat itself is somehting we fear, which is why we are advising people not to go out, to let police do their job, to stay home. Police are in the area. In fact, the situation calmed down a lot last night. There were less people on the street, but I still ask everyone to let us do our job to avoid problems, to avoid any injuries, since there are many people armed with sticks and machetes looking for this character.

This state of collective suggestion may have a real “trigger”, such as the case of La Llorona, a fantastic account that ended with the capture of a flesh and blood man. Would this be the case?

To hazard an explanation would be a groundless hypothesis. We’re only working on the fact of resident phone calls who claim seeing what they’re seeing. What we’re trying to do is calm down the area, investigate and try to apprehend it, if there is in fact an individual behind all of this.

Translation (C) 2005. Scott Corrales
Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU).
Special thanks to Liliana Núñez.