The Loveland Frogman: Ohio’s River Monster That Still Haunts the Night

 

The Loveland Frogman: Ohio’s River Monster That Still Haunts the Night

Every state has its legends, but few have multiple police officers willing to go on record about a 4-foot-tall frog-human hybrid that climbs out of the water and stares at you with glowing eyes.

Welcome to Loveland, Ohio, home of the Loveland Frogman, one of America’s most credible and persistent cryptid sightings.

The Nighttime Encounters That Started It All:

1955 – First Official Sighting

An anonymous businessman claimed he saw three or four frog-faced creatures crouched under a bridge on the Little Miami River. They had leathery green skin, webbed hands and feet, and one reportedly held a wand-like device that shot sparks.

The story spread like wildfire through Loveland.

May 1972 – Officer Mark Mathews

While on patrol around 1 a.m., Officer Mathews saw what he thought was a dead animal lying in the road. When he got out to move it, the “animal” stood up on two legs, revealed glowing eyes, frog-like face, and hopped over the guardrail into the river.

Mathews was so shaken he filed an official report.

Two weeks later, Officer Larry Johnson saw the exact same creature under the same bridge and confirmed every detail.

2016 – Modern Sightings

A group of teenagers playing Pokémon GO filmed a strange bipedal figure with glowing eyes near the Loveland bike trail. Locals immediately recognized it as the Frogman returning.

Sightings have continued into 2024 and 2025!

Fishermen, late-night drivers, and couples parking near the river all report the same thing: wet footsteps on the bridge, glowing eyes in the reeds, and a sudden splash when headlights hit it.

How to Hunt the Loveland Frogman (Paranormal Travel Guide)

Best Months: May through September

Best Hours: 1 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Prime Locations (in order of most sightings):

Branch Hill-Guinea Pike bridge over the Little Miami River.  

Loveland-Mil Road bridge (the 1972 police sighting spot). 

The Loveland Bike Trail between Loveland and Milford after midnight.  

Riverside Park boat ramp (multiple recent glowing-eye reports).

Pro Tips from Experienced Frogman Hunters 

Park legally and use a red flashlight (white light scares it off).  

Bring a thermal camera; many have captured heat signatures near the water.  

Play low frog croaking sounds on a speaker; several groups swear it draws the creature closer.  

Never approach if you see it. Every witness who stayed in their car stayed safe. Those who got out reported intense dread and missing time.

Carry iron or salt packets Wear anything with a cross or protective sigil facing outward.  

Speak out loud: “I mean you no harm, I only wish to observe” (witnesses who said this had peaceful encounters).

How concerned should you be?

The Loveland Frogman never attacks. It watches, it waits, and sometimes it lets you see it. Thousands have looked for Bigfoot and Mothman and gone home empty-handed.

In Loveland, Ohio, people go home with photos, video, and stories they can’t explain.

Will you be next?

Safe travels, keep your camera ready, and whatever you do… don’t turn off your high beams.