Maine Police Hunt 'Bigfoot' — Find a Man in a 'Very Convincing Costume'

Timeline: the sightings and the police resolution both happened in early September 2026 in Damariscotta, Maine; the coverage summarized here is dated Sept. 2–7, 2026. This is a summary of that reporting and the police department's own statements.

Most Bigfoot cases die in the blur. This one died on Main Street — after the cops walked up and started a conversation.

In early September 2026, the Damariscotta Police Department in mid-coast Maine said it took an "unusually high number" of calls about a Sasquatch, Yeti, Bigfoot, or possibly just a very large and hairy individual roaming the small coastal town. Local coverage puts the spike at about half a dozen calls in a day, including a figure spotted during morning school drop-off on the first day of school and along Main Street.

Then the plot twist nobody in the cryptid comments section wants: an officer located the "creature," talked to it, and determined it was a man in a "very convincing costume." No charges. No crime. No previously unknown species. Just Maine doing Maine.

What police say happened

According to reporting from Boston.com (Sept. 2, 2026) and NBC Boston, Police Chief Erik Josephson posted a Facebook update after what he dryly called a "lengthy, exhaustive, and completely serious investigation."

The department's punchline: "Bigfoot is not real."

Josephson's post — as quoted in local coverage — also admitted what every squatcher already suspected about small-town PD humor: some officers were "secretly hoping" they had stumbled onto national news. Instead, Officer William Smith found the man on Main Street and, rather than cuffing him "for being suspiciously hairy," struck up a chat. Per the Boston Globe, the man was a Maine resident familiar to some locals from a past TV appearance.

Outcome, per police: no criminal activity, nothing nefarious, and "unfortunately, no groundbreaking discovery of a previously unknown species." Just a person in a very convincing costume.

The closing line that will live forever in the screenshots folder: "Case closed. Bigfoot remains at large… provided he puts his costume back on."

The man was not publicly identified. Motives unclear. Costume quality: apparently good enough to light up the dispatch board.

Why this one matters (and why it doesn't close the woods)

Skeptics will treat Damariscotta like a mic drop: "See? Costume." Fair. When cops can walk up to your cryptid and ask about the weather, the case is not a Cascades night-phone mystery.

But the Athenaeum keeps both files open:

• Costume cases prove costumes exist. They do not prove every blurry biped on a remote trail cam is a guy from accounting.
• Call volume is the tell. A Main Street walker that triggers multiple panicked reports is a reminder how fast a community jumps when something looks almost right.
• Police humor is not a scientific survey. "Bigfoot is not real" is a punchy Facebook closer about this incident, not a census of the woods.

If your standard of evidence is "officer interviews the suspect," Maine wins. If your standard is "what's still circling cabins three hours from cell service," this case does not touch that stack.

Bottom line

Damariscotta got the rarest cryptid outcome of all: a resolution. A convincing suit, a patient officer, and a town that lit up the phones anyway. Bigfoot remains at large — costume optional.

Monstrum Athenaeum has not independently verified the department's Facebook post beyond the cited news reports. We will update if the PD releases video, an ID, or a correction.

Sources

• Costume conclusion, Main Street contact, "very convincing costume" — Boston.com summarizing Damariscotta PD Facebook, Sept. 2, 2026, Bigfoot sighting was just a man in a costume
• ~Half a dozen calls; school drop-off; Chief Josephson quotes — NBC Boston, 'Case closed': Police say Bigfoot sightings in Maine were just a man in a costume
• Officer William Smith named; man known from a past TV appearance; no criminal activity — Boston Globe, Man in Bigfoot costume prompts high number of calls in coastal Maine town
• National pickup — Sean Joseph, OutKick via Fox News, Sept. 7, 2026, Police determine that a Maine Bigfoot was actually a man in a 'very convincing costume'

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This article summarizes publicly available claims for news, commentary, and criticism. Descriptions of alleged cryptid activity (and official determinations) are attributed to named third-party sources and have not been independently verified by Monstrum Athenaeum unless explicitly stated. Links are provided for attribution and reader verification. Photos and video remain the property of their respective owners; we link out rather than republish original media files. MonstrumAthenaeum.org is intended for mature audiences and does not claim scientific confirmation of any cryptid's existence.