20 Unexplained Things Caught on Live TV

20 Unexplained Things Caught on Live TV

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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re taking a look at 20 times live TV made for some seriously creepy mysteries.

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TV Presenters Spooked by Poltergeist

In October 2016, popular Mexican clairvoyant Mhoni Vidente appeared on the TV programme “Sale el Sol” to discuss the weather. But her presence seemed to stir something unsettling in the room. Just as Vidente began talking about the existence of angels, a piece of the set mysteriously broke away and crashed to the floor right behind her. This left another set piece spinning in place, a sight that sent chills through one of the startled presenters on the panel. After this clip went viral, Vidente took to social media to state that she had felt the presence of a “powerful spirit” in the room, which some believe may have been behind the eerie disturbance.

Twin Sisters Run into Oncoming Traffic

In May 2008, passersby on the M6 motorway in England called highway police after spotting twin sisters, Ursula and Sabrina Eriksson, recklessly darting into traffic. A documentary crew for the BBC series “Motorway Cops” happened to be with the police and their cameras captured the bizarre events that followed. While talking with the officers, the sisters suddenly broke free, running into oncoming traffic and sustaining severe injuries. Even after regaining consciousness, Sabrina attacked an officer and attempted to run back onto the highway before being restrained. Just days later, Sabrina ended the life of an innocent man who offered her a place to stay out of pity. It is believed that both sisters suffered from a form of shared psychosis.

The UFO Summoner

Is seeing really believing? In 2005, Ramon Watkins, a man from Las Vegas who called himself Yahweh, claimed to have learned from the Old Testament how to summon UFOs. In a news report meant to expose him as a fraud, an ABC news reporter was left baffled when Watkins proceeded to seemingly manifest mysterious orbs of light floating in the sky. The orange lights danced around above their heads momentarily before disappearing. Many who saw this demonstration hailed it as evidence of the almighty. They pointed out that it was the news team who picked the location, day and time to conduct the interview, leaving practically no room for Watkins to have feasibly staged the summoning. Divine power or complex misdirection? You decide.

Strange Individual at Congressional Hearing

In February 2023, Iowa senator Chuck Grassley testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee about alleged abuses of federal authority. But for most viewers at home, Grassley’s words were eclipsed by the eerie presence of a man sitting right behind him. Throughout the 15-minute statement, this bespectacled figure stared right at the camera with an unsettlingly blank expression. He hardly moved and, even more unnervingly, barely blinked, only occasionally closing one eye in a slow, deliberate manner. Many have speculated that he might be Grassley’s aide, but even that has not been confirmed. This strange individual’s chilling stare was enough to give anyone the creeps.

Japanese Tsunami Ghosts

In March 2011, Japan was gripped by one of the most horrific natural disasters in human history. A powerful earthquake rocked the seafloor, triggering a tsunami that claimed nearly 20,000 lives and inflicted over $300 billion in damages. Amid the devastation, news cameras captured some strange images in the water. White, ghostly figures appeared to leap from the waves, landing on nearby buildings or simply vanishing into thin air. These spectral sightings didn’t end there. In the years following the disaster, many survivors reported seeing the restless spirits of the victims roaming the streets and, in some cases, hailing down cabs. Could these be actual ghosts or mere manifestations of grief? The answer remains unknown.

Pope Francis Vanishes

You’ve heard of religious miracles like turning water into wine or parting the Red Sea, but have you ever imagined the Pope vanishing into thin air? One social media user claimed to witness just that during a live broadcast from the Vatican City. In the eerie footage, Pope Francis is seen addressing the crowd from his balcony. But as he turns to retreat inside, he simply disappears into nothingness. It’s a spooky sight that left the individual who posted the video understandably alarmed. The clip ignited a flurry of conspiracy theories: Is the Pope a hologram? Was he being shielded from some unseen danger? Maybe. But the true explanation may be as simple as an editing glitch.

Mysteriously Moving Glass of Water

The “Primera Edición” breakfast show in Honduras had their own fair share of a spooky occurrence during a live taping in 2015. While presenting the morning news, host Carlos Molina notices his glass of water move on its own. He is taken aback, naturally, and calls the attention of his co-host Pablo Zapata to it. Molina described feeling a chilling sensation just seconds before observing the self-sliding glass, attributing it to a paranormal experience. Viewers were a bit more skeptical, however, speculating that it was likely a prank on the hosts by their co-workers. This notion has since been dismissed by Molina, who countered that when he tried to move the glass afterwards, it remained stuck to the table.

UFO Flashes Intense Bright Light

In February 2020, a crowd of over 200 people gathered for a UFO sighting at Yaya beach in Peru, which has been described as a hotspot for the strange objects. The event was covered by Capital TV and broadcast live to thousands of viewers. At one point, some people in the audience noticed an unexplained light hovering above the sea. They pointed their laser pens at the mysterious object, only to be hit by an intense bright light in response. As the program was filmed late in the night, it’s not quite clear what the light source could be. A boat? A drone? A UFO? We’ll leave that for you to decide.

Spanish Reporter With Reptilian Eyes

This unsettling footage was captured by a viewer who was watching the Spanish news channel TVE Internacional. Towards the end of the piece, the reporter blinks repeatedly and, for a brief moment, a second set of eyeballs appear over his closed eyelids. According to the viewer, this was possible proof of the reporter being an anthropomorphic reptile camouflaging among humans. The actual explanation, however, may be a lot less fantastic. Some internet users speculated that the reporter may have been wearing contact lenses, which made him blink often. That, combined with a camera compression glitch likely resulted in the reptilian effect. Either way, the appearance is sure to give anyone watching the creeps.

Paranormal Newspapers

These days, it seems poltergeists and breakfast shows go hand in hand. Yet another alleged poltergeist disturbance occurred on the “Morning Club” show at Club FM in Tirana, Albania. At first, everything seems normal, until it suddenly isn’t. The host, Blendi Salaj, appears to be interviewing a guest on the program when a newspaper on the table in front of them abruptly flies off camera. What makes this particularly disturbing is that the two are the only ones sitting in the booth and there aren’t any open doors or windows in sight. So what exactly could have thrown the newspapers in the air? Understandably, Salaj and his guest are dumbfounded. And frankly, so are we.

UFO Descends on London Football Match

In February 2019, the 8th edition of the FA Women's League Cup was underway. The second semifinals match saw Arsenal go up against Manchester United, with the former winning by two goals to one. But it seems humans weren’t the only ones interested in the league. During the aforementioned match, one eagle-eyed fan spotted a mysterious object hovering above the stadium. Upon closer inspection, the viewer noticed a strange red object emitting the light. Like many other such sightings, it’s hard to tell if this was some form of spacecraft or just a drone. If it was indeed a bunch of aliens watching, we can only hope they at least enjoyed the game.

The Ghostly Groundsmen

In September 2016, football fans who tuned in to Sky Sports for Sunderland’s match against Everton were in for a spooky surprise. While the pundits discussed the game afterwards, observant viewers picked up an enigmatic figure on a screen in the background, which then mysteriously vanished. The individual appeared to be a groundsman tidying up the stadium after the game. Moments later, a similar phenomenon occurred with another figure. Fans who spotted the ghostly groundsmen took to social media to voice out their perplexity. This could have been two phantoms caught on camera, or just stock footage of the stadium being played on a loop. If only we knew which.

Mystery Voice Interrupts Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral

The 2022 state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II was one of the most watched TV broadcasts in British history, with over 26 million residents tuning in to catch the event. Those who watched the funeral on ITV may have picked up a mysterious voice as the Queen’s hearse made its way to West London. For a few seconds, a female voice can be heard whispering about death and being trapped. Soon after, social media erupted with speculation about where the sound could’ve come from. One notable theory surmised that it was possibly the voice of the late Princess Diana. However, according to certain sources, it was simply that of a guest being picked up by the presenter’s microphone.

The Haunted Dolly

Here’s one that’ll rock the boat: On ITV’s “This Morning”, a couple were being interviewed about alleged strange activity surrounding a china doll they’d gotten from a thrift store. This included scratches on the husband and sporadic fire alarm bursts. Whilst the hosts were rightly skeptical, viewers were more convinced; they observed the doll start to rock in its chair during the interview, seemingly of its own volition. The doll was on the show again just a few weeks later, but this time with a new owner. It’s no surprise the toy changed hands so quickly; we’ve all seen enough movies to know that keeping possessed dolls around is a BIG no-no.

Prayer Phone-In Possession

Chaphupuang’s live antics may have been uneasy to the eyes, but this next example of on-air possession proved to be an assault on the ears: This religious live show encourages viewers to call in and receive advice and guidance from a holy Sheikh. One such phone call was made by a woman in 2011 claiming to have been overtaken by a demonic entity known colloquially as a Jinn. The woman then supposedly underwent a sudden change in personality while staying on the line, laughing sinisterly as she mocked the Islamic host. The Sheikh proceeded to banish the demon with an impromptu exorcism, and the bizarre episode was done. Whether it was fake or genuine, it was certainly creepy.

The Running Shadow

So we’ve gone through aliens...now how about moving shadows? During the broadcast of a soccer game at the Hernando Siles Stadium in 2014, cameras caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a moving dark figure. Although it was running at full speed, people in the crowd didn’t seem to notice. What made this incident all the more creepy was the fact that the figure can be seen moving through fans and even a barrier. While some theorize that the figure was in fact a soccer player double exposed on camera, to this day the cause of this mysterious apparition remains unknown.

The Vrillon Hoax

Across the pond in 1977, something even more bizarre occurred: the UK’s Southern Television had their evening news interrupted by a six minute audio message of apparent extraterrestrial origin. The unsettling booming voice coming through claimed to represent the “Ashtar Galactic Command”. These “aliens” offered humanity a peaceful alliance if they renounced their corrupt ways and weapons of war, speaking cultishly of new ages and promises of transcendence. The channel apologized for the outlandish signal intrusion, chalking it up to a hoax. It would indeed be strange if aliens broadcast a message to just one channel. Those responsible have never come forward. Dare we look up to the sky and wonder?

The Max Headroom Hijack

In 1987, two television stations in Chicago were hijacked in perhaps the most surreal act of video piracy ever recorded. Both instances featured an unidentified man dressed as obscure TV personality Max Headroom dancing to distorted audio. The second video, significantly longer, saw the man rambling incoherently in a distorted voice and being swatted on the behind by an offscreen accomplice. Responses to the rubber-grinned menace ranged from bemused to horrified, and the perpetrators of this seemingly random act were never identified. The segments lasted no more than a couple of minutes, but have gone down as among the most notorious incidents in television history. That face isn’t an easy one to forget!

The Australian “Mayday” Incident

While not technically a live event, these issues with broadcasting happened in real time. During the airing of an episode of the documentary series “Mayday”, the audio from a previous news broadcast somehow replaced some of the original show’s audio. This eerie new soundtrack was a looping sound byte of a Halliburton truck driver reacting to his convoy being ambushed in Iraq. For six freaky minutes, everyone at home watching was subjected to the driver repeating “Jesus Christ, help us all, Lord” over and over. The fact that this was coinciding with footage relating to a passenger train crash made a deeply unsettling end result. The creepiest part is nobody knows exactly how it happened. Mayday indeed!

Gary Stollman

The lengths people will go to make themselves heard! In the middle of a 1987 broadcast Gary Stollman walked onto the KNBC set behind TV reporter David Horowitz and pointed a gun at his back, ordering him to read a statement concerning paranoid theories that the CIA cloned Stollman’s father. The blindsided presenters were clearly horrified but Horowitz was able to keep his cool throughout. The statement ended with the admission that the firearm was a bb-firing replica before Stollman calmly placed the toy on the desk, apparently having never intended to harm anyone. The incident resulted in Horowitz spearheading a campaign to ban realistic toy firearms.

What’s the creepiest thing you’ve ever seen while watching TV? Let us know in the comments.