The Rain Followed Him Back to Jail

Ron Van Why had checked the walls for leaks, but he couldn’t find anything wrong. There were no pipes where the water was appearing, and the people standing around him were watching droplets move in directions that made no sense.

It was February 1983, in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Bob and Jeannie Kieffer had called their landlord because water was appearing inside their living room, and nobody could figure out where it was coming from. The trouble had started shortly after their guest, Don Decker, arrived.

A Funeral and a Strange Feeling

Decker was 21 years old and serving a short jail sentence for receiving stolen property. He had been given temporary leave to attend his grandfather’s funeral and was staying with the Kieffers before returning to jail.

The funeral had brought back some painful memories. Decker later revealed that his grandfather had physically abused him when he was a child, something he had kept hidden from the rest of his family for years.

At the Kieffers’ house, Decker began feeling terribly cold. He slipped into what witnesses described as a trance, staring ahead and barely responding to anyone. Around the same time, Jeannie noticed the strange water.

When Ron Van Why arrived to investigate, he found droplets appearing on walls and the ceiling. Some seemed to rise from the floor, while others moved sideways through the air. He had never encountered anything like it. Eventually, the family called the police.

The Police Saw It Too

Officers Richard Wolbert and John Baujan arrived expecting a fairly ordinary call. Instead, Wolbert later described being struck by water as he entered the house.

He watched a droplet travel horizontally through the air, passing between the officers before continuing into another room. Baujan was equally shaken and said the experience sent a chill down his spine.

The officers left to speak with their police chief, Gary Roberts. Meanwhile, Decker and the Kieffers decided to get something to eat at a restaurant across the street.

Ron and his wife, Romayne, stayed behind at the house. As soon as the others left, the water stopped.

That caught Ron’s attention. He began wondering whether one of the people who had just left was somehow responsible.

The Rain Followed Him Across the Street

Pam Scrofano owned the restaurant and had already visited the Kieffer house to see what was happening. When Decker arrived with the family, she noticed that he still seemed distant and confused.

A few moments later, water began appearing inside her restaurant. Scrofano was frightened. She believed Decker was possessed by something evil and took a crucifix from behind the cash register. When she pressed it against his skin, she said it left a burn.

Decker was becoming frightened of himself. He knew the Kieffers had never experienced anything like this before he arrived, and now the same thing was happening wherever he went.

Back at the house, Romayne confronted him about the disturbances. During the argument, pots and pans reportedly began rattling in the kitchen.

Decker later described being lifted off the floor and suddenly thrown across the room. He said the force felt as though something had pushed against his entire body at once.

He was terrified.

Three Officers Returned the Next Day

Police chief Gary Roberts visited the house with Baujan and Wolbert. According to Baujan, Roberts was also struck by water, but he insisted they were dealing with a plumbing problem.

Roberts ordered the officers to leave and told them not to file a report. Baujan couldn’t accept that explanation after what he had seen.

The following day, three officers returned on their own. One of them, Bill Davies, handed Decker a gold cross and asked him to hold it.

Decker immediately complained that the cross was burning his hands and dropped it. Davies picked it up and later said the metal felt unusually hot.

Lieutenant John Rundle witnessed something even more frightening. According to Rundle, Decker suddenly rose off the floor and flew across the room with tremendous force. When the officers examined him afterward, they found three bloody scratches on his neck.

The family was desperate for help. Eventually, a woman brought in to pray over Decker began reading prayers while he shook and curled into a ball.

As she continued, witnesses said he gradually relaxed and the strange activity stopped. Decker’s temporary leave was ending, so he returned to the Monroe County jail.

Something Was Happening in His Jail Cell

A few days after Decker returned to custody, water reportedly began appearing inside his cell. His cellmate was frightened enough to ask to be moved somewhere else.

Decker now believed he could control what was happening. When a guard challenged him to prove it, Decker said he could make water appear in jail official Dave Keenhold’s office.

Keenhold was sitting alone at his desk that evening, working on a report. He later recalled noticing that the front of his shirt suddenly felt heavy.

When another officer entered, they discovered a large wet patch across Keenhold’s chest. Keenhold couldn’t explain how it had appeared, and the experience frightened him.

Some guards also described seeing water travel along the cell walls and through the air. Decker’s strange experiences had now reached the people responsible for keeping him locked up.

Keenhold decided to bring in Reverend William Blackburn.

The Reverend Came to See for Himself

Blackburn met with Decker and listened as the young man described everything that had happened. Decker told him about the rain, the crosses and his fear that something terrible had taken hold of him.

During their conversation, Blackburn noticed a sudden change in Decker’s expression. An awful smell filled the room, reminding the reverend of the odor he had encountered around people who were dying.

Decker raised his hand and rubbed his fingers together. Blackburn said a fine mist immediately began appearing around them.

The reverend was frightened. He opened his Bible and began reading aloud, praying as the mist continued to form inside the room.

After a short time, the water stopped. Decker began crying, thanked Blackburn and embraced him. The frightening behavior had disappeared, and the young man seemed calm again.

Decker later said the strange experiences never returned. He believed his grandfather had somehow continued tormenting him after death, while Blackburn was convinced he had encountered an evil presence.

Blackburn later admitted he had been praying for himself as much as for Decker.

And through the entire encounter, he said the pages of his open Bible never got wet.