'BLANKETMAN' ON THE MOVE CAPTIVATES UPSTATE NEW YORK
SOME CALL THE WANDERING MAN A NEW NOMADIC ICON LIKE LEGENDARY ‘LEATHERMAN’
“Blanketman” on the move near Burke, New York on Aug. 10, 2025. Photo credit: JB Nicholas.
MALONE, NEW YORK Aug. 11, 2025
First there was the legendary "Leatherman," who wandered rural New York and Connecticut two centuries ago. Now comes "Blanketman."
Leatherman gained his fame from the leather suit he wore as he hiked a 360-mile circuit between the Hudson and Connecticut rivers north of New York City every 30 days, starting in the mid-1800s.
"Farmers claimed they could set their watches by him; newspapers took note when he fell just a few hours behind his typical schedule," Jon Campbell reported for the Village Voice in 2015. "He lived and traveled alone, sleeping in a rotating series of crude lean-tos and caves in and around the surrounding forest.”
Blanketman is so named for the blankets he has been seen wearing slung over his shoulders since he was first spotted last winter, wandering the streets of Plattsburgh—a small city in upstate New York on the west shore of Lake Champlain.
He quickly became a social media sensation, spurring regular posts warning drivers not to hit him as he walked down a particular road at a particular time. For locals, spotting Blanketman became something of a pastime.
Others were curious or concerned about the man, and sought to discover who he is. One claimed his real name is Dominic. Another said he "lived in a storage shed." A citizen journalist said a "source" told him the man had been given a hotel room to sleep in by the county's social service department.
Several said they tried to speak with him, only to discover he would not return the chit-chat or accept gifts like water or food directly. One person said he would accept food and water—but only if you could find wherever he slept at night, and left it there like an offering.
“Blanketman” on the move near Burke, New York on Aug. 10, 2025. Photo credit: JB Nicholas.
Speculation about his life and, in particular, his travels flourished.
Serina Charland said in a Facebook post he had been seen more than 50 miles south of Plattsburgh in the middle of the Adirondack wilderness around North Hudson, New York "back in the winter when it was 20 degrees."
"The police had found him at 3am walking down middle of Northway headed south and made him get in car and dropped him off at the sunoco off 29," Charland added. "He then made his way south toward schroon."
Raymond Saint-Pierre shed some light on Blanketman's social circle, calling him "an acquaintance of the tall thin man without arms who was always walking Rt. 9 and Margaret Street a few years ago, but I no longer see him."
Saint-Pierre added he'd seen Blanketman "as far away as Chazy by the Grey Gables and in Keeseville near the Villa Motel." He "refused rides in the pouring rain and snow from me. Although he has accepted a few cigarettes once about 6 months ago."
After a while, the people of Plattsburgh got used to regularly seeing Blanketman.
In early May, when no one had reported a sighting for some time, Jared Tarbox asked in a Facebook post if anyone had seen him.
"I like seeing him walk around Plattsburgh," Tarbox explained. "it brings a sense of comfort that no matter what changes he is still walking."
Blanketman re-appeared soon after.
“Blanketman” spurs an offer of water from Ray Tucker outside Burke, New York on Aug. 10, 2025. Photo credit: JB Nicholas.
Intense public interest in Blanketman's travels kicked off again on Friday.
That's when Michelle Rossberry reported seeing him about 15 miles south of Plattsburgh near the town of Ausable. Hours later, others reported seeing him headed north on Rand Hill Road near the town of Jericho, about 20 miles north of Ausable.
The next morning, Josephine Jimenez reported seeing him in the town of Altona—about eight miles north of where he'd been seen the night before. From there it appears he continued north about another 10 miles until he hit US Route 11 in Mooers Forks.
Once on US 11, Blanketman turned west, face fisrt into the blazing early-August afternoon sun.
"Blanket man is at Dunkin in Ellenburg!," Rebecca McDonald reported late Saturday. "I don't understand how he is traveling this far."
But on Sunday Blanketman was on the move again, maintaining his march west on US 11.
The Plattsburg Truth reported "he was walking in Chateaugay toward Malone around noon."
Local residents documented sightings of the traveler they call “Blanketman” on social media.
This reporter caught up with him outside of Burke just after 3pm. It was 92 degrees. A torn and tattered shirt exposed his chest. A bag hung from the front of his waist, like an oversized fannypack. His shoes were held together with rags, or they were rags, it was hard to tell—even through a Paparazzi-length telephoto lens.
Ray Tucker, who lives in a house along the road, saw Blanketman coming and offered a bottle of water to the wandering man. He refused to take it.
"I just tried to give him the water," Tucker told The Free Lance when asked if he'd said anything. "He didn't say nothing."
Seeing the man, Tucker added, made him think of the homeless. The notorious urban problem is a growing problem everywhere, including in rural areas like the North Country.
"We should try to help each other out," Tucker said. "People don't do it so much anymore."
Down the road, Blanketman rested in the shade beside a cement plant. He took his namesake blanket off and gulped water from a spigot behind the building. I asked him where he was headed. He ignored me.
I put two bottles of water on the ground near him and let him be.
Send tips or corrections to jasonbnicholas@gmail.com or, if you prefer, thefreelancenews@proton.me