Mystery of ghost lights on Florida’s most haunted road

People have been seeing things on this road for decades. Driving at night can be scary enough – the last thing you need is strange lights appearing out of nowhere. If you drive along Snow Hill Road in Seminole County, Florida, be prepared to see these lights. It might seem normal, but people have seen mysterious lights in this area for decades. Local historian Jason Byrne told ClickOrlando that the earliest reports of the 'Oviedo Lights' go back to the 1960s. People have seen the lights around midnight, heading south towards the bridge over the Econlockhatchee River. People see more of the lights in winter, but they always disappear. Byrne described the sight. From a distance, it looks like an oncoming car, but as it gets closer, the light is as bright as a freight train and never separates into two lights. "It turns blue as it wobbles and then disappears across the bridge without making a sound." For years, people living nearby have been intrigued by the lights. Many have spread rumors about them and visited the area to see them. You see the lights more in winter. Byrne continued: "You drive out at night and look for these legendary lights." Many people remember going out there with a date or friends to look for these ghost lights. Many of the spooky stories about the lights are not valid. These include a Cub Scout who lost his troop while walking with a lantern, a teenager killed by a car while running across the road, and a woman who found her boyfriend 'clawed to death' after he left her in the car when they ran out of gas. The only story Byrne can verify is about a 17-year-old named Norbert Hyman, who went to the bridge in 1963 to set off fireworks with friends. After the fireworks, one friend ran to get the car, and the others walked back to the main road. The driver didn't turn on the car lights and hit Hyman, killing him. "You can believe it's the root of the ghost story or the story that started all these other stories. It's up to you," Byrne said. But there might be a natural explanation for the lights: swamp gas. In the marshy areas near the Econlockhatchee bridge, dead plants could have broken down into highly combustible methane, which could ignite and cause flickering blue flames in the air. But if it's swamp gas or ghosts? Ghosts are more interesting.