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An example of the 'ghillie' suit clothing worn by the man. NBC Montana report on YouTube

Big Foot hoax attempt ends with man's death

Authorities in Montana say that the man was wearing camouflage clothing and standing on a highway when he was struck by two vehicles.

A MAN DRESSED in a military-style “ghillie” suit and apparently trying to provoke reports of a Bigfoot sighting in northwest Montana was struck by two cars and killed, US authorities said.

The man was standing in the right-hand lane of US Highway 93 south of Kalispell on Sunday night when he was hit by the first car, according to the Montana Highway Patrol. A second car hit the man as he lay in the roadway, authorities said.

Flathead County officials identified the man as Randy Lee Tenley, 44, of Kalispell. Trooper Jim Schneider said motives were ascertained during interviews with friends, and alcohol may have been a factor but investigators were awaiting tests.

“He was trying to make people think he was Sasquatch so people would call in a Sasquatch sighting,” Schneider told the Daily Inter Lake on Monday. “You can’t make it up. I haven’t seen or heard of anything like this before. Obviously, his suit made it difficult for people to see him.”

Ghillie suits are a type of full-body clothing made to resemble heavy foliage and used to camouflage military snipers.

“He probably would not have been very easy to see at all,” Schneider told KECI-TV.

Tenley was struck by vehicles driven by two girls, ages 15 and 17, who were unable to stop in time, authorities said.

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45 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Eoin Creaner
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    Aug 28th 2012, 2:16 PM

    Darwin award goes to…

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    Mute Brendan Tinnelly
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    Aug 28th 2012, 2:33 PM

    Age 15: Legally allowed to drive a car on a motorway
    Age 17: Legally allowed to join the army
    Age 18: Legally allowed to smoke, vote
    Age 21: Legally allowed to have a pint of beer

    What a country!

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    Mute Bilbo Baggins
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    Aug 28th 2012, 2:54 PM

    and in some states legally allowed marry at 14.

    121
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    Mute Mark O'Malley
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    Aug 28th 2012, 5:41 PM

    Own a firearm?

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    Mute censored
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    Aug 28th 2012, 7:28 PM

    You need a car to get around in most parts of America.

    Combine the necessity of car driving with teen drinking and what do you get?

    21
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    Mute Jane Ward
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    Aug 28th 2012, 2:16 PM

    Oh my God! I feel terrible for the girls that hit him, they’ll be traumatised for life.

    205
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    Mute Nigel killeen
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    Aug 28th 2012, 2:21 PM

    Why didn’t he wear a big foot costume instead of dressing up as a bush

    191
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    Mute Vinny Healy
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    Aug 28th 2012, 3:10 PM

    Ah classic

    49
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    Mute Faceless Man
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    Aug 28th 2012, 8:16 PM

    Wandering around a road wearing a suit that’s designed to make you extremely difficult to see was never going to end well

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    Mute Rory Byrne
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    Aug 28th 2012, 4:40 PM

    Sa-squashed?

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    Mute Raukan
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    Aug 28th 2012, 5:40 PM

    Rory, you owe me a new computer screen. I laughed so much at your comment I blew tea out my nose all over it! (You made comment of the decade there!)

    41
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    Mute Robert Dutton
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    Aug 28th 2012, 2:22 PM

    The BIG fool, why would you want to do that ?????? Also questions want to be asked as to why a 15 year old was driving along the highway

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    Mute Lamb
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    Aug 28th 2012, 5:10 PM

    ??? They were legally entitled to drive

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    Mute Mackie Sanz
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    Aug 29th 2012, 8:28 AM

    In america its legal

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    Mute Richard Mason
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    Aug 29th 2012, 11:05 AM

    ……borin….

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    Mute Jake Behan
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    Aug 28th 2012, 2:20 PM

    Idiotic thing to do

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    Mute Barro
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    Aug 28th 2012, 2:43 PM

    Run over by two cars in, wait for it, Flathead County. This stuff writes itself.

    122
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    Mute Tim O'Hanrahan
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    Aug 28th 2012, 10:10 PM

    If Gillette made automobiles, he would have been run over by 7 cars!

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Aug 28th 2012, 3:15 PM

    Remember 1, look for a safe place 2 don’t hurry stop and wait 3 look all around and listen before you cross the road 4 let all the traffic pass you 5 while walking straight across you don’t in any circumstances dress up in a shitty Bigfoot costume..

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    Mute Brian Mulligan
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    Aug 28th 2012, 11:05 PM

    I may have actually sang the tune to that whilst reading…

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    Mute Claire Molloy
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    Aug 28th 2012, 11:10 PM

    Haaa me to Brian, u forgot “remember” tho :-)

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    Mute Tom Gallagher
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    Aug 28th 2012, 2:36 PM

    Obviously pretty good camouflage so

    106
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    Mute John Murphy
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    Aug 28th 2012, 2:54 PM

    Oh America, you don’t seem to realise the Darwin Awards are not an actual competition….

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    Mute Brendan Harlowe
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    Aug 28th 2012, 2:36 PM

    Thank god it wasn’t the real big foot! What would inspire you to do it on a motorway!

    48
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    Mute censored
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    Aug 28th 2012, 7:29 PM

    A Highway is not a motorway. This was most likely one lane in each direction, no dividing barrier.

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    Mute Brendan Harlowe
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    Aug 28th 2012, 7:56 PM

    Oh that actually seems much more sensible then…… /:

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    Mute censored
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    Aug 29th 2012, 6:40 AM

    Yeh, so long as you stay away from the freeways you should be alright…

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    Mute Richard Mason
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    Aug 29th 2012, 11:07 AM

    …..they would a buried im at sea….like OBL

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    Mute michael murphy
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    Aug 28th 2012, 8:06 PM

    anybody got a little sympathy for the guy?ok,it was obviously a prank that went horribly wrong,but he paid for it with his life! poor guy,but yes,absolutely a daft thing to do.

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    Mute Ciara McDaid
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    Aug 28th 2012, 8:38 PM

    Hmmm… perhaps not a good reflection of humankind but I really enjoyed this article….and comments…

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    Mute John Sheahan
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    Aug 28th 2012, 9:32 PM

    Nighttime, busy highway, yeti wears camouflage? Idiot.

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    Mute Brendan Peters
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    Aug 28th 2012, 9:49 PM

    I heard that on the same stretch of highway last week a Bigfoot got knocked down dressed up as a man……strange it didn’t get that much coverage …….that’s news for ya

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    Mute McNamees On TheGreen
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    Aug 29th 2012, 2:30 AM

    Let he amongst you who ” in your college days never dressed up as a yeti and danced like Michael Flatley on the Red Cow roundabout” cast the first stone. RIP bro. It was a prank that went horribly wrong !

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    Mute Brian Bass
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    Aug 28th 2012, 4:11 PM

    Plonker

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    Mute Ned stark
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    Aug 28th 2012, 5:30 PM

    I did hear that motorways are very squatchy alright. The guys will have to send BoBo down to investigate.

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    Mute Paul carew
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    Aug 28th 2012, 4:11 PM

    Flathead county by name flathead by stupidity

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    Mute louise
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    Aug 28th 2012, 3:26 PM

    Gonsh@te

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    Mute Derek Mc Greevy
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    Aug 29th 2012, 2:13 AM

    in cork hed be known as a langer

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    Mute dave lanigan
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    Aug 28th 2012, 7:19 PM

    Main roads are not to be played on.

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    Mute David Kelly
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    Aug 29th 2012, 10:25 AM

    A man is killed and everyone of you are cracking jokes! Shame on you all!!

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    Mute Richard Mason
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    Aug 29th 2012, 11:11 AM

    …..rodger on that…..

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    Mute John Sheahan
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    Aug 29th 2012, 1:47 PM

    S’got to be a bigfoot pun in there somewhere.

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    Mute Tony Stanley
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    Aug 28th 2012, 6:08 PM

    Big D’oh!

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    Mute Barry Ryan
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    Aug 28th 2012, 6:50 PM

    idiot. unlucky!

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    Mute Mark O'Malley
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    Aug 28th 2012, 5:44 PM
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