By Moira Walters. Nov. 5, 1983.

Seattle residents are divided as sightings of a reported imposing figure seen around the city continue to increase. Tabloids have coined the name "Seattle's Gasman."

The reports, beginning early last month, have hit an all-time high. Witnesses claim to have seen a man, average in stature, dressed in a gas mask and cloak around strange locations in the city - including at the top of the 220m high Municipal Tower, far above accessible areas. The man is reported to have been seen climbing buildings and even swinging between skyscrapers with hooks and ropes.

The accounts may seem like the stuff of fiction, but indeed, Seattle police held a press conference on Thursday to discuss the sightings and increasing public concerns.

"We don't know who this is," police chief Ragusa told reporters gathered on the front steps of city hall. "Whoever it is, scaring people like this, we're issuing a warning now. Stand down."

The general consensus following the conference was an underwhelmed sigh from media and citizens alike as the SPD declined to comment on many of the claims thrown around regarding the Gasman's activities.

But the conference was not entirely devoid of excitement, as reporters caught the Gasman in photographs seen watching from the roof of the city hall. He offered a wave before witness reported that he simply swung away out of public view.

"One minute he was there waving at us and then he turned his wrist and he, he (sic) shot something out of it and it latched on to one of the buildings behind and he just jumped and swung out of view," a bewildered citizen recounted afterwards. "The whole thing was maybe just 30 seconds."

Those 30 seconds have painted vastly different pictures of the Gasman in the eyes of different Seattle residents -  and the bizarre claims surrounding him that remain unaddressed by the SPD have bolstered the conflicted response from citizens.

An anonymous witness agreed to tell her Gasman story to us. The woman, hereby referred to as Jane Doe, was walking through the Beacon Hill neighborhood when she was accosted by three men who attempted to rob her. She screamed for help, and seconds later, the Gasman swung into action from the rooftops.

"I didn't see him at first but the men were looking up and suddenly they looked scared," she recalled. "That's when I looked up to the building beside me and he was swinging from the roof towards the men. He had this grapple of some kind - he stuck it to another building and he swung from it and jumped between the men and I."

"He was holding something in his hand and I couldn't see what it was. When the men turned to run he shot some kind of rope out of his wrist - it caught one of them in the legs and brought him down. He chased after the other one and caught him in the same way. It all happened so fast. Next thing I knew he was holding my purse out to me."

Jane Doe was emotional as she recounted the tale.

"I was in shock. I was scared of him, but he helped me. He gave me my purse back and told me to be careful. I choked out a thank you and rushed to get back home. On my way back I swear I kept seeing him on the rooftops, watching me. I think he was making sure I got home safe."

Jane Doe's encounter paints the image of a vigilante watcher, protecting the city's vulnerable from ne'er-do-wells. 

The SPD, on the other hand, have a different story to tell.

"He's scaring people. He's damaging public property and causing a ruckus. No 'good' person needs to walk around in gasmasks and carrying restraints," one officer told The Seattle Observer.

"Now we're getting reports he's walking around with gas canisters strapped to his back."

This divide has extended to Seattle's residents, too. In a poll, The Seattle Observer found that over 80% of Seattle residents stated they'd heard of the Gasman. Of them, a surprising 35% claimed to have witnessed or encountered him. 30% stated they felt the Gasman was "untrustworthy" and "a potential danger," while 20% felt he was benevolent. A fair portion of those asked felt the entire situation was a hoax.

With only hearsay and limited information from the SPD to go on, Seattle's Gasman has left residents with many questions - for some, he's brought a sense of safety. For others, he's brought fear.

Worth mentioning is the symbolism of the Gasman's uniform and its link to recent civil unrest throughout America. You'd be hard-pressed to find somebody on the West coast who hasn't heard of San Francisco's infamous gas mask-clad spree killer. Eli Pritchard, 27, was the man behind a string of mass murders throughout downtown San Francisco; his terrifying spree began in 1979, dragging police - and San Francisco residents - through almost 24 months of horror and dread. Charged in over 26 killings so far and expected to be tried for dozens more as the trial continues, Pritchard's signature throughout his crimes was a black gas mask - the final sight of dozens, if not hundreds, of people. Following his arrest, as the death toll rises, so has a counterculture movement many consider 'terroristic in nature;' groups of people protesting the trial, clad in gas masks and cloaks outside of court houses and government buildings  - exactly what the movement stands for varies depending on who's asked, but there seems to be one common thread connecting them all: the belief that Pritchard's spree was a justified push for a change in American culture and politics. Though members of the movement have largely been branded as teenage rebels and contrarians with no real ideology behind them, government officials have stated they are watching closely out of caution, citing "potential copy-cat crimes." 

The true consensus on the mask's infamous legacy amongst Americans varies just as widely as Seattle's residents thoughts on our masked character of our own. SPD have denied any probable link between this 'Gasman' and Pritchard's crimes, though some people say the connection to the unrest associated with the symbol is impossible to ignore. 

The search for information on the Gasman continues. Have you seen the Gasman? Share your sightings, theories, pictures and thoughts with us.

Article by Moira Walters. The Seattle Observer, Nov. 1983.