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'Ghostbusters' group prowls NYC

By Chuck Bennett | amNewYork Staff Writer

October 31, 2006

Like the "Ghostbusters" of the silver screen, no story is too crazy for the nine volunteer ghost hunters who work for Paranormal Investigation of NYC.

"If there is evidence there, I want to be the one to find it," said founder Dominick Villella.

Villella, who's been fascinated by the paranormal since childhood, met a group of like-minded individuals through the Internet three years ago.

Soon after meeting, they went beyond discussing the possibility of the paranormal to actively trying to prove its existence.

Now with a Web site, 24-hour hotline, and thousands of dollars worth of gear, Villella, 38, a stay-at-home Brooklyn dad, and his team of "paranormal investigators" will look into any suspected haunting in the region for no charge at all.

"There are certain people not ready to let go of life and maybe they hold on," Villella said.

This year alone, Paranormal NYC has conducted 19 investigations -- from Broadway's Belasco Theatre to an East Village apartment to a historic prison in Pennsylvania.

So far, the evidence they collected wouldn't convince a skeptic. But they are determined to scientifically document an actual haunting.

When on call, they carry a trunk full of pricey high-tech equipment ranging from digital thermometers (ghosts may cause a drop in temperature), sophisticated microphones (to pick up a ghost's whispers), electromagnetic field meters (to sense the ghost's presence) and video cameras (to capture the elusive ultimate proof).

After each investigation, the group can spend hours staring at footage and listening to audio recordings for any sign of a spirit.

They are most excited about an instance of "electronic voice phenomenon" collected during a visit to Eastern State Penitentiary, a prison turned tourist attraction in Philadelphia.

The team placed tape recorders in several cells and one picked up a whisper that the team believes is saying, "My house, house, my home."

"That was a creepy place," said Dan Sturges, 41, an actor from Manhattan and member of Paranormal NYC.

Ghost hunting -- if not being taken seriously -- is at least crossing over into the mainstream, if the number of television shows about the subject is any indication.

The Sci-Fi channel has a regular show "Ghost Hunters" and the Travel Channel's "Most Haunted" is about European haunted houses.

And on CBS, Jennifer Love Hewitt plays an intermediary between spirits and the living in the "Ghost Whisperer."

Last month, the Sci-Fi channel brought Paranormal NYC to the Belasco Theatre on 44th Street to look for the ghost of man who built the theater, David Belasco, who died in 1931.

Villella said he had an unexplained sighting in the basement.

"I saw a ball of light on the black wall dancing around and then it disappeared. It lasted for maybe about 15 seconds," he recalled.

The majority of the group's calls come from people frustrated by noises they can't explain.

"They usually call us after the plumber and electrician can't find anything wrong," Sturges said.