Katia at Pardon Me For Asking has a captivating post this morning about an ad she spotted in Carroll Gardens for "the brooklyn ghost investigators". According to the sometimes misspelled ad, which was taped to a traffic light on Smith Street, the investigators can determine whether you have a ghost, and if you do, take steps to remove the phantasm with techniques like "house blessing" and "american indian smudgeing (sic)".
Needless to say, The Optimist was too intrigued by Pardon Me's discovery to resist learning more about the Ghostbuster of Carroll Gardens, so I immediately called the number listed on the ad. After a bit of confusion on the other end of the line, I finally got a hold of Sal Ciccone, the founder and sole member of the Brooklyn Ghost Investigation Team.
Ciccone, 27, explained that he only just recently opened his business and has yet to have any clients respond to the ads he posted around Carroll Gardens. He was inspired to start his investigative service after a personal experience he had with the paranormal in his East New York home. Ciccone claims that one night he awoke at 3 a.m. to see a "figure going to the window." The phantom, a "tall, blurry" man, then turned to approach him, but "right when it was before my face it disappeared."
The visitation, which Ciccone decribed as "a little frightening", possessed him to believe that there must be other Brooklynites grappling with the supernatural. After reading a number of books on the paranormal, Ciccone was convinced he had the skills to help those in need of specter removal. Though he admits to not possessing any psychic or otherworldly powers that might assist him in his newly chosen profession, Ciccone isn't too worried about his safety because he considers ghosts "not really dangerous", though it "depends upon what type of spirit it is."
Ciccone's principal concern is that people who see his ads not misconstrue the Brooklyn Ghost Investigators as a "joke". He charges $20 per consultation and, like his fictitious counterparts from the movie Ghostbusters, is ready to spring into action as soon as you call.
Ciccone, who is otherwise unemployed, hopes that in time his business will grow to the point that he can open an office and create "a ghost hunting team". He is already seeking volunteers to work alongside him, particularly aspiring exorcists with a digital camera, EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) recorder, or a car.
Those of you with no background in ghostbusting need not despair. Ciccone's recruitment ad for his team insists "no experience necessary." To hire the Brooklyn Ghost Investigators or become one of them yourself, call Sal's cell at (267) 804-5683 or email him at salvatoccc@aol.com.
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5 comments:
awesome
This is crazy. $20.00?!? Most paranormal teams do not charge for investigations and feel it is unethical to do so. Do not pay these people to get spirits out of your home when a reputable team will investigate your home or business and help you anyway they can for free. It is also not wise to use Ouija boards to try to contact spirits and them doing so just adds to the point that they do not know what they are doing. To these people...stop watching TV get off the couch and get a real job! Stop trying to scam people out of money.
It's completely unethical to charge for "ghost hunting." First of all, the client has no choice but to believe the ghost hunter when they say they "feel" something there. This guy obviously isn't going to go into the home of a family with an over-active imagination and screw himself out of $20.00 by honestly saying he found nothing there. People will be extorted out of their money - and worse - those with psychological problems will probably use their service time and time again, because he has them believing they have a ghost, so they will not go for treatment for their mental problems.
By charging money, this guy is making people feel as though he knows what he's doing. Real professionals in this field do not charge a dime because they acknowledge that NO ONE can say unequivocally if someone is or isn't haunted, or if ghosts even exist!
As far as what experience this guy claims to have had - I have a question. Did HE seek therapy to make sure he's not in need of psychiatric aid?
DO NOT pay anyone for a paranormal investigation.
A word for Sal - there is a name for people like you. LAZY. Go get a real job. Stop hanging around with kids. And for God's sakes, leave paranormal investigation to those who do it to try and help.
MORON.
Wow... what can I say but "wow". Living proof that nothing is free in New York.
I think we all knew this would happen sooner or later. With so many paranormal shows floating around the airwaves, everyone wants to give it a try. Just a few hours of "Most Haunted" and BAM, you can be a paranormal investigator too!
Unemployed or not, this isn't the right approach (speaking as someone laid off). Reading a few books, watching television, and having an experience doesn't automatically make you an investigator. it certainly doesn't qualify charging either. At the very least, he should be less worried about being paid and more worried that he hasn't grasped the fact that his computer has spell check.
Oh, and what gives me the right to have an opinion on the matter? I've been a paranormal investigator for 13 years. And, poor or not, I've never charged a dime.
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