The South Jersey Ghost Research team presents their findings at the Cinnaminson Library
By: STEPHEN FINN
The Sun
As Halloween approaches, our thoughts can turn to the creepier side of life, the paranormal. We start seeing ghosts decorating our neighbors’ lawns, on TV and in the movies. For most people, it’s all just part of the fun of the season, but for members of South Jersey Ghost Research, the supernatural is a year-round obsession.
Last Thursday night, the volunteer-staffed research group took over the meeting room of the Cinnaminson Library for a demonstration of what it does in the area and some of its most beguiling findings.
The group’s mission states, “Our goal is to aid any individuals having problems dealing with or understanding a situation in their home or business. We hope to do this by researching the situation and educating them as to the nature of their haunting as well as giving them the information and understanding to create a livable resolution for the person and the spirit.”
Its members are intrigued by phenomena many might consider scary or alarming.
“We are the people that go towards the creepy sounds,” said Dave Juliano, a longtime member of the group who answered many of the questions asked at the end of the presentation.
Like many of the members, Juliano’s fascination with ghosts began at a young age.
“I grew up in a haunted house so I was seeing stuff when I was 3. I started because I was looking for answers for myself,” said Juliano.
Much of what they do revolves around helping people who are similarly seeking answers to things they can’t explain, or no longer feel safe or comfortable in their own home.
“The whole concept is to help people, make that person not have to sleep with the lights on, help a little kid who’s afraid to sleep in their bedroom,” said Juliano
When the team arrives at an investigation, it has a wide variety of equipment to capture evidence of a haunting. Some tools of the trade for ghost hunters include digital cameras, video, infrared, motion sensors, night vision, audio recorders, electromagnetic field detectors and temperature sensors.
Despite this plethora of gear, the team doesn’t always leave a site with mountains of evidence in tow. Much of the work is a waiting game.
“It’s like fishing,” said Juliano. “Sometimes you’re just not going to catch anything.”
On one particular haunt, Juliano recalls a resident calling the team to his property on three separate occasions, each time they found nothing but the woman was insistent. On their final visit to the the house Juliano found himself alone in one of the bedrooms when a man walked in the room and greeted him with a “yo” before turning around and leaving the space.
He didn’t think much of the meeting but as his team packed up for the night he asked around about who the stranger was. None of his team had seen anyone else in the house. When he described the encounter with the homeowner she began to cry. She showed Juliano family photos and asked if he recognized anyone in the photos as the man he saw. The man Juliano recognized was the woman’s dead brother.
The team seems to be driven in equal parts by its own curiosity and its mission to help people like this woman who may be seeking answers to things they can’t explain on their own.
“Knowing that, some of the activities she was experiencing started making sense because she could tie it to something he would do to get her attention,” said Juliano.
If you’ve been hearing bumps in the night or simply would like more information about South Jersey Ghost Research, you can visit its website at sjgr.org.
