Local warrant officer
turns ‘Ghost Hunter’

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Mark Fusetti and his oldest son were watching the Sci-Fi Channel’s Ghost Hunters over the summer when they saw that the show was looking for contestants.
The cable television network wanted three individuals to appear in a special Halloween episode that would help choose the show’s newest "ghost hunter."
Fusetti, a married father of five who lives on St. Vincent Street in West Mayfair, decided to enter, but he held out little hope of being selected.
"You don’t win those things," he said. "It doesn’t happen to people like us."
The application process required entrants to submit a video explaining their qualifications.
As Fusetti sat in his living room, 14-year-old Andrew filmed his dad discussing his job as a city warrant officer. Fusetti, who formerly worked in the enrollment department of Independence Blue Cross and as an aide to ex-City Councilman Rick Mariano, said his two years as a warrant officer prepared him well to seek out ghosts.
The show was also interested in any personal experiences with ghosts. Fusetti recalled an incident about a decade ago when he lived on Granite Street in Frankford. He heard a noise on the basement steps and feared there might be an intruder in the house.
"I was sitting in the living room and jumped up and stood at the door," he recalled. "The door opened and slammed shut. I went into the basement, but there was nothing there. I didn’t see anybody."
Fusetti, 32, submitted the video, then checked occasionally on the Sci-Fi Web site. One day, he noticed that he was among 25 candidates for three spots on the "Hunt for the Hunter" show. The winners would be chosen by an Internet vote, and he encouraged family, friends and co-workers to support him.
In the end, Fusetti was chosen along with Patrick Clark, a radio personality in Seattle, and Deanna Hoffman, a scrapbook saleswoman from Indiana.
A Ghost Hunters crew came out to film Fusetti for a day at home and at work.
Then, he took an airplane flight to Louisville, Ky. That was his first time on a plane, having a lifelong fear of flying.
On Oct. 31, he and his two opponents reported to the long-closed Waverly Hills Sanatorium, a former tuberculosis hospital where more than 63,000 people supposedly died in the early 1900s. The place is said to be haunted.
Waverly Hills closed in 1961 and reopened as a geriatric hospital, closing for good in 1981 after allegations of patient abuse.
There are various ghost stories associated with the property. They include nurse Mary Hillenburg, who hanged herself in 1928 after getting pregnant out of wedlock, a no-no back then. Another story centers on a homeless man who falls down an elevator shaft as he walked his dog.
As he walked through the facility, Fusetti called out to the man, asking his name and the name of his dog. He didn’t get a response, but he heard suspicious footsteps that sounded like a dog running.
"We looked room to room but didn’t see any animals," he said.
Show producers also placed balls on the floor, hoping child ghosts came out to play with them, but all was quiet. There weren’t any suspicious shadows, either, as have been reported.
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, founders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), host the show every Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Sci-Fi (Channel 58 on Comcast).
The Halloween special aired from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. and was hosted by Josh Gates, of Sci-Fi’s Destination Truth. Viewers were invited to send text messages to give their opinion on which contestant did the best job.
TAPS members Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango led the tours, which included 40 minutes of taping. Fusetti’s segment did not come on the air until about 1 a.m. and lasted for about 10 minutes. His wife and sons Andrew and Tyler watched.
"Mark’s a pretty quiet guy. I was shocked he did it, but he did good," Melissa Fusetti said.
The winner was determined on the night of the taping but was not scheduled to be revealed to the public until the Nov. 7 episode, which aired after the Times went to press. Fusetti was prohibited from saying who was selected as the next ghost hunter, but he did say that he enjoyed the experience.
"I had a great time," he said. "It went well. It was fun and pretty cool to be on TV, but that was not why I did it."
Fusetti, who investigated stories at the former Philadelphia State Hospital (Byberry) and Eastern State Penitentiary before his trip, said he wanted to be on the show because of his interest in ghosts.
"I feel confident I have the investigating skills," he said. "It was cool to be on a live show, but after being on, now it makes me want to go on another hunt or investigation with a couple buddies or a local group." ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com