Hunting the haunted
for West Mayfair man

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

After winning a contest on the Sci-Fi Channel, West Mayfair’s Mark Fusetti eagerly awaited his prize.
Fusetti appeared last year on a live Halloween broadcast of the cable television network’s Ghost Hunters show. He defeated two opponents in an episode titled Hunt for the Hunter.
His reward was a guest stint as an investigator on an upcoming Ghost Hunters show.
In February, he was told he would be investigating a supposed haunted hotel in New Hampshire, but that never materialized.
In April, he was told to report to Fort Delaware State Park, a 35-minute drive from his home. He was hoping for a more exotic locale.
"I joked, ‘Are there no ghosts in Hawaii?’" he said.
Still, Fusetti was excited for the opportunity, even if he had never heard of Fort Delaware. He was part of an eight-person team that investigated the goings-on at the facility, a former Confederate prison during the Civil War. The crew spent more than 16 hours over two nights looking for ghosts.
Legend goes that 2,500 people died in the prison, situated on Pea Patch Island, in the middle of the Delaware River. The prison held 33,000 Confederate soldiers.
On the first night, Fusetti was a little wary of the cameras following his every move. By the second night, he was solely focused on the investigation.
"I was a little nervous, but they accepted me as part of the team," he said of his fellow investigators. "They really made it comfortable for me."
The stars of the show are Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, a pair of Roto-Rooter plumbers from Rhode Island. They are co-founders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS).
Ghost hunting is a hobby, too, for Fusetti, a 32-year-old married father of five who works as a city warrant officer.
Last week, he watched as Sci-Fi (Comcast Channel 58) broadcast his episode in its regular time slot, Wednesdays at 9 p.m.
While Hawes and Wilson hold the glamour roles on the show, Fusetti was happy that he was shown in some important scenes.
"I got more time than I thought I would," he said.
Fusetti, who lives on St. Vincent Street, enjoyed the investigation more than his initial appearance on the show. In his debut last fall, he looked for ghosts at the long-closed Waverly Hills Sanatorium, a former tuberculosis hospital in Louisville, Ky., where more than 63,000 people are said to have died in the early 1900s.
The experience was good, but the follow-up investigation was much more in-depth. It included setting up and taking down the audio and visual equipment, and all the legwork in between. He described the hunt as serious but fun.
"I got to do a lot more, being part of the investigation from start to finish," he said. "It was pretty cool being part of that episode."
Before team members began the investigation, they met with Fort Delaware historian Lee Jennings. They were told of all the apparitions, such as a woman lifting a lid and stirring a pot of soup and a woman cleaning an invisible mantel. Neither of those two claims could be verified.
Fusetti heard what he thought was a knock, but it turned out to be wind hitting a window. Following up on tips by visitors to Fort Delaware, he and fellow investigator Joe Chin took 300 or so pictures to see if they could see Civil War soldiers in the shots, but they could not.
However, there were some unexplained happenings. For instance, investigators heard voices say the word "kitchen" and the phrase, "Show some respect around here." They also heard a bang that sounded like a cannon firing.
The highlights of the show were voices and the appearance of a figure in a tunnel.
On a TAPS chat room, some people were skeptical of the vision, suggesting it was a member of the crew. Fusetti, though, chimed in that the environment was controlled and everybody on the set was accounted for.
"There’s no way anyone could have pulled a fast one," he said.
After two nights of investigating, Fusetti returned home while the regular crew analyzed the findings.
In the end, Hawes and Wilson informed Jennings that they believe Fort Delaware is haunted.
Fusetti agreed with that assessment after his experience and tuning in last week with the rest of the fans of Ghost Hunters.
"After watching it, I think it’s amazing what they caught," he said. "I’d say ninety-nine percent, it’s haunted."
In the future, Fusetti said he might take his two sons on a tour of Fort Delaware. He’d like to investigate other supposed haunted places, but it’s hard for him to find time since he has children and works on weekends.
"I definitely want to stay involved," he said.
At the end of the show, Hawes and Wilson told Fusetti how much they enjoyed his participation and contributions.
"They said they were glad to have me, that I blended right in and they would like to have me back," he said. "I told them I’m available." ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com