Who ya gonna call?

These Pennsylvania brothers have been hunting ghosts for two years.

By JON MOFFETT

Vindicator Staff Writer

Everyone has a ghost story,

whether they actually believe it or not.

An amateur ghost hunting duo gets its thrills and chills out of hearing people’s stories and investigating their claims.

Jim and Jared Sparks of Hermitage, Pa., formed Sparks Spirit Hunters about a year ago. The brothers, 43 and 32, respectively, have been investigating paranormal activity for about 21⁄2 years.

“It seems like a lot more people than you’d think are interested in it,” said Jared of his hobby. “It seems a little geeky, but a lot of people are into it.”

The pair formed the group after each had experienced the unexplainable. These happenings were ignored at first, but the Sparks grew more intrigued as the activities continued.

“What we both experienced when we first got into it was that we really didn’t want to talk to each other about it,” Jim said. “I didn’t want to say anything to him, and he didn’t want to say anything to me because we’d think the other one was nuts. I think a lot of people have that feeling: They don’t want to say anything because of the reaction.”

Jim said though many people are cautious about admitting the possibility of the paranormal, many are curious. He said people will approach him and his brother — who don their signature black Sparks Spirit Hunters T-shirts — and ask them questions. He added that much of their recognition is acquired through word of mouth.

Jared said he’s experienced paranormal activity in his home. It’s the presence of one of the former owners, he believes, whose spirit remains in the house.

One of the biggest challenges they face is skepticism. Jared said he would grow frustrated when friends didn’t believe him about his own experiences.

“I would get so angry because people would laugh at me,” he said.

The main goal of the group, which also includes other ghost hunters, is not to convince people that ghosts exist — but rather to give people peace of mind.

“More times than not when you go out somewhere there is a logical explanation,” Jim said. He said sometimes faulty wiring or bad plumbing can be the culprits behind noises or feelings.

Jared agreed. “Every electronic device emits an electromagnetic field. Those fields might not affect you, but someone else might feel paranoid, have hallucinations or feel sick to their stomach. Everybody has a different tolerance for that kind of thing, but things like that are very common.”

Occasionally the two find evidence of something unexplainable.

“It’s like the old Sherlock Holmes line: ‘Eliminate everything that is possible, and what is left is the impossible,’” Jim said.

The two have pictures, video and audio clips of what they believe are paranormal figures and happenings. Neither Jared nor Jim has ever been scared while on a hunt, they said. But they have been spooked by some of the results.

“To me, the scariest part is when you’re done and you’re reviewing all the evidence and you catch something good,” Jim said. “And then you think about how you were sitting right there when it happened. That’s scarier than when you’re actually there, because you’re adrenaline is so high when you’re there.”

The group specializes in hunts in private residences free of charge. The equipment, which Jared said can get pricey, and hours are invested at the group’s expense. Some of the equipment used on the hunts includes electromagnetic field detectors, digital video and still cameras, audio recorders and digital thermometers.

The gadgets are purchased with Jared’s steelworker salary and Jim’s income as a manager of an electronics store in Boardman. Jim is divorced and Jared has never been married. Neither have children.

Jared said there are two types of haunting: intelligent and residual. He said an intelligent haunting can feature a spirit that will interact with people; a residual haunting will not.

True spirit hunters, the Sparks said, also battle sensationalism because of television shows which have popularized — and discredited, they said — the industry. But the biggest hurdle is that of nonbelievers and skeptics.

The Sparks Spirt Hunters encourage anyone with unexplained happenings to consider them for a hunt by visiting the Web site www.sparksspirithunters.com.

Jim said many skeptics come from religious backgrounds, but even they have nothing to lose through research.

“A lot of religions say there is no such thing as ghosts and if you believe in them you’re not following the preachings,” he said. “But some of those same religions speak of holy ghosts, spirits and angels or practice exorcisms. They believe in them to a certain point, it’s just a matter of what they want to admit.”

jmoffett@vindy.com