Episode 70: In honor of Ash Wednesday the team turns its attention to combustion not the palm leaf kind but the unsettling human kind. Pennsylvania holds a few infamous cases of Spontaneous Human Combustion and we travel to the graveyard where Mary Reeser known as The Cinder Lady is buried. Her case remains one of the most debated and disturbing examples tied to this phenomenon.

Spontaneous Human Combustion has puzzled investigators scientists and paranormal researchers for decades with theories ranging from natural explanations to claims of something far stranger at work. In this episode we break down the most well known cases explore the disputed evidence and examine why some believe paranormal forces may be involved.

So grab a drink light a cigar settle in by the fire and maybe think twice about those matches in your pocket as we dive into this heated topic.

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Forgotten Tales of Pennsylvania by Thomas White 2009
• The Pennsylvania Files by Jack Myers 2024
• Find A Grave MEMORIAL ID 23828371 -Mary Hardy Reeser
• Ablaze! The Mysterious Fires of Spontaneous Human Combustion by Larry E. Arnold 1995 (Signed)
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98232925/john_irving-bentley
• Find A Grave MEMORIAL ID 238424242 - Helen Ann Hesson Conway

Episode 69: The Paranormal Team hits Erie Pennsylvania for three of our favorite things booze, boos, and pizza. We roll into town to check out the spirits at two reportedly haunted bars before grabbing a slice at a pizza shop with an explosive reputation. In 2003 a pizza delivery man named Brian Wells left work to deliver an order and never came back the same. Within an hour he was involved in a bank robbery while wearing a neck collar bomb. As police detained him the device began making noise and time ran out before the bomb squad could save him. The case remains one of the most disturbing and bizarre true crime stories in American history. In this episode we dive into the haunted locations of Erie Pennsylvania and unpack the twisted Brian Wells collar bomb case all while sampling pizza from the very place where he worked. Paranormal investigation true crime and pizza collide in one unsettling trip. Haunted bars Erie Pennsylvania Brian Wells pizza bomb case paranormal investigation true crime podcast ghost stories Erie PA. Sources: The Pennsylvania Files by Jack Myers 2024

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_bomber?wprov=sfti1#

https://allthatsinteresting.com/brian-wells Sites: Mama Mia's Pizzeria

https://mamamiaserie.com The Brewerie at Union Station

https://www.brewerie.com McCoy's Barrelhouse & Grill

https://www.mccoysbarrelhouse.com

Episode 68: Normally the team hunts for the perfect slice of savory pizza, but York, Pennsylvania serves up a far darker dish. In this episode, we investigate one of York PA's most disturbing legends: the Fiji Cannibal Dwarf and the infamous events tied to the historic Penn Hotel. The story goes that the Fiji Cannibal Dwarf died at the Penn Hotel and was allegedly eaten, turning the site into one of the most talked about pieces of true crime folklore in Pennsylvania history. Buried in a potter's field in York, his story refused to stay underground. When the grave was later exhumed, the body was gone, sparking rumors of grave robbing, desecration, and lingering paranormal activity. As we explore the Penn Hotel location and surrounding historic sites in York PA, we sift through local legends, ghost stories, and documented accounts, encountering echoes of the past that refuse to rest. Is this simply a grotesque chapter of American history, or does something still linger where this unholy meal took place? Grab a slice of pizza and join us as we unravel one of York Pennsylvania's strangest mysteries, blending paranormal investigation, dark history, urban legend, and true crime into a story that still unsettles the city today. Sources: Spooky York Pennsylvania by Scott D. Butcher and Dinah Roseberry 2008 York Daily Newspaper- May 15, 1872 True Democrat Newspaper The Beauga Republican- March 6, 1872 Perry County Democrat - May 22, 1872 P. T. Barnum's "Struggles and Triumphs, Forty Years Recollection" 1872 James Shettells "Circus Scrap Book" Sites: www.holyhoundtaproom.com

Episode 67: This week the team wanders the quiet edges of Russell Lake and dives headfirst into one of Pennsylvania's strangest unsolved mysteries. In 1974, three local boys watched a mysterious craft streak across the night sky, plunge to earth, and vanish into a silt pond in Carbondale. What followed sounds less like small town gossip and more like a scene ripped from a lost Cold War fever dream. More than 1500 people gathered at the lake. Local police reportedly fired their weapons at a glowing light beneath the water. Witnesses claim a flatbed truck arrived in the dead of night and hauled away an unknown object, just hours before officials recovered what they later identified as an electric railroad lantern. Here's the problem. The lantern was still lit long after the manufacturer insisted it should have gone dark. Physics raised an eyebrow. Logic cleared its throat. Did the lantern somehow move on its own beneath the surface of the lake? Did it defy everything we know about batteries, water, and time? Or did something else entirely fall into Russell Lake that night and quietly disappear from the record? Join us as we explore the Russell Lake UFO incident, the Carbondale Pennsylvania mystery of 1974, and the unanswered questions that refuse to sink. The truth may be buried in the mud, but it is still glowing. Sources: The Pennsylvania Files by Jack Myers 2024 carbondalien.com Strange Knocks Magazine October 2025 "The Carbondale UFO Crash--the Reality, the Hoaxes and the Legend" by Matthew Graeber, was published in May 2004 Ohio UFO Notebook, Special Limited Edition Report, Number 139, by the Mutual UFO Network of Ohio

Episode 66: Slice of the Paranormal takes you to Staten Island, New York, to investigate some of the borough's most haunted and historic locations, with Jason from the Odd and Untold Podcast along for the ride. Our journey begins at the Conference House, a Revolutionary War landmark where Benjamin Franklin attempted to negotiate an end to the war. Beyond its historical significance, the house is said to be haunted by a young woman who was thrown down the stairs to her death after placing a lit candle in an upstairs window, and her spirit is rumored to still wander the halls. Next door, the H. H. Biddle House is another hotspot for paranormal activity, with reports of slamming doors, ghostly footsteps, objects moving on their own, and disembodied voices echoing from empty rooms. In this episode, we explore haunted Staten Island, Revolutionary War ghosts, cursed locations, historic hauntings, true paranormal investigations, urban legends, haunted New York, and spine-tingling ghost stories that mix history with unexplained supernatural phenomena.

Sources for the Conference House:

• Jason from the "Odd and Untold" Podcast https://oddanduntold.com
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conference_House?wprov=sfti1#Conservation
• https://factschology.com/mmm-podcast-articles/haunted-conference-billop-house#google_vignette

Sources for the H.H. Biddle House:

• https://conferencehouse.org/the-historic-houses-of-conference-house-park/the-h-h-biddle-house/
• https://www.silive.com/entertainment/2024/08/growing-up-in-the-historic-biddle-house-a-journey-through-time-with-a-long-time-resident-cool-spaces.html?outputType=amp

Site:

• https://conferencehouse.org

Episode 65: The Slice of the Paranormal team loves investigating cursed locations, alleged portals to hell, and ghostly phenomena. This time, we traveled to Basking Ridge, New Jersey to investigate one of the most infamous haunted locations in the state: the Devils Tree. The Devils Tree is said to be cursed by the many evil deeds committed beneath its twisted, gnarled branches. According to local legend, the tree cannot be cut down, and anyone who touches it risks unleashing a powerful curse. Naturally, most of the team touched the tree to tempt fate. Less than two hours later, members of our team were involved in a car accident. So the question becomes: do we blame the curse of the Devils Tree… or does the deer get all the credit? In this episode of Slice of the Paranormal, we explore the history and legends of the Devils Tree in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, discuss whether curses and paranormal phenomena are real, and break down what actually happened that night. As always, we also review a nearby New Jersey pizza joint located close to the cursed tree, because no paranormal investigation is complete without pizza. Devils Tree New Jersey, Basking Ridge NJ haunted tree, cursed tree legend, New Jersey paranormal investigation, haunted locations in New Jersey, true paranormal stories, urban legends, ghost stories, and pizza reviews all collide in this episode of Slice of the Paranormal. Sources: https://weirdnj.com/stories/devils-tree/ https://www.history.com/topics/reconstruction/ku-klux-klan https://freaked.com/devils-tree-of-new-jersey/ https://anomalien.com/frightening-history-of-the-devils-tree-in-new-jersey/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil's_Tree?wprov=sfti1#Protection https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/devils-tree https://www.mrlocalhistory.org/basking-ridge-devil-tree/amp/ https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/the-devils-tree-of-new-jersey/

Episode 64: Slice of the Paranormal appeared at Decades in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for their "TALES FROM THE SHADOWS A CRYPTID AND PARANORMAL WEEKEND AT DECADES" in 2025, and we plan to attend again in 2026. This event had all sorts of Cryptid fun to get into. A PARANORMAL & CRYPTID EXPERT MEET N' GREET LOU BERNARD author who documents his scientific investigations into ghosts, cryptids, and UFO sightings JEFFREY FRAZIER author writing about Pennsylvania folklore, history, and haunted sites & parks SWARTZ PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS team travelling around the region exploring and documenting paranormal sites JEANNE MORAN author writing imaginative stories full of memorable characters, some funny, some fantastical, others courageous ALBATWITCH FESTIVAL Meet the team behind the local Albatwitch Festival and learn more about this great community event MADCAP & CO. and LANCASTER TROLL MARKET will be at Decades selling monster merch and collectibles from Noon-4pm The place is also rumored to be haunted and was investigated by SWARTZ PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS. It was an incredible event and well attended. Not to nay that but Decades has a full restaurant and bar to grab some grub and spirits. The team then takes a short walk to Lancaster's "The Coffin Bar", which serves up some spooky cocktails with a side of the macabre. While closing up mysterious noises have been heard coming from the back room. Maybe all the Goat Heads and upside down crosses have invited something dark into this coffin shaped building. The Sites: Decades: https://www.decadeslancaster.com The Coffin Bar: https://springhousebeer.com/coffin

Episode 63: Slice of the Paranormal heads straight into the storm around D.B. Cooper, the skyjacker who vanished into legend. Our trail leads somewhere unexpected: Central Pennsylvania. We gained rare access to the long-shuttered Warden's House at the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary, a place heavy with echoes and unanswered footsteps. Inside those walls, we chase the tangled story of Richard McCoy II, the escaped inmate who pulled off his own daring hijacking, jumped from the same model aircraft, and died in a brutal fight with the FBI. The parallels aren't just uncanny. They glare like a lantern in the dark. So was Richard McCoy II secretly D.B. Cooper? In this episode we dig into the prison history, the paranormal claims inside the Warden's House, and the evidence tying these two infamous sky pirates together. Come along. Bring your curiosity. Leave your certainty at the door.

Sources:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/lewisburg-penitentiary-history-display-035900017.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Correctional_Institution,_Lewisburg?wprov=sfti1# https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_McCoy_Jr.?wprov=sfti1# https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/richard-floyd-mccoy-jr https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/166380047/richard_floyd-mccoy Site: https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/lew/