Family house in Syracuse: man on the telephone, bed presence, and deceased parents
[name withheld], from Syracuse, New York, tells Art Bell that their family home, owned by the family since 1950, has been the setting for a series of strange events. Both their parents died there. The caller reports a 1989 ghost of a young man talking on their telephone and walking through a wall. The caller also describes a presence that got into bed with them, a phone call in which a doctor’s office said it had spoken to a man named [name withheld], a green film, a smell of spaghetti sauce, and a later vision of their mother. The call ends with the host closing the segment after the mother’s reported insurance detail.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 2000-1.mp3”, starting at 27:09). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
[name withheld], from Syracuse, New York, says their house has been in the family since 1950. The caller says their aunt and the aunt’s husband owned it before the caller and their family bought it, and that their father and mother each died in the house. The caller begins with a fall evening in 1989. The caller was watching television in the front parlor, turned it off, lay on the couch under a quilt, and fell asleep. The caller says they woke to someone talking and saw a man standing and talking on their telephone in the dining room. The caller first thought someone had entered because they had not locked the door. The caller describes him as a young man in his 30s with a baseball cap, jacket, jeans, and blondish-red hair or beard, talking about work. The caller says they stayed still, reached for scissors on the coffee table, and prayed. According to the caller, he finished the call, put the phone down, turned, walked into the parlor, looked at them, smiled, and walked through the wall into the driveway. The caller says they looked out and nobody was there, and the phone felt warm as if someone had been using it. The caller then reports that when they slept in the back room, something would get into bed with them. The bed would sink, and they could feel it moving and getting cozy. The caller says their sister reported the same thing. The caller also describes telling it to stay on its side. Later the caller says a doctor’s office called about heart tests, and the man on the phone said he had spoken to a gentleman named [name withheld] who was worried about them and would be home soon. The caller says [name withheld] was their father’s name and that their father died in 1979. The caller reports a green film or smoke near a corner cabinet. The caller also describes an occasion when they and their aunt smelled spaghetti sauce like her mother used to cook. The aunt said it was her mother cooking sauce. The caller says they later saw their mother looking young in the parlor. The caller reports a conversation in which their mother spoke about not returning to this planet, having seen God and Jesus, and naming the house insurer, with the payment due Halloween.
Reported events, in order
- 0:03
The caller identifies themselves as [name withheld] from Syracuse, New York, and says the house has had many strange events.
- 0:13
The caller says the house has been in the family since 1950 and that their father and mother each died in the house.
- 0:32
In fall 1989 the caller fell asleep on the couch after watching television and woke to someone talking.
- 0:59
The caller says they saw a man standing and talking on their telephone in the dining room.
- 1:37
The caller describes the man as in his 30s, wearing a baseball cap, jacket, and jeans, with blondish-red hair or beard.
- 2:24
The caller says the man finished the call, looked at them, smiled, walked through the wall into the driveway, and was gone.
- 2:44
The caller says they touched the phone and it was warm as if someone had been talking on it.
- 3:32
The caller reports that in the back room something would get into bed with them, the bed would sink, and they could feel it moving and getting cozy.
- 4:16
The caller says their sister reported the same bed experience in the back room.
- 4:35
The caller says that about two years earlier a doctor’s office called and the man said he had spoken to a gentleman named [name withheld], who was worried about them.
- 5:24
The caller says [name withheld] was their father’s name and that their father died in 1979.
- 5:55
The caller reports seeing a green film like smoke on the corner cabinet.
- 7:01
The caller says they and their aunt smelled spaghetti sauce like her mother used to cook, and the aunt said it was her mother cooking sauce.
- 8:51
The caller says they saw their mother looking young in the parlor. The caller reports a conversation about not returning, God and Jesus, and the house insurance due Halloween.
- 9:54
The host closes the call.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:59
The caller saw a man standing and talking on their telephone in their house.
- observation· 1:37
The man appeared to be in his 30s, wearing a baseball cap, jacket, and jeans.
- observation· 2:40
The man walked through the wall into the driveway, and no one was there when the caller looked.
- observation· 2:44
The telephone felt warm as if someone had been talking on it.
- observation· 3:32
Something got into bed with the caller, the bed sank, and the caller felt it moving and getting cozy.
- hearsay· 4:16
The caller’s sister reported the same bed experience in the back room.
- hearsay· 5:05
A caller from a doctor’s office said he had spoken to a gentleman named [name withheld] who knew the caller was going for a test and was worried about them.
- interpretation· 5:24
The caller told the doctor’s-office caller he had talked to a ghost because their father, [name withheld], died in 1979.
- observation· 5:55
The caller saw a green film or smoke on the corner cabinet.
- hearsay· 7:19
The caller and their aunt smelled spaghetti sauce like her mother used to cook, and the aunt said it was her mother cooking sauce.
- interpretation· 6:24
The caller believes their parents are still in the house.
- observation· 9:23
The caller saw their mother in the house looking young, as the caller remembered her from childhood.
- observation· 9:34
The caller’s mother reportedly spoke about not wanting to return to this planet, having seen God and Jesus, and naming the house insurer.
- hearsay· 7:50
A Native American friend suggested the young man may have been someone killed in the area years ago and that the house could be a portal.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
The story is firsthand and fairly specific, with a coherent sequence and concrete details. But it combines several anecdotes and leaves easy ordinary explanations unaddressed. The witnesses the caller mentions are not heard on air.
Evidence for and against
- Concrete time, rooms, clothing, and sequence for the 1989 telephone episode.
- The caller provides details that sound checkable, such as Syracuse, 1989, and the caller’s father [name withheld]’s death in 1979.
- The caller separates their first thought that a burglar had entered from their later observation of the man walking through the wall.
- Several events rely on claimed reports from the sister or aunt rather than witnesses on air.
- The bed experience and the doctor’s office call have plausible ordinary explanations that are not addressed.
- No documentation or physical evidence is presented or examined.
- Errors in the automatic transcript and smoothing of speakers leave some wording uncertain.
- Some events are undated, so the overall chronology is partial.
- 0:32
- 1:37
- 3:40
- 5:05
What the model inferred (not said on air): Scored as a clear firsthand story with specific details that no one else backs up. The score is adjusted downward because the multiple anecdotes and unaddressed ordinary explanations weaken it as testimony.
There are checkable details and claimed witnesses, but nothing is independently examined or confirmed on air. The evidence remains the caller’s statements and reported secondhand remarks.
Evidence for and against
- The caller gives a location, dates, a father’s name, and an insurance due date that could in principle be checked.
- The caller claims their sister had the same bed experience and their aunt smelled the sauce. These are secondhand witnesses the caller identifies.
- No second witness speaks on air.
- No photograph, recording, document, or physical trace is examined.
- The warm telephone is not preserved or tested.
- The sister’s and aunt’s reports are relayed only through the caller.
- The doctor’s office conversation is not recorded or backed up by anyone else.
- 0:03
- 5:24
- 4:16
- 9:51
What the model inferred (not said on air): Placed in the 11 to 25 band because checkable details are given but unchecked, and other witnesses are claimed rather than speaking on air.
The story has strong unsettling elements: an apparent intruder in the house, a figure walking through a wall, and something getting into bed and moving. These are balanced by the absence of reported harm and by the more domestic detail about the mother and the insurance.
Evidence for and against
- A man the caller does not know appears in their house at night and talks on their phone.
- The bed episode involves an unseen presence getting in beside the caller and the bed sinking.
- The man smiles before walking through the wall, an eerie, unresolved image.
- No one is reported harmed or threatened beyond the caller’s fear.
- Some material is domestic or comforting in tone, such as the mother watching over the house.
- The transcript is automatic, so some reported actions and quotes may be captured imperfectly.
- 0:59
- 3:32
- 3:44
- 2:40
What the model inferred (not said on air): Rated moderately high for the intrusion into the home and bedroom. It is not rated higher because the story lacks sustained threat, violence, or malevolent description.
The story uses familiar elements: an old family house, a figure that vanishes, a bed presence, and a visit from a dead parent. It combines them with distinctive telephone details. The doctor’s office reporting a call from the dead father and the warm handset stand out.
Evidence for and against
- A ghost of a young man is seen using the caller’s telephone, and the phone is later warm.
- A doctor’s office reportedly says it spoke to the dead father, who was worried about the caller.
- The mother’s reported message includes an insurance due date on Halloween.
- The old house, the sinking bed, the green mist, and a visit from a dead parent are common ghost-story elements.
- Originality compared with the rest of the archive is provisional and not computed here.
- 0:59
- 2:44
- 5:17
- 9:49
What the model inferred (not said on air): Provisionally scored as a familiar setup with several distinctive details, not a wholly stock story.
Scoring confidence 0.72 · analysis confidence 0.80 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand testimony; Claimed secondhand reports from a sister and an aunt, who do not speak on air; No physical evidence examined; the warm telephone is not preserved; Names and dates that sound checkable are not checked.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- An intruder, or a misperception as the caller woke from sleep, could explain seeing and hearing a man in the house. · The caller says they had fallen asleep on the couch and woke to a voice, and they first thought they had not locked the door: [quote withheld]
- The bed experience could involve sensations tied to sleep or ordinary mattress movement on waking. · The caller places the bed events in a sleeping context in the back room and describes the bed sinking and feeling movement. The caller’s sister’s matching report is claimed but not heard on air.
- The doctor’s office call could involve a miscommunication or confusion about which patient or household was called. · The caller reportedly said he had spoken to a gentleman named [name withheld], but no recording or office record is presented or examined in the transcript.
What stands out
The story links several strange events to the telephone: a ghost using the phone, the warm handset, and a later call in which a doctor’s office reports speaking to the caller’s dead father. The bed presence is also described with an unusual detail. Something gets in and gets cozy, rather than just sitting or pressing on the bed.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.