CLARK, NJ — Bruce Tango had his first paranormal experience at the age of 5 – and it was a scary one.
A tall male figure, which he calls Scary Man, was standing at the foot of his bed. The entity had a red face. “I got scared. I cowered. I went under the sheets and I cried like any normal kid would do,” he said. The same figure appeared two more times that year. But Tango never told his parents. “My father was a rough individual. I feared my father more than the entity. I didn’t want to wake him up,” he said.
Back in 1959, there wasn’t much going on about paranormal experiences, but Tango’s experiences were unforgettable. When he got a little older, he realized a paranormal situation couldn’t hurt him and he became interested. At the library, he’d read about ghosts and hauntings. “I outgrew the fear,” he said. “In my teens, I was braver.”
At age 13, he’d sneak out with his grandfather’s tape recorder and head to cemeteries with a friend. “There were some frightening times, but we could handle it.”
As Tango grew older, he continued to ghost hunt and then joined the Elizabeth police force when he was 18, and that was his career for the next 25 years. “It was a rough career, but I made it. I was sent to the hospital 12 times,” he said. “I had a lot of injuries.”
Tango, who currently lives in Linden, wound up having a family and created a balance between home life, being a police officer and ghost hunting. His son, Dave Tango, is a paranormal investigator and evidence analyst who has appeared in multiple television programs related to ghost hunting, including “Ghost Hunters,” “Ghost Hunters Academy” and “Ghost Nation.”
On Saturday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. Tango will be hosting “Exorcisms” at Holiday Inn, Clark. His guests include Bishop James Long from the United States Old Catholic Church, who will be speaking about his terrifying experiences, along with explaining exorcisms. Tango is flying him in from Kentucky.
“He’s the real deal,” said Tango. “He’s an archbishop. He wanted to dedicate his life to serving people and their spiritual needs. He’s done over 31 exorcisms.”
World-renowned psychic medium Jane Doherty, seen on “Dead Famous,” “Sightings” and “Ghost Stories,” to name a few, will be there doing readings.
“She’s considered one of the best,” said Tango. “One of the Top 20 in the United States. She’s been on a lot of TV shows over the years. She’s an author. She’s been into this a long time. I’ve seen her walk around and connect people with loved ones or people they have known that have passed on.”
For more information and tickets to “Exorcisms,” visit: https://www.brucetango.com/.
Photo Courtesy of Bruce Tango