When someone comes to us and says that they need our help with a situation that requires surveillance (- i.e. following the subject in order to find evidence or confirmation that they are doing or not doing something they usually should not be) it is very serious business and we take it very seriously. We do everything we can to help them and have spent countless hours on many, many cases sitting in wait for the subject to appear so we can get that “money shot” in order to give the client the answers and closure that they require in order to make themselves whole again.
However, that said, we do spend a LOT of hours waiting for something to happen. While doing so, we take in everything around us, which includes any goings-on in the neighborhood at the time. If you have ever found yourself sitting in your car or vehicle waiting for someone, I’m sure that you have observed people and assorted pets and wildlife doing their thing as they conduct their day, which happens to bring them into your line of vision. Our business is no exception. And on occasion, we happen to see some very crazy and funny things. Here are just a few of those happenings:
- Fighting (not dancing) In The Street – Allow me to paint a picture for you. We are following the subject through the side streets of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn NY. The Subject takes a turn onto a crossroad and disappears from sight. We come up to the corner and turn to find the Subject is stopped and now so are we, directly behind them. We see that the reason the Subject is randomly stopped is because two young men are actively having a fist fight which has brought them into the center of the road and now all traffic has stopped. We all wait (because we have no choice) until the fight either stops or moves to the side so we may pass by. It is then that a little old lady comes out of her apartment with her very well-behaved and very large dog. She sees what is going on and announces that if they do not, and I quote “stop this sh_t right now”, Bruno will stop it for them” The boys do not listen and so “Bruno” is released and heads directly towards the two, who immediately, upon seeing Bruno headed right at them, squeal like little girls and run out of the road with Bruno in hot pursuit. We then returned to our regularly scheduled surveillance. As we drove by we saw Bruno had returned to the old woman with a shoe in his mouth. No idea which of the boys was the owner, but I’m guessing they were trying to figure out how they were going to retrieve it from Bruno’s owner. Shout out to the old woman. I wish you could train my dog!
- A Poo With A View – It was a very late night in the wee hours of the morning in Blissville in Queens NY. We had been there for hours waiting for the Subject (and their “friend”) to appear after a night of “fun” when we spotted a woman walking down the street. She was the only one on the block, other than the rats we had been watching who were climbing in and out of the garbage cans on the side of the building we were parked in front of. She proceeded down the street, looking around. We thought that she was concerned perhaps with being mugged since it was about 3 am and she was alone. However, we were very much mistaken. She stopped about 15 feet from our surveillance vehicle. She was looking around for about 20 seconds, then went behind a tree and cautiously put her bag on the ground next to her. . We were now intrigued. She obviously did not see us in our vehicle (tinted windows) so while my husband and I watched, she quickly pulled down her pants, squatted, pooped, pulled up her pants, grabbed her bag, and proceeded down the street. We were speechless for about a minute after what we had just witnessed. I asked my husband if I should offer her a wet wipe after that and we both laughed. Hey, I suppose when you have to go, you have to go. I just hope when she gets home she remembers to wash her clothes after that one.
- Making Yourself A Home At The Home Depot – I was sitting in the parking lot at the Home Depot in Jamaica killing a little time before my surveillance started in LeFrak City. I was people-watching, as I usually did while reviewing my notes. I noticed a man pull in about two spots away from me in an SUV. (Now when I go to places to prepare for a case, I will often park in a far corner so I can presumably be left alone. However, on this particular Saturday, the lot was packed and so I was forced to pick a spot near the middle with everyone else.) There were people walking in and out of the store, but for some reason, this person caught my attention – can’t tell you why he just did. It was probably because he came out of the SUV and walked around to the passenger side and opened the door as wide as it would go. Then he walked around the now open door to the door behind it and did the same thing. He was now standing between the two open doors of the vehicle. Now I was intrigued – he had my full attention. He then proceeded to take off ALL his clothes and put on a new set of clothes. Now when I say ALL I mean exactly that. Everything was now tossed inside the SUV and he was standing in the parking lot in his birthday suit while he then pulled out a fresh set of clothes to put on. He never looked around the parking lot. If he had, he would have seen my astonished face two spots away watching in disbelief at what I was seeing. He finished up his task by sitting on the back seat to put on his socks and shoes (I said everything and meant it) and then closed the doors, got back into the SUV, and drove away. I was left with a look on my face that resembled the “surprised” emoji on my phone. You seriously cannot make this stuff up.
- Taking The Dog For A Drag – There I was, in my vehicle once again, waiting for the Subject to arrive in a quiet little neighborhood in Oakland Gardens in Queens. This was a two-person Surveillance so I was waiting at the home of the Subject while another PI was following the Subject from work. When I arrived, I set up as usual and looked at my phone for the text that they were mobile and en route. I was there for about an hour at this point. I noticed a resident inside a home nearby watching me through the window. This is not uncommon and I always contact the police in the area prior to starting so that no one shows up with a police vehicle and therefore blows my cover. The resident finally comes out of his house with a dog and proceeds to take the dog for a walk. He is constantly looking over nervously at me in the car. The dog does its business and the man brings the dog back inside. About 15 minutes go by and the man appears again. Again the dog walks outside and sniffs for a minute while the man keeps glancing over at my vehicle. He then brings the dog back inside. The third time he appeared the dog was now walking behind the man and was obviously getting tired of going up and down the stairs at this point and had little interest in going outside, but still followed along. But the fourth time the man appeared, he was having a literal tug-of-war with the dog in the doorway to the building. The dog was done and wanted no part of whatever this was and had positioned himself, feet braced so that the man literally had to pick up the dog and carry it out of the doorway. He put the dog on the ground and the dog literally sat down and refused to move. The man, noticeably embarrassed at this point, was trying to get the dog to move and it refused. It was now laying down and they were both trying to stare each other down. The man, now bright red, scooped up the dog and went back into the house. Thankfully the subject finally showed up and I prepared to leave the location so that my partner on the case could take the spot. I warned them about the nosy neighbor and thankfully left the area, but not before I waved to him in the window as I drove away. He was now satisfied that he had “scared me off” and did not bother to take notice that another PI was now parked in my spot. Mission accomplished and now the dog can take a nap.
These are just some of the crazy things we have seen when we are at work. There are way too many for one blog, so stay tuned for “Part Two” in a few weeks!
Investigreat, LLC is a recognized full service Private Investigation Agency that is fully licensed, insured and bonded, handling cases all over Connecticut as well as Queens NY, Brooklyn NY, Bronx NY, New York City, Staten Island and Long Island NY. Adam, along with his wife Terri, have been working cases for Legal Teams, Insurance Companies, Private Businesses, Municipalities, School Systems and general investigation services for the public since 1992.
Investigreat, LLC | Private Investigators serving Connecticut, Long Island City, Jamaica NY, Brooklyn NY and Queens NY | Office Numbers: 860-899-1710 or 718-412-1845 | Text: 718-309-1269