"Most apparitions are three-dimensional, full color, totally normal-looking, and 50 percent of the time, it's a dead relative," he said. "The people who see them are often a widow or widower, or the mother of a dead child." There are exceptions, such as the Sussex house. While the homeowner was brushing her hair, she saw in her mirror the figure of a young woman in a white gown. When she turned around, the figure was gone.
    Another time, she was walking through the hallway and saw a man in 1800s garb sitting on a chair. When she looked again, he, too, was gone. "Some people are so inclined to see a ghost that they can misinterpret natural phenomena, or it may be wishful thinking," he said. "But when you

have three or four people, it boosts the credibility of the report."
    For example, in the Sussex home evrybody, including the children, heard the same footsteps up in the attic and inside of the walls. And at the Raritan library, perhaps less haunted than the Bernardsville library, there have been numerous reports of poltergeist activity.
    Maybe Liebeck won't ever see a ghost himself, but he's having a lot of fun in the meantime. So much, in fact, that his fellow cops often ask to tag along with him on hauntings.
    "It's a lot better than sitting at home watching reruns of "Gilligan's Island," he said.