A private school student getting drugs in Washington Square Park. A girl visiting an abusive ex-boyfriend. A boy buying drugs in a Hempstead parking lot.
What do they have in common? The parents of these kids all hired a Long Island private investigator to confirm their worst suspicions of what their kids were up to — from illegal drinking to combing their hair while driving.
Spring’s the hottest time for hired spying, the investigator told Metro. “Kids are hanging out more,” said ex-cop Andy Spieler.
Parents call him to tail their kids, often after snooping themselves.
With mounted car cameras and a telescope pen, he follows kids — median age 17 — from Long Island to Manhattan. In Nassau County, one mother paid Spieler about $1,000 to tail her daughter after the girl’s grades slipped.
“It was a bunch of red flags,” the woman said.
Spieler caught the 17-year-old drinking with college-age kids on the LIRR.
Her daughter couldn’t deny the photos and videos. But, the mother admitted, finding out the truth meant losing trust.
“Trust is now something that has to be actively worked on,” she said, but then added: “It’s better than a call from the cops.”
Flexibility required
Different cases require different angles, Spieler said. Long Island cases involve a lot more car power, sidling up to teen drivers to see if they’re talking on the phone while driving. A Manhattan case requires foot pursuit. “We’re running into the subways, we’re walking around NYU.”
