Dan Rivera

Full Name: Daniel “Dan” Rivera

Age: 54 (at time of death in July 2025)
Hometown: Bridgeport, Connecticut
Profession: Paranormal Investigator, Demonologist, Spiritual Consultant
Affiliation: New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR)

EARLY LIFE & BACKGROUND

Dan Rivera was born and raised in Bridgeport, CT, a region rich in paranormal history and notably the home of Ed and Lorraine Warren. From a young age, Dan experienced unusual and unexplained spiritual encounters that sparked a deep curiosity about the supernatural.

He served in the U.S. Army, which instilled in him a sense of discipline and courage—traits that later proved invaluable in his line of work involving potentially dangerous spiritual cases.

PARANORMAL CAREER

New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR)

• Dan worked as Senior Lead Investigator for NESPR, the organization founded in 1952 by Ed and Lorraine Warren, famed paranormal researchers whose cases inspired films like The Conjuring series.

• After Lorraine Warren’s passing in 2019, NESPR leadership was taken over by her son-in-law Tony Spera, and Dan became an integral part of the team.

• He was often responsible for handling haunted artifacts, conducting paranormal investigations, and helping families tormented by spiritual disturbances.

Expertise in Spiritual Practices

• Rivera was known as an expert in Santería, an Afro-Caribbean religion that blends West African traditions with Catholicism.

• His deep spiritual knowledge enabled him to navigate rituals and cases that combined elements of religion, folklore, and supernatural lore.

MEDIA APPEARANCES & PUBLIC OUTREACH

On-Screen Credits

• Appeared in episodes of Most Haunted Places (Travel Channel), offering insights on real haunted sites across the U.S.

• Served as a consulting producer for the Netflix paranormal docuseries 28 Days Haunted (inspired by the Warrens' theory that 28 days is the spiritual cycle needed for full manifestation of hauntings).

• Was featured on Tony Spera’s YouTube channel, where he discussed haunted objects and fielded questions from the public.

Tours & Educational Work

• Regularly participated in public events and tours to educate the public on paranormal safety, demonology, and haunted artifacts.

• He was touring with the “Annabelle Doll”, a famously haunted Raggedy Ann doll from the Warren Occult Museum, when he passed away in July 2025 during a paranormal event weekend in Gettysburg.

CONNECTION TO THE ANNABELLE DOLL

• Rivera was one of the few trusted caretakers of the Annabelle doll, considered by many one of the most haunted objects in America.

• He helped maintain the doll's containment protocols (including its glass case and holy protections), and shared stories of the dangers it posed if mishandled.

• Rivera and Spera took Annabelle on strictly controlled tours, warning attendees not to touch or provoke the entity said to be attached to the doll.

DEATH & LEGACY

Final Event – Gettysburg, PA

• On July 13, 2025, Rivera was in Gettysburg for the "Devils on the Run" paranormal tour, showcasing haunted artifacts including Annabelle.

• He was found unresponsive in his hotel room. Despite CPR efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death is still under investigation but authorities do not suspect foul play.

Tributes

• Tony Spera stated:

  “Dan was not just an investigator. He was a friend, a protector of the innocent, and a spiritual warrior.”

• His family issued a heartfelt tribute calling him the “center of our family,” noting that his work was always rooted in love, faith, and a desire to help others.

Survived By:

• Wife: Sarah Rivera

• Children: Four sons

• Community: Fellow investigators, friends, and the global paranormal community

LEGACY IN THE PARANORMAL WORLD

Dan Rivera is remembered as:

• A protector of sacred spiritual knowledge

• A disciplined and compassionate guide for those suffering unexplained phenomena

• A man who approached the paranormal with a balance of respect, skepticism, and belief

• A key figure in keeping the Warren legacy alive, especially in preserving the teachings and artifacts of one of the most influential paranormal research legacies in modern history