SAM's Pizza Newton Falls

Stories

Stories are just that. Stories and personal accounts that have been reported about the location. This section could also contain research notes as well.

---

In the upstairs attic portion of the pizza place, employees have reported hearing voices and unexplained noises when no one else is around. The telephone is constantly ringing, and no one talks on the other end. It is said that a 13-year-old boy haunts the place. He died on the premises before it was a pizza shop. Employees refuse to enter a sub-basement as it is also believed to be haunted.

Added by: sdonley on 03/02/2025 DB#: 1663
Source(s): https://www.ohioexploration.com/paranormal/hauntin...

---

Interview with Employee at the Location by the Vindicator, dated November 1, 2003.

Wide aluminum cans full of ketchup sit next to a plastic jar of ranch dressing and jugs of barbecue sauce in the basement of Sam's Pizza Shop on South Canal Street in Newton Falls.

The pizza shop items can't tell Tim Kiniery, who keeps moving them from their spot on the top shelf to the bottom, but Kiniery wonders. After all, he's usually the last to leave the shop each night and the first to arrive each morning.

Perhaps whoever moves the cans and jars is also the one who makes the sign outside sway on still days, the basement furnace shake and kick on and off, or the phone rings repeatedly while offering nothing but dead air on the other end of the line.

Perhaps it's the same one who makes doors close unexpectedly, the phone goes dead, or the electricity goes out three or four times a day—sometimes just in the "pop" cooler—despite the work of electricians who've visited 10 times over the past 10 years.

"I've seen my share of weird things I can't explain," said Kiniery, who's worked at the shop for 13 years. So he wasn't surprised when he heard the eatery was listed on a Web site as the home of a ghost.

"It's someone who probably had a good sense of humor," he said. "He probably was a joker when he was younger. He's probably not out to hurt anybody."

In Newton Falls' haunted pizza shop, Kiniery said the building was once the Rotini's bar and gambling hall owned by Italian immigrants, relatives of current owner Sam Giuliano. A rumor was that those who failed to pay gambling debts never left the basement. While a Web site listing says the ghost is a 13-year-old boy, Kiniery said relatives of Sam had a cousin who died of leukemia at age 13, but that was in the house next door, also owned by the family.

An aunt of the Giulianos died more recently. Her musical jewelry box was kept on a counter in the eatery but was taken to an upstairs attic after it spooked some of the workers. Kiniery said it often began playing without being wound. "Sometimes I feel like there's somebody behind me, and I turn around and nothing's there," he said. "And it's not windy outside. It's an eerie feeling.

"I haven't had the pleasure of seeing him. If I do, I'll probably be spending the rest of the evening at the closest bar."

Added by: sdonley on 03/02/2025 DB#: 1664
Source(s): https://vindyarchives.com/news/2003/nov/01/ghost-b...

---

We found a post on TikTok of an EVP session that was conducted in the basement of the restaurant. You can click on the link below. The investigators believed that they caught someone saying "Yeah" and a moan.

Added by: sdonley on 03/02/2025 DB#: 1665
Source(s): https://www.tiktok.com/@emeraldvibes.pod/video/740...

---

Paranormal Claims

Here are the paranormal claims for this location. These have been found through Internet research, reports from members, or reports from personal interviews. To add a claim, please contact PANICd.com, and we will review and add your information.

---

Claim #	Added	Added By	Claim
3621	03/02/2025	sdonley	Items have been known to be moved, especially in the basement.
3622	03/02/2025	sdonley	The feeling like you are being watched or someone behind you is sometimes felt.
3623	03/02/2025	sdonley	The building has electrical anomolies that have been reviewed by an electrician.
3624	03/02/2025	sdonley	The doors have shut unexpectedly on their own.
3625	03/02/2025	sdonley	The phone has known to just go dead often and has been reviewed by the phone company.
3626	03/02/2025	sdonley	The sign out front has been known to move and swing on still days.
3627	03/02/2025	sdonley	The phone has rang several times, and nobody is on the other end.
3628	03/02/2025	sdonley	When a music box was kept on the counter, it would begin to play on it's own without being wound.
3629	03/02/2025	sdonley	Investigators have caught EVP on a recording that was made in the basement.

Additional Resources

This is a collection of Internet resources for this location. This section will house links to other websites that contain information related to history, claims, investigations, or even the location's website.

---

Ghost boasts | Vindy Archives Added: 02/05/2025 By: sdonley	The Mahoning Valley is ripe with tales about ghosts. Read on -- if you dare. By JoANNE VIVIANO
Facebook Added: 03/02/2025 By: sdonley	Facebook profile for the location.
Instagram Added: 03/02/2025 By: sdonley	Instagram profile for the location.