Courtesy of Tom DeSana
- Tom DeSana and Junior Lallbachan say they're just two guys in their twenties following where their job takes them.
- DeSana, 23, told Insider they spend a lot of time together as a pair of traveling crime scene cleaners.
- Now, they're gaining popularity on TikTok for videos documenting what a day on the job looks like.
If you've ever wondered what happens after police leave a crime scene, two of the technicians tasked with cleaning them up are going viral on TikTok for documenting the wildest jobs they've ever taken.
Tom DeSana, 23, and Junior Lallbachan, 26, are a Florida-based duo who travel along the East Coast cleaning up biohazards in crime scenes and hoarder situations that have gotten out of control.
"We drive pretty much wherever our company tells us to go," DeSana told Insider. "I guess you could say we're an emergency response unit. We usually work 24/7."
DeSana branded their partnership as the "Soul Mediators" in October 2022 when he started documenting their jobs on TikTok. Today, the pair boasts over 200,000 followers and more than one million likes on the platform.
"We're always on the go, and I think we live a pretty interesting life," DeSana said. "I think we bring a different energy to the job. It makes it more engaging for us."
'Every single day is different'
A job can start at just about any time of day, and the hours are often long, hot, and grueling, DeSana said. He said they don't start with much debriefing before heading out on a call, and most times assignments begin with just an address and vague description.
"Every single day is different," DeSana told Insider. "Whether it's a similar death, weapon, or demographic of people, it's always unique. You can only prepare so much."
Their latest project catching the attention of followers is the "Coors Light house," a home filled with mountainous piles of nearly floor-to-ceiling beer cans. Some were empty, but others were refilled with urine, DeSana told followers.
"I know it's a bit graphic, and I wasn't sure how people were going to react," DeSana said. "I do my best to blur out certain things when I'm recording the videos."
Courtesy of Tom
Although their Coors Light house video raked in over two million views, the reality was mostly bagging trash and fighting off cockroaches for about six days in the Florida heat, he said.
"It's not as exhilarating as you may think," DeSana said. "Realistically, if I did a time lapse, you'd just see us shoveling the whole house for eight to 10 hours."
However, at the end of a long day, "tired" and "accomplished" are the two words that come to DeSana's mind. For him, the feeling is welcomed after previously working at less labor-intensive jobs like bartending.
From colleagues to close friends
The pair met in 2020 when a 20-year-old DeSana applied for a job posting searching for a crime scene cleanup technician on Indeed. He and Junior — who'd been working there for five years prior — bonded over being some of the youngest people at the New York-based company.
In February 2022, the pair were sent to live in Florida as roommates and coworkers taking on jobs as they occurred and traveling as far west as Texas for gigs.
"The pay is good, but respect is a big thing for me," DeSana, who studied criminal justice in college, told Insider. "I enjoy my work, and I don't think there are many people who feel as much passion (for the job) as Junior and I do."
According to Glassdoor, the average crime scene cleaner in the US earns $42,000 annually, and DeSana says his pay comes with the perks of hotel stays and meals paid for by the company wherever their assignments take them.
"If someone wants to do this, I'd say make sure you really want to do this," DeSana said, emphasizing the trust he felt with his partner helped him feel more comfortable leaving his hometown of Long Island.