Who’s watching?
Tell me, who’s watching?
Who’s watching me?— Rockwell, Somebody’s Watching Me
Brian D. Fitzgerald from 999 Hot Springs Lane was caught in Los Padres National Forest leading a work crew of men with hand tools in an effort to destroy the Montecito Hot Springs on the morning of May 28, 2024.
Videos show Mr. Fitzgerald in all black attempting to conceal his identity, and other men dressed in Eagle Demolition company work attire, all marching away from the hot springs that had been damaged.
I received the videos the next morning, May 29. When first played, I was surprised to immediately recognize the voice of Brian D. Fitzgerald, as he attempted to flee the scene at a fast walk, scuffling his way down the trail, arguing and getting testy.
People that know the man would recognize him from his voice alone, of course. A screenshot of his face is surely helpful. And his body type and gait further reveal his identity.
Some people know who he is and what he did, yet remain silent. His attempt at hiding is good only so long as their silence is sustained.
That is if we did not already know his name. And we hold no such reservations.
Private eyes
They’re watching you
They see your every move
Private eyes
They’re watching you
Private eyes
They’re watching you watching
You watching you watching you— Hall and Oates, Private Eyes
I would swear an oath and take the stand in a court of law to make the identification.
That’s not the point here, but that’s how certain I am that I recognize Brian D. Fitzgerald’s voice.
We had spoken in person on more than one occasion in the days before May 28.
And so it is I know his voice.
I always feel like somebody’s watching me
And I have no privacy
I always feel like somebody’s watching me
Who’s playing tricks on me?— Rockwell, Somebody’s Watching Me
One time in particular I shan’t soon forget. He had come walking towards me as we spoke at each other back and forth, myself stopping a moment from a hike up the trail, himself in his driveway having just driven up.
He finished that brief chance passing between us by turning sour and telling me in a nasty tone, “Go to the hot springs and smoke your weed.”
I had been asking him about the camera he had chosen to mount in the oak tree overlooking the public road. The new camera with a robot voice that yells at passing hikers from afar who are minding their own business, “Hello, you’re currently being recorded.”
The robot voice camera is on private property, indeed, but set with such sensitivity that it triggers and goes off when a hiker walks the adjacent public road.
Another time when I saw him he had yelled at me with admirable spunk and vigor, “You got a problem with that?!”
He had hired laborers to add more stones to the top of the rock wall fronting his fairly recently purchased three-acre trailside estate. I had told him to build his big beautiful wall even higher.
On yet another, later occasion, days after he had been caught and was the known vandal of Montecito Hot Springs, he poked his head over his wall with gusto to speak with me.
He started to speak and when I looked over at him he broke off mid-word, turned his head quickly and walked away.
I told him as he fled that I had videos implicating him. He denied the videos existed. He did not deny his guilt. I think his choice of words was revealing.
In the video, note that he argues about and denies that wrecking the springs is illegal. He does not deny that he wrecked the springs, but accepts the premise of the question that he’s guilty when asked if he knew it was illegal to do it. Again, his particular choice of words is revealing, I think.
On a side note, whether what he did was illegal or not does not matter to us.
I told him as he walked swiftly away from me seeking to hide in his garage, making an obvious effort to conceal his face, that I recognized his voice in the video. I offered to show him a clip to prove it.
It was the dandiest right quick change in behavior you might ever have seen. He went from an authoritative glance over his wall to gladly gone fast as possible and wilted away.
Why so suddenly shy, Brian?
Who’s watching me?
I don’t know anymore
Are the neighbors watching me?
Who’s watching?
Well, is the mailman watching me?
Tell me, who’s watching?
And I don’t feel safe anymore, oh, what a mess
I wonder who’s watching me now
Who?
The IRS?— Rockwell, Somebody’s Watching Me
On the morning of May 28, I have been told that the gate at Hot Springs trailhead was shut and that the existing chain and keyed lock had been manipulated to appear as if the gate was locked closed and impassable.
This was unusual, presumably having been done to dissuade hikers from taking the trail while Mr. Fitzgerald and crew worked to ruin the hot springs.
Damage to the springs was fairly superficial, delivered in several forms, but readily repaired.
At least a couple of the men dressed in Eagle Demolition sweatshirts and t-shirts have been identified by Dave Docherty at Eagle Construction and confirmed to be employees.
Mr. Docherty was not helpful when first contacted, although he did return my call. He tried to blow me off in a phone conversation. He told me that I was wasting his time.
He told me to talk to the cops, apparently thinking that would scare me off and that I wasn’t for real.
Funnily enough, when I told him that that might be a good idea and that we both could go talk to the police together, he demurred and dropped it.
When I sent him the videos after our conversation he then responded in an email with new found kindness and enthusiasm. He wrote:
I will get to the bottom of this to be sure, so that whoever paid someone monies to destroy the Hot Springs will be identified.
I haven’t heard a peep from Mr. Docherty since. Apparently he’s still trying to get to the bottom, to be sure.
Shouldn’t Eagle Construction be keenly interested in finding out what exactly happened and clearing the company’s name posthaste? If that’s possible.
Did Mr. Fitzgerald hire employees from Eagle Demolition to help him wreck the Montecito Hot Springs?
Surely the laboring men in the videos did not wake up early, hike three miles round trip and work for free.
Were the men paid money? If so how much? If they were not paid cash money, how were they compensated?
What do Brian D. Fitzgerald and Dave Docherty have to say?
Come on, boys. Stand up and speak. Inquiring minds want to know.
While both men are expected to remain seated and silent, now there is a permanent record to speak forever regardless.
UPDATE: Here is a YouTube video so that everybody can match Brian D. Fitzgerald’s voice. Don’t take my word for it. Watch the two videos. Listen to the voice.
Evolve Media – Brian D. Fitzgerald Full Interview
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 
This is abhorrent behavior whether being paid or not. I can’t imagine why someone would try to ruin one of Santa Barbara’s oldest hot springs. I hope you “get to the bottom of it” and can stop this somehow. Good for you for standing up for the hot springs! Keep up the good work.
Jack could you send me an email address for you that I can use for private messages? i.e. not for public posting as Comments to your blog. There is a new trailhead fee on the Los Padres at Frazier Mountain that I think may interest you. There’s a Parks Management aspect to it. Thanks, Kitty
Outrageous and needs to be investigated. Thanks for spreading awareness.
Eagle Demolition was not hired to do this! This is Disturbing to say the least. Eagle Demolition is a reputable company and we do not work for people that would do this. This is Public Land! The man in the video went to the labor line on Monday, Memorial Day and offered some guys cash to come move rocks on his property. The men in the video were wearing our Company work gear, but this was outside of work hours, and they were paid cash by the man in the video that told them they were going up behind his house to move rocks on his property. Once they were up there, they realized something was wrong! They also said there was a phone call and the man told them we have to leave now.
David Docherty / Owner
Eagle Demolition
Funny how fast Docherty jumped from his chair to comment on the record once we went public. First he laughed at us on the phone when we told him we’re going to post a story. Now suddenly he pretends to care and finally has something worth saying.
I hope you get sued for harassment by this company
The company has no standing.
This selfish despicable behavior displayed by Brian Fitzgerald should lead to severe punishment. I have never been to the hot spring, but understand there is historical significance to its enjoyment for centuries. Mr. Fitzgerald deserves public shaming and punitive punishment for his actions. I hope there is some follow through by some government agency.
Jack, thank you for sharing this story, and being an educator and advocate for all of us that enjoy the front and back country.
you should learn the facts before reading this article. Don’t believe everything you see from one article.
Everything in the article is factual. We challenge you to point out and explain anything that is not true. Particularly, explain the video.
Yours is a meaningless comment. Where do you suggest people learn these facts you mention so vaguely in passing, since no news media outlets in town covered the story? The fact of the matter is that we know far more about this incident than you will ever know. We’re privy to the unpublished facts and inside information.
Wow, great bit of detective work. Had you not had that brief encounter you would not have recognized his voice. Good work, Columbo.
WHY ARE YOU HARASSING THESE WORKERS AND THEIR SUPPOSED COMPANY THEY WORK FOR. HARASS AND BLAME THE MAN THAT HIRED THEM AND TOLD THEM WHAT TO DO!!! DO A BETTER JOB AT BEING A JOURNALIST. ALL THIS IS IS COMPLAINING
I’m not a journalist. I have no interest in being a journalist.
These workers were caught wrecking the hot springs. Whatever the homeowner told them does not absolve them of responsibility. They are responsible for their own actions.
We tried to clear this up with Dave Docherty privately. He laughed and tried to blow us off. Go talk to him.
Y’all broke ash getting mad. Make some money then talk🗣️
Stock market is hitting records. Same with home prices. I’m making money, yo. Thanks for asking.
this is my town not yours
I will comment today but I feel the guy walking in front had been doing this for several weeks already he knew the path stole company tools he does not own. And investigation should be done but Eagle demolition will never do this type of work Eagle demolition has been on the map of Santa Barbara for more than 25 years Dave docherty has nothing to do with this but I do say that every person should be accountable for there action and leave Dave docherty alone. Thank you have a blessed day!
Docherty didn’t tell the truth. All he had to do was tell the truth and he would have been left alone.
You should just leave Santa Barbara
ok so were spreading misinformation. This guy was taking YOUR tools down from the hot springs. He wasn’t destroying anything. I wish you luck in court my guy. This is the type of shit I hate. You come to His house everyday and sit outside. How bout you make the hot springs correct and stop messing up the water system. I’m all for the springs and think they should stay but stop spreading false accusations and grow up.
Oh, you’re a funny one. Is this your best effort? We don’t take kindly to the dishonest attempting to deceive. So we’re going to run you through the ringer backwards and forwards.
You’re lying to everyone. And you’re a fool to think we’d believe this garbage.
“This guy was taking YOUR tools down from the hot springs.”
Nonsense.
FACT: We can match the roofing tools in the video to the roofing tools on the website of Dave Docherty’s Eagle Demolition.
FACT: Dave Docherty has positively identified men he employees as the culprits in Eagle Demolition attire carrying the roofing tools.
FACT: I personally know the man that built most of the pools. I have watched him on-site working through years worth of time. I know from first hand personal experience that these types of roofing tools are not used by him at the springs.
Tell us, why would he use a shingle eater to build pools? The accusation is preposterous on its face. It’s laughable.
“This is the type of shit I hate.”
I hate bullshitters clumsily attempting to peddle obviously untrue narratives easily disproven from information already published. I hate being taken for a fool by people with less intelligence.
“He wasn’t destroying anything.”
We have witnesses, brains and reason. You have nothing but empty rhetoric and baseless claims.
I personally witnessed some of the damage. And I have heard from other locals, more than one that is, that also witnessed the damage and they told me about what was done. The people most closely associated with the springs know what was done.
And Brian D Fitzgerald’s malicious motives also matter whatever the damage.
“stop messing up the water system.”
Small impermanent pools built with natural materials immediately available on-site does not mess up the water system, but in fact function no differently than an untouched creek where water naturally pools and cascades on its way down canyon.
The only people messing up the natural water systems in Hot Springs Canyon are the homeowners unnaturally diverting water from the source and thus out of and away from the creek itself.
Tell us, at what rate are the owners taking water? By what method is their take measured? If you’re concerned about natural water systems in the canyon, that is.
Tell us how much water flows through the pipe to Brian D Fitzgerald’s personal, private tub?
“I’m all for the springs and think they should stay but stop spreading false accusations and grow up.”
We don’t believe you. You’re full of nonsense and making things up.
We challenge you to point out, detail and explain the supposed “false accusations.” Do it. Step up.
You wont, because you can’t, because what you say is not true.
“You come to His house everyday and sit outside.”
That, by the way, is more nonsense. He chose to live in a house that’s immediately adjacent the trail that we regularly hike like we have since long before he showed up. Nobody sits outside his house.
why are there no pictures of the damages done to the hot springs?
And I didn’t relate what was done either. That’s a choice. You can take it as you see fit.
f*** you f*****