It’s one of Long Island’s most famous haunted places, and it’s 20 minutes from Stony Brook. The abandoned King’s Park Psychiatric Center has all the makings of an urban legend. Deserted building? Check. Dozens of deserted, century-old buildings that used to house the insane? Check. Really creepy at night?

Definitely. The center was shut down in 1996, and not long after, rumors of ghosts, strange noises, and unaccounted-for psychopaths started popping up.
Trespassers have reported hearing screaming and yelling when walking by the buildings. There are also rumors that some patients had been “misplaced” while they were being transferred and are hiding out in the underground tunnels that connect the separate buildings. There have also been reports of a white figure with a red mouth and eyes.
A recent trip to the center in the middle of the night revealed no disembodied voices or apparitions, but the mood was definitely ripe for it. Armed with nothing but cell phone lights, it was revealed that windows had been shattered, walls had been covered in graffiti, and holes had formed in the roof. The photos did not come out clearly enough to reveal any ghosts, and no deep angry voices told the group to get out were heard when the recordings were played back. Because the buildings still contain asbestos, going to the Kings Park Psychiatric Center is ill-advised for health reasons and also illegal.
However, there will always be those who go to the center and insist it is haunted. On the Internet, there are several testimonies from visitors to the center. One claimed to hear footsteps and had the sensation of being watched while in one of the buildings.
Laura Leita, an urban explorer and Stony Brook University graduate, claims to have taken a picture that revealed a black object moving across a wall when it came out. Kings Park is a popular destination for these explorers, who document their experiences in abandoned buildings.
There may not be more reports of paranormal activity at Kings Park for much longer, as 15 buildings are set to be demolished. Already the state is looking for a (brave) demolition company for the jobs. Hopefully, they won’t run into any former patients.