Overbrook Asylum Explorer Captures Dangerous Photos (VIDEO)

CEDAR GROVE, NJ — Weird NJ correspondent Wheeler Antabanez has been photographing Overbrook Asylum since he was a kid. But there’s a trick to documenting the now-defunct mental hospital, which despite being strictly off-limits to visitors, has amassed a reputation as one of North Jersey’s most popular urban exploration sites.

Namely… don’t get killed, Antabanez says.

The Hospital Center, previously a psychiatric care facility, shut down in 2007. Since its closure, the county-owned property – which is currently undergoing a transformation into an $11 million park that will include two miles of walking paths - has become a popular urban legend and exploration site despite being off-limits to trespassers.

But Wheeler, one of the most seasoned urban explorers in North Jersey, has a key characteristic that helps him get up close to the action: persistence.

“I’ve been photographing Overbrook Asylum since I was a kid and I’ve been documenting the demolition since 2011 when it began in earnest,” Wheeler recently told Patch. “Over the years I’ve become a familiar sight to the demolition crew. When they saw me lurking in the woods to film the powerhouse smokestack coming down the big boss was nice enough to invite me inside the perimeter for a closer look.”

And that’s when Wheeler got a chance to get a tour of the remaining buildings “from a former trespasser’s point of view.”

Antabanez, who recently released a new book about the hospital, "The Old Asylum And Other Stories," said that one of the biggest challenges with filming has been stifling tears at the sight of herds of deer among the giant construction machines.

• See related article: Book Adds To Mythology Of Essex County's Infamous Asylum

“It’s so sad that the deer are losing their last refuge on the mountain,” Antabanez said. “Soon their habitat will be condominiums and pavement.”

• See related article: Humans vs. Deer In Northeast Jersey

According to Antabanez, it’s “extremely dangerous” inside the “No Trespassing” zone, which he called a “hard hat/respirator-type atmosphere.”

Police from the Essex County Sheriff's Office regularly conduct plainclothes surveillance and make trespassing arrests at the location.

• See related article: More Trespassing Arrests At Old Essex County Hospital Grounds
• See related article: Fire Torches Abandoned Overbrook Asylum Building In Essex County

“If people do manage to hop the fence and elude the security they’re taking their life in their hands when they enter the buildings even more that when the asylum was just abandoned,” he said. “Trespassing during the day is impossible with the construction crews at work, and at night there is 24-hour security watching for lights in the building so it’s a really tough spot for infiltration.”

When asked if he had any advice for urban explorers who want to stay on the right side of the law, Antabanez’s answer was somewhat nebulous.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any good advice for Weird NJ seekers and urban explorers,” he said. “People have been telling me my whole life that what I do is dangerous and will probably get me killed one day. Seeking out places like the Passaic River or Overbook is a personal choice that involves risk. What other people do is entirely up to them, but for me I don’t think I could stop even if I wanted to.”

• See related article: Defying Christie's State Park Shutdown: Trespassers On The Beach

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Photos/Video: Wheeler Antabanez

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