On patrol for Halloween ghost hunters at former Kings Park Psychiatric Center

In Kings Park, like most places, Halloween means trick-or treaters and creepy costumes.

Unlike most places, it also means stepped-up patrols at the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center.

The shuttered hospital is a favorite haunt among ghost hunters, who remain convinced it's the home of real-life spirits and specters.

As they have for each of the past 15 years, state parks officials on Monday announced enhanced enforcement at the 532-acre property — now Nissequogue River State Park — starting Oct. 30 and ending Nov. 2.

Daytime patrols will be increased during that time, and roads within the park will close to the public at 4 p.m., parks officials said in a news release.

"They want to get spooked," George Gorman Jr., state regional parks director for Long Island, said of the young thrill-seekers who come by the carload in search of paranormal activity. Most are in their teens and 20s.

"They think it’s haunted," he said of the psychiatric center, which opened in 1885 and closed in 1996 as former patients moved to residential treatment complexes.

Gorman called the park's remaining structures "dangerous buildings" and warned they contain hazards such as deteriorating stairwells and elevator shafts, broken glass, roofs at risk of collapse and potentially cancer-causing lead paint and asbestos.

He declined to say how many more officers will patrol the park next week. Parks officers typically ask trespassers to leave rather than make arrests.

The annual enforcement has helped reduce Halloween vandalism, Gorman said.

"We saw hundreds of individuals trying to get in" before patrols were increased 15 years ago, Gorman said, adding the annual total now is in the dozens.

"Everyone knows we set up [patrols], and they no longer attempt to come in," he said.

State officials released a master plan last year that outlined locations for ballfields, walking and hiking trails, playgrounds and other park improvements. The property was designated state parkland in 2000.

Some vacant buildings already have been razed, and many more are slated for eventual demolition — including the park's most iconic edifice, the 12-story Building 93.

The graffiti-covered former infirmary is a favorite of trespassers, many of whom have posted videos online showing the structure's interior, accompanied by jittery editing and haunting hard rock music. 

Taking down the structure will help discourage vandalism, some park advocates say.

"Certainly, for the safety of the community, it’s important," said John McQuaid, president of the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation, a Kings Park nonprofit that supports park cleanup efforts. "Part of the reason for doing that is we take away these eyesores and a safety hazard for the community."

Gorman did not estimate the costs of park development and demolition or when work will start or be completed.

McQuaid said the nonprofit and local officials are seeking state funding and private donations.

"Now the challenge is to get the money to actually do it and get rid of the dilapidated buildings," he said.

It has been hard to change popular perceptions of the property, McQuaid added. Although it has been a park for more than two decades, many in the area still refer to it as a psychiatric center.

Security is a constant concern on the heavily wooded property, which stretches from State Route 25A about a mile north to Long Island Sound.

"It’s very challenging to keep people out of there. It’s a lot of property," McQuaid said. "It looks like an abandoned psych center, so that’s what people treat it as."

The park looked anything but hexed on Monday as joggers plied the footpaths under a bright, clear autumn sky.

"I'm here all the time," Bruce Coleman, 75, of Kings Park, said during his daily walk through the park. "Most of the time you see people and kids walking their dog."

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.