Peek at New York City’s North Brother Island – where almost no one is allowed to visit
Nearby Manhattan is a little-known island that was abandoned nearly 55 years ago
Less than one mile (1.6km) from Manhattan – one of the priciest and most densely populated places in the world – exists a little-known island that people abandoned nearly 55 years ago.
“North Brother Island is among New York City’s most extraordinary and least known heritage and natural places,” wrote the authors of a recent University of Pennsylvania study about the location
The city owns the 22-acre (8.9 hectare) plot of land in the East River, which sits between the South Bronx’s industrial coast and Riker’s Island Correctional Center – New York City’s most infamous prison.
Almost no one is permitted on North Brother Island and its smaller companion, South Brother Island, except for birds. But even they don’t seem to want to live among its crumbling, abandoned structures (and contrary to Broad City’s depiction of the island, there is no working package pickup centre).
However, Business Insider recently took a tour as part of a TV shoot, whose producers obtained permission from the city to go.
Here’s what we saw and learned while romping around one of New York’s spookiest and most forgotten places. The only way to get to North Brother Island is by boat. Leaving from Barretto Point Park in the South Bronx is one of the quickest to get there.
The East River was crawling with police, probably because Riker’s Island Correctional Institute is less than a mile away – and they are wary of anyone visiting North Brother Island.