12 Scary Urban Legends of New York

12 Scary Urban Legends of New York

New York has myths and legends which form the basis of several novels, TV shows, and movies. Tales of monsters in lakes and ghosts in trains have been whispered for generations.

Below are 12 New York myths.

1. The real-life night killer of Staten Island

The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge looking toward Staten Island. Photo by U.S. Navy Mass Comm Specialist Jonathan Snyder/Wikimedia Commons

The myth of a killer with a hook for a hand has been told for years. Legend is, the night-time killer would take naughty children into the old Seaview Hospital and kill them. In the 1970s, a serial killer caused havoc on Staten Island. Andre Rand allegedly kidnapped children from the island. Suspected to have committed five crimes, Rand was convicted on only two counts. He was served 50 years to a life prison sentence.

2. The never-ending journey of the Hell Gate Train

Hell Gate Bridge Photo by Dave Frieder/Wikimedia Commons

On New York’s East River is a steel and stone bridge known as Hell Gate Bridge. Legend is the bridge is haunted by a train. The train is said to carry the souls of those who jumped off the bridge or were killed and thrown from the bridge. Those who climb up the bridge say they see light from a train that never arrives.

3. The centuries-old monster in Lake Champlain

Bordering New York, Vermont, and Quebec, Lake Champlain is named after Samuel de Champlain. Hundreds of feet deep in some sections, rivers, and lakes connect the lake to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1609, Samuel reportedly spotted a 20-foot serpent with a horse-like head on the lake. There are recent sightings of this monster known as ‘Champ,’ or ‘Champy’. In 1977, while picnicking, Sandra Mansi took a photo of a creature that resembled the Loch Ness monster. The Loch Ness monster was first spotted in 1933, 300 years after Champ’s sighting.

4. Alien activity and time travel in Montauk, New York

16-inch gun casemate in Camp Hero State Park. Photo by Transpoman/Wikimedia Commons

Camp Hero, an old military base was associated with odd activities for years. The site, now abandoned, and serving as a park, had a number of top-secret activities from 1960 to 1980. According to Preston Nichols, who was an electrical engineer, children were used for psychic experiments intended to turn them into psychic soldiers. There were also cases of time travel research and alien experiments. According to Nichols, who said he interacted with alien species, in 1983, the site’s research team created a hole in space-time.

5. The Haunted Air Force Base in Plattsburgh

A pair of operating tables at the closed Air Force base in Plattsburgh. Photo by Staff Sgt. Mike R. Smith/Wikimedia Commons

The Plattsburgh abandoned air force base is said to be haunted by ghosts. Ghostly sounds of marching at night were heard coming from the cemetery.  Security guards also heard pounding and screaming at the gym which was once used as a morgue. There were also sounds from building 666, which briefly served as a crematorium.

6. The Ghostship of The Hudson River

1909 illustration of Henry Hudson’s ship, the Half Moon. Photo by Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons

Legend is there’s a ghost ship that sails on the Hudson River. Allegedly sailing against the tide with no crew, the ship is rumored to be Henry Hudson’s ship, the Half-Moon. Although it wasn’t sighted before Hurricane Sandy, the ship’s sighting is almost always followed by heavy storms. Old Dutch settlers believe the ship is an evil force summoned to destroy the area’s inhabitants.

7. The female ghost that searches for her lost daughter

Legend is in the early 1800s, a local farmer kidnapped, raped, and killed a young girl in Rochester. The girl’s mother searched in vain for her daughter’s body. In despair, the girl’s mother jumped off a cliff and into Lake Ontario. Her dogs also died shortly after. Said to be the ghost in a white dress, the woman and her two dogs, search the Durand Eastman Park for the girl’s body. These ghosts are said to harass men who visit the park. Women do not face their wrath.

8. There have been reported Bigfoot sightings in New York

Scott David Harris and his two friends had a Bigfoot sighting on June 25, 1989. The three were looking for Harris’ brother who had disappeared in the woods. As they followed the tracks around Lake Champlain at night, they encountered a big hairy creature that chased them. Harris’ friends ran, he waited long enough to establish the huge creature had smelly breath. Years later in 1993, Harris encountered the creature yet again. Harris and his friend were in a parked car near a Westport trail when the creature appeared and tried to open the car’s rear door. They managed to drive away in time but caught a glimpse of its glowing red eyes.

9. The floating monster Of Kinderhook Woods, New York

The main square in downtown Kinderhook, is part of the Kinderhook Village District. Photo by Daniel Case/Wikimedia Commons

The Kinderhook Monster Sightings began in the 1960s, with cases of a floating white shapeless creature. Spotted in the woods near Kinderhook, the creature floats in the treetops. Witnesses say the creature makes loud whistling sounds. The first encounter was by children, then by a lone hiker, and lastly by two teenagers camping near the woods. Each time, the witnesses ran away in fear. No sightings have been reported since then.

10. Manhattan’s West 57th Street is said to be haunted by ghosts

Albert Champion in 1919. Photo by Bibliothèque nationale de France/Wikimedia Commons

In 1922, Albert Champion, the spark plugs inventor, married Edna Crawford. A young showgirl, Crawford had an affair with Charles Brazelle, a Frenchman. Legend is, Brazelle murdered Champion. After convincing the police that Champion died of a heart attack, Crawford collected the money from Champion’s will. She bought the 57 West 57th Street penthouse. A jealous lover, Brazelle beat Crawford to death with a telephone. Crawford’s bodyguards killed Brazelle by throwing him out of the window. A wealthy socialite, Carlton Alsop inhabited the penthouse thereafter. The sounds of the ill-fated lovers drove him mad. Alsop’s wife left him and he checked himself into a sanatorium. His dogs are also said to have suffered nervous breakdowns.

11. New York City’s Sewer alligators may be more than a myth

Albino American Alligator, Alligator mississippiensis in California Academy of Sciences. Photo by Brocken Inaglory/Wikimedia Commons

Alligators have been spotted in New York City Sewers. Legend is, families visiting Louisiana or Florida bring small alligators to keep as pets. When the alligators get too big they are flushed down the toilet. The alligators survive on rats and other sewer creatures. Other myths state that albino alligators are sewer gators who survived for so long without any light exposure.

12. The Myth of Liberty Island’s buried treasure

Buried Treasure: illustration of William “Captain” Kidd overseeing a treasure burial. Photo by Pyle, Howard; Johnson, Merle De Vore/Wikimedia Commons

Captain William Kidd lived on Pearl Street. It’s said he buried treasure on Liberty Island and lived at a vantage point so he could keep an eye on the treasure. In 1701, Kidd was hanged for piracy. 100 years after his death, soldiers from the nearby Fort Wood went searching for the treasure. Legend is, they visited a psychic who advised them to dig during a full moon. Their dig revealed a chest, a skull then a ghost-like creature appeared brandishing a cutlass and chased them away. Upon their return, the chest was gone.