By Jaimie Julia Winters
Kearny may have a few residents who never quite moved out — and some of them apparently don’t need to pay property taxes.
Ghosts of Kearny
Rumor has it that something paranormal may be going on at the old Kearny Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad’s house. According to local lore, a little girl may be making her presence known at the squad house. Who is she? How did she get there? And does she know that Halloween is the one night of the year when nobody would think twice about a ghost hanging around? According to a reader submission to Weird NJ Issue 13, the entity named Menephra allegedly haunts the halls, causing unexplained disruptions and eerie encounters.
Another story in Weird NJ, the magazine devoted to the Garden State’s strange, mysterious, and bizarre stories, featured the Lady in Red. She is said to haunt the area around Gunnel Oval, according to the story in Issue 33, Imagine heading out for an evening walk and spotting a mysterious woman in red near the playing fields. Your first thought might be that you are seeing things. Your second might be to get out of there.
Schuyler Avenue hitchhiker
There’s also the story of a phantom hitchhiker along Schuyler Avenue. According to the familiar version of this local legend, a young girl appears on a dark, rainy night and asks for a ride. The driver takes her to the address she provides, only to discover that she has vanished from the vehicle. Luckily, hitchhiking has gone out of fashion, but maybe not for the girl of Schyler Avenue.
Ghost train
Kearny has its very own ghost train legend, documented in Weird NJ Issue 28. According to local lore, on dark, foggy nights, people may hear the sounds of a phantom locomotive rumbling along the town’s abandoned railroad lines. Imagine the chugging of an engine, the screech of metal against metal and the distant whistle of a steam train — all without an actual train in sight. One location associated with the legend is the Belle Vue area along the Belleville Turnpike, where an overgrown, abandoned railroad station site has become part of the area’s spooky lore. People have also said they have heard a train winding through the abandoned Erie Railroad Newark Branch, which runs through Kearny and is slated to become a walking and biking path.
Of course, there’s a difference between a documented haunting and a story passed down through generations. None of these tales establish that ghosts actually roam Kearny. But isn’t that part of the fun? Every town needs a few mysteries to keep its residents talking.
So, this Halloween, keep your eyes open as you make your way around town. If you see a woman in red near Gunnel Oval, a hitchhiker on Schuyler Avenue, or a little girl hanging around the old ambulance squad house, don’t panic. And if you’re out on a foggy October night and hear a train whistle in the distance, take a moment before assuming the next NJ Transit train is running exceptionally late.
