No one dared to set foot in the middle of New York

Just less than 2km from Manhattan - one of the most densely populated places in the world - less than 2 kilometers away, a small, unknown island has been abandoned for almost 55 years.

North Brother Island is one of New York City's greatest and least known legacies.

The only way to get here is by boat from the South Bronx.No one was allowed to come here without a permit, and there must be an escort from the New York Parks and Recreation Department.

The island was established in 1614 and has been inhabited since 1885. The history of North Brother is deadly, sick and devastating.In June 1904, the General Slocum steamship caught fire and sank in the East River.Only 321 survivors, and the body of 1,021 people washed ashore for several days.

Buildings on the island used energy from coal.This jetty is where workers unload coal.Now, this bridge has been crumbling, full of moss and often submerged under water at high tide.

Streets and paths are almost buried by trees.

You can see the chimney of the morgue from many kilometers away.

Management did not allow anyone to enter most of the building, because they were in ruins and danger.The scenery on the island seems mysterious but beautiful.

From the 1880s to 1943, the island was the place to treat people with high-risk diseases.The dead were taken to the morgue.Despite the ban, some people still sneak on the island, as evidenced by this graffiti on this football wall.

Further on the main road is the male dormitory of medical doctors, built in 1885. From 1951 and when the island was abandoned, the building was used as a drug rehabilitation center.

Countless buildings are hidden between trees, making visitors feel like they are in an afterlife.

In addition to birds, few animals live here.The mammals almost do not appear, no mice, squirrels .

The largest building on the island - Tuberculosis - has 4 floors, with an area of ​​more than 7,700m2, is the place to treat people with tuberculosis.

This $ 1.2 million project was completed in 1943, but no TB patient became the home of veterans after World War II.

Few dare to stay on the island overnight.The beautiful buildings before were all deserted and about to collapse.

The island has no function whatsoever when the TB vaccine is born and soldiers find shelter on the mainland.The island became a juvenile education camp from 1952 to 1963. However, the program was ineffective, so it was canceled.

The last person left the island in 1963, and North Brother was transferred to New York for management.To date, the city still does not know what to do with this island, or how to open it to the public.