Abandoned Atlantic Electric Control Center + Close Call with Scrappers - General

Let me start by saying I first checked this place out over a year ago. We scoped out the property for an entrance but it was pretty well sealed up. I ripped some of the boarded up windows off but only found intact glass behind it. I'm not breaking that. Back in January I was getting ready to go check it out again, but decided to look the place up online real quick. I find out some stupid assholes were just in there stealing scrap metal and one of them fell and broke his ankles. Now instead of just helping your friend, or calling family or friends for help, these geniuses call the police!!! "Yes, hi, we went trespassing and broke into a building with the intent to steal... but karma is a bitch and now we need you to rescue our idiot friend please." From NBC News... [i]"Firefighters in Atlantic County were called to the scene of a bizarre rescue around midnight Wednesday... Officials from Atlantic City Electric say that four men broke into an abandoned electrical control center allegedly looking to steal copper wiring. Police say that while searching the dimly lit property for the wiring, one of the suspects somehow managed to fall 15 feet below floor level down an elevator shaft. Local Police arrested three suspects, according to the power company. The fourth, the man at the bottom of the shaft, was rescued by firefighters. He was then airlifted to a local hospital where he is being treated for injuries to both legs. He is in serious condition. Police continue to investigate." [/i] from -- [url]http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/politics/Alleged-Thief-Falls-Down-Elevator-Shaft-137658143.html[/url] Wonder how much his medical bills for that airlift is going to set his broke ass back. I honestly wonder if the police chose to do that in order to get some extra income for their town that is financial hurting right now. An airlift seems so expensive and unnecessary for this situation. So that pissed me off, now an otherwise quiet unknown spot has been recently blown up in the media. I waited a little while for things to cool down. I check the news last week, and more scrappers got arrested just up the street at another abandoned complex. We wanted to wait to go with a bigger group and everything, but ultimately decided "Fuck it." I want to do it, let's just go. Normally we don't explore on weekends either, but fuck it. So we go in, within a minute my friend almost falls in a hole in the floor and I get a nail stuck in my shoe, luckily I didn't step hard enough for it to go through my foot! After that things were pretty smooth, regular explore through the dark moldy offices. We were in there for maybe 90 minutes to 2 hours when we were checking out the basement. We had been paranoid about hearing cars on the road nearby, but suddenly I hear a truck pull up, definitely on the property, then closer and closer, til I hear it park right on the other side of the loading dock gate we are standing in front of. In the video, around 1:15 you can see the exterior, and how the gate is tucked away down a ramp. A choice location to hide your vehicle close by so you are unseen to the road and nearby buildings as you load your stolen scrap metal into your truck. Someone gets out and yanks on the door trying to open it. We freeze and turn our lights off. Someone starts shaking the hell out of the loading dock gate trying to open it. We bolt out of there and up the steps and get to the roof. I'm pretty sure the guys outside heard us at this point and we possibly scared them away. From the roof we couldn't see the area the truck would be parked in, though we can see our point of entry is clear. We cut the explore short and just make our way out. Probably would have been insane if those doors weren't sealed up properly and those guys just walked right in on us, but I'm happy to say it was just a close call. And that creepy singing in the beginning was a weird school bus driving by all slow!!! [video=youtube;00TztU5vRI0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00TztU5vRI0[/video]

Can't imagine how fucking creeped out you must have been when he tried to pull open the door. I got chills listening to it.

I love these videos, so mysterious and creepy at some point.

Was a good watch, I did some urbex once you get a strange thrill from knowing that you should not be somewhere.

Wow, nice video. I like how in you add in information about the place as well.

I sometimes "urbex" in buildings that still are under construction. It's quite a thrill to walk past that building once it's done and think "fuck yeah, I was inside there"

"fall 15 feet below floor level down an elevator shaft." how would they help him? It was the only way to get him out safely, elevator shafts have dangerous shit at the bottom

I'd call some friends to bring a ladder or some rope and repelling gear (which I always have on me). The last # I'd call for help while doing something illegal is 9-1-1. The sad thing is too, stupid asshole probably could sue Atlantic Electric for endangering his life and win.

What do you usually do regarding transportation? There's a location that I want to explore, but I have no other choice but to get there by car. Do I hide it near by? How do you usually approach a location?

Park nearby, but away from the property as to not draw attention to yourself, and walk there. Don't park somewhere that your car will look suspicious either. No one parks at a gas station and walks away, they'll report your abandoned vehicle. If you have to do it like that, spend $.97 on a "For Sale" sign and make it look like you parked your car on the side of the road somewhere for a few hours to try to sell it. If a cop calls to complain, tell them you went to get food nearby and will be right back to move it. If someone actually calls about the car, tell em its 3x what its worth and if they're not interested you don't have time to negotiate. (and if they are dumb enough to buy it, sweet!) But yeah, the parking situation is usually a headache for me. Try to plan out your explorations beforehand, map out your parking spot and walking path with google earth or something. Sometimes I've been stuck, nowhere to park and too long of walk, and I needed a friend to drop me off and come back in an hour to pick me up. Ideally there's a mall, a walmart, or a 7-11 nearby. Good luck!

Awesome, thanks for the tips! Do you ever have any concerns regarding self-defense? I understand that if you're caught on-property with anything that can be considered a weapon any charges levied against you are essentially tripled, but considering the last few videos and your run-ins with scavengers and scrappers, I'm worried.

Bring something that you can also toss if necessary.

Alright, that makes sense. Have you ever run into a situation where you're entering a building only to realize that it has active security? Like, tripped a door alarm or spotted a moving camera?

What kind of camera do you use?

How dare someone shoot Beavis

I use a d3100. Its not ideal, but its cheap enough that its not the end of the world if something happens. Haven't encounter security like that, though I've read it is more common with schools than other types of facilities. It is unlikely though.