Founder of N.Y.C. Ghost Tour Claims Popular Site Is ‘Definitely’ Haunted
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The founder of New York City’s Ghost Tour, Steven “Stevie” Garcia, shares exclusive insights about the hauntings in NYC. According to Steven Garcia, the visionary behind Empire Tours and Productions, the streets of New York City are not only filled with history but are also haunted by spirits of the past. In an interview with PEOPLE, Garcia sheds light on what visitors can experience on the Gangsters and Ghosts Tour in NYC and highlights some popular sites that he believes are undeniably haunted.
Garcia describes the Gangsters and Ghosts Tour as a unique combination of true crime history and ghost stories, taking participants through Manhattan’s oldest and most notorious neighborhoods like Chinatown, Little Italy, the West Village, and the historic Five Points area. These locations were once hubs for gangs, bootleggers, and speakeasies during the early 1900s, shaping the city’s dark reputation.
The tour is designed to immerse guests in real-life locations that have been featured in iconic movies such as Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, and The Irishman. It explores haunted sites and crime scenes from the 19th and 20th centuries, connecting visitors to the city’s intriguing past that may have only been seen in films or heard on podcasts. Led by historian guides, the tour delves into the events, murders, and betrayals that defined NYC’s early years.
One of the main objectives of the tour is to showcase the living history of New York City. Garcia emphasises that every street and corner in NYC has a story to tell, some of which can send shivers down your spine once you learn about the events that transpired there. The tour not only caters to tourists but also surprises long-time residents who discover hidden layers of their city’s past, leaving them with a newfound appreciation for NYC’s rich history.
When asked about haunted spots in NYC, Garcia confidently affirms their existence, citing Washington Square Park as a prime example. He reveals that the park was formerly a potter’s field, where thousands of bodies were buried, making it a hotspot for paranormal activity. The old buildings in the West Village also harbour numerous eerie tales, particularly the brownstones that are known for unexplained sounds and strange occurrences.
During the Ghost Tour, participants have reported experiencing inexplicable phenomena, such as capturing photos with mysterious blurs or encountering sudden cold spots that give everyone a pause. The tour guides themselves have their own eerie encounters, especially near old crime scenes where flickering lights and other unexplainable events are not uncommon along the route.
While exploring various locations in NYC, the Five Points neighbourhood stands out for Garcia due to its notorious history as a crime-ridden area in the 19th century. Once the inspiration for the film Gangs of New York, Five Points was a chaotic melting pot of gangs, immigrants, and early New Yorkers. Through the tour, Garcia aims to provide a nuanced perspective on the city’s past, highlighting themes of immigration, criminal law, and NYC’s evolution into a global powerhouse.
The fascination with this era stems from the mix of danger and glamour that characterised the gangsters of the time. Garcia acknowledges the ruthless nature of these figures but also recognises the larger-than-life personas they embodied, building shadowy empires that still captivate audiences today. By combining the allure of gangster lore with ghost stories, the tour offers a compelling experience where history and mystery intersect, transporting visitors into a real-life cinematic adventure through the annals of NYC’s past.