Teens trapped in Kings Park ward arrested

Three teens were reluctant inmates at the defunct Kings Park Psychiatric Center Monday when they climbed into a building and the large metal door of a former patient room banged shut behind them, trapping them inside, state parks police said.

Building 93 had been locked and its outside doors nailed shut, but the boys, all 17, took advantage of a tree and a broken window on one of the lower floors of the 10-story building, the tallest on the site, to sneak in, state police said.

"They climbed a tree and entered through the open window," Sgt. Anthony Catalano said. "They wandered around and they subsequently got into a room and the door shut behind them and they got trapped."

They were stuck on the top floor, but one teen had a cellphone and called 911 shortly before 4:20 p.m., police said.

When Catalano arrived, he called the boys back as they awaited rescue from the Kings Park and Commack fire departments, Suffolk County emergency services police, state parks officers and the state parks official who had the keys.

"The building still has asbestos so we don't enter it unless it's a dire emergency and someone's dying in there," Catalano said. "They were actually able to wave down to me. . . . They saw me and I waved up to them. The three of them were fine. They knew they were in trouble at that point because the fire department was there and when the fire department arrived, they arrived with a lot of people."

It took at least 15 minutes to open the main door, the sergeant said: "All those doors are pretty secure. They actually nail them shut because kids will do anything to get in these buildings."

Then it took another 15 minutes for firefighters to suit up and walk 10 flights, police said.

The teens came out just after 5 p.m. and were checked by ambulance medics at the scene, police said.

Christopher McCall of Commack, Lucus Eisele of Hauppauge and Oliver Hubbard of Smithtown were charged as adults with third-degree criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, police said. They were picked up at the scene by their parents and expected to return Tuesday to parks police headquarters in Babylon to be fingerprinted and processed, police said. Arraignment is set for May 1.

Catalano said the teens were "very remorseful" adding, "They saw when they came out there was a lot of fire department trucks and police cars. They knew that they created a big deal."