North Brother Island holds a disturbing place in New York City's history, from the devastating General Slocum steamship fire to the decades-long confinement of Typhoid Mary. Exploring with Josh takes viewers into this abandoned East River medical complex, documenting deteriorating hospital buildings, forgotten recreational facilities, and structures gradually disappearing beneath dense vegetation. The combination of historical tragedy, dangerous exploration, and paranormal investigation creates an ambitious adventure that succeeds most convincingly when the island's surviving architecture takes center stage.
The journey begins with Josh and his companion Ratic navigating the East River by kayak, struggling with currents and the difficulty of reaching an island that has been abandoned for more than six decades. Their nervous excitement feels genuine, particularly as they approach the shoreline and discover how many buildings remain standing. The opening establishes the physical challenges of the expedition while giving viewers a strong sense of geographical isolation. However, the hazardous crossing, unstable landing areas, and restricted nature of the protected bird sanctuary also raise questions about the wisdom of attempting such an exploration without more substantial preparation or discussion of access restrictions.
The historical background provides valuable context for understanding the island's changing purpose. Josh explains how Riverside Hospital operated as a quarantine facility for infectious diseases before the property was converted into housing for returning veterans and eventually a rehabilitation center for teenagers struggling with heroin addiction. His accounts of the 1904 General Slocum disaster and Mary Mallon's repeated confinement introduce the human suffering associated with the location. These sections give the abandoned buildings significance beyond their appearance, although the presentation offers little sourcing or discussion of historical uncertainty. The later suggestion that at least 3,000 people died or experienced tragedy on the island is particularly imprecise, combining different experiences into a dramatic figure without establishing a reliable death toll.
The exploration itself delivers the production's strongest material. Inside the main hospital, Josh discovers tiled operating areas, surviving medical cabinets, deteriorating patient rooms, old lighting fixtures, kitchen equipment, and municipal hospital paperwork. His enthusiasm becomes especially infectious when he encounters unexpected architectural details, including a damaged spiral staircase and an auditorium with rows of original seating still visible. The gymnasium, with its surviving basketball hoop and vegetation growing through the structure, offers another striking reminder of how completely nature has reclaimed the property. Moving between these discoveries gives viewers an unusually extensive look at the complex, while the natural lighting and first-person camera work effectively communicate its atmosphere.
Unfortunately, some architectural interpretations rely more on instinct than verification. Josh repeatedly identifies spaces as operating rooms, recovery wards, staff accommodations, or recreational areas based on features that appear consistent with those functions but do not conclusively establish their original use. Speculation about missing equipment, former patient arrangements, and the reasons certain structures were modified occasionally becomes more confident than the available evidence warrants. His enthusiasm also produces repeated expressions of disbelief and comparisons to fictional settings, which gradually weaken the pacing. Nevertheless, his decision to document smaller surviving details rather than concentrating exclusively on dramatic ruins gives the exploration meaningful archival value.
The physical danger becomes increasingly apparent as the pair enter buildings with damaged staircases, deteriorating floors, exposed debris, and suspected asbestos contamination. Josh occasionally makes sensible decisions, refusing to climb certain structures or retreating when a floor appears too unstable. Yet those precautions are inconsistent, particularly when curiosity draws him onto questionable rooftops or into buildings he has already described as potentially dangerous. The adventure captures authentic tension, but the presentation sometimes treats hazardous conditions as exciting obstacles rather than emphasizing the consequences of structural collapse, hazardous materials, or an emergency on an isolated island.
The paranormal investigation shifts the focus from tangible historical evidence to interpretations of electronic equipment. Josh uses a music box, REM pod, digital recorder, and Ovilus device to search for possible communication with former patients and staff. Words such as "quarantine," "burning," "mad," and "scared" are interpreted as potentially meaningful responses, while indistinct recordings are heard as voices answering questions. He does acknowledge possible equipment sensitivity, environmental interference, and problems with his recorder, including a missing section of camera footage that he attempts to explain transparently. However, those limitations are not investigated systematically, and the suggestion that spirits interfered with recording equipment remains unsupported. The investigation supplies atmosphere and suspense but little persuasive evidence of paranormal activity.
The closing return across the river restores the adventure's original urgency, with changing currents, passing boats, and fading daylight making the journey back more difficult than anticipated. The successful landing offers a satisfying conclusion, followed by a reflective view of the island against New York City's skyline. Josh's appreciation for documenting endangered historical locations is sincere, and his concern that these structures may eventually disappear gives the expedition a worthwhile purpose. Although the extended runtime includes repetitive reactions and a paranormal segment that could have been substantially tighter, the extraordinary access to surviving interiors makes the overall experience memorable.
Pros
- Provides an extensive exploration of North Brother Island, documenting abandoned hospital wards, residential structures, recreational facilities, and waterfront infrastructure.
- Incorporates important historical background concerning Riverside Hospital, the General Slocum disaster, Typhoid Mary, and the island's later institutional uses.
- Captures remarkable surviving architectural details, including a spiral staircase, auditorium seating, gymnasium equipment, medical fixtures, and original hospital documents.
- Uses immersive first-person footage and natural lighting to convey the scale, deterioration, and isolation of the abandoned complex.
- Creates genuine adventure and suspense through the challenging kayak crossings, difficult terrain, and exploration of unstable buildings.
- Communicates an enthusiastic commitment to preserving a visual record of historically significant structures before further deterioration makes them inaccessible.
Cons
- Several room identifications and architectural interpretations are speculative, with limited verification of the buildings' original purposes.
- Historical claims are presented without supporting sources, while the suggested figure of at least 3,000 people connected to death or tragedy on the island lacks a clear evidentiary basis.
- Paranormal conclusions rely heavily on ambiguous recordings, generated words, and equipment responses that do not establish supernatural activity.
- Repeated expressions of amazement, similar room descriptions, and lengthy equipment sessions occasionally slow the documentary's momentum.
- The exploration includes significant physical risks, including unstable floors, suspected asbestos exposure, hazardous rooftops, and difficult river conditions, without consistently demonstrating appropriate precautions.
- The protected status of the island receives little attention in relation to the expedition's access and potential environmental impact.
Exploring with Josh delivers a fascinating and unusually thorough look inside one of New York City's most historically significant abandoned locations, with surviving hospital interiors and forgotten recreational spaces providing the most rewarding discoveries. His genuine enthusiasm, immersive camerawork, and attention to disappearing architecture make the expedition worthwhile, even when speculative historical interpretations and weak paranormal evidence undermine its documentary credibility. Despite uneven pacing and questionable safety decisions, the remarkable exploration footage makes this an engaging adventure for viewers interested in urban exploration, abandoned institutions, and forgotten local history.
