Four Philadelphia Residents Cited for Trespassing at Former Laurelton Center

Milton State Police cited four Philadelphia residents for trespassing at the former Laurelton Center on Old Turnpike Road in Hartley Township on the evening of March 14, marking what was at the time the second trespassing incident at the shuttered property in 2026.

State police say four people from Philadelphia are facing charges after the trespassing incident at the former Laurelton Center in Hartley Township, Union County. The group consisted of two adults and two juveniles. Newsradio 1070 WKOK reported the four as two women, ages 46 and 49, and two 17-year-old boys. Troopers did not release the names of any of those cited.

State Trooper Tyler Bierly, of the Milton State Police Barracks, reported the incident at 7:56 p.m. on March 14 in Hartley Township. Troopers responded to Old Turnpike Road and found the group on the property. All four admitted to trespassing and were cited on the scene.

The March 14 citation is far from an isolated occurrence. On March 16, a group of 13 people from Centre County, the Philadelphia area, and Illinois came to the property to explore; police were alerted and arrested the group, who all received trespassing charges. A separate incident the previous November saw four Centre County residents charged after being caught on the grounds shortly after 1:45 p.m. on Nov. 23. Those four were charged for trespassing at the former state hospital in western Union County through the Mifflinburg office of District Judge Jeffrey Mensch. The four named in that case were Gabriel Rinde, 20, and Michael Noe, 19, both of Furnace, and Ella Furedy and Victoria Austin Powell, both 19, of State College.

The pattern extends well beyond 2025 and 2026. July 2024 brought two separate incidents: a 17-year-old girl from Lewisburg, an 18-year-old woman from Lewisburg, and a 19-year-old man from Danville were found on the property at 1:22 a.m. on July 16; three days later, a 34-year-old man from New Lisbon, N.Y., was found on the grounds at 3:56 p.m. and was also in possession of a small amount of marijuana and a glass smoking device. Local reporting has tallied 14 trespassing incidents at the site across a span of 14 months.

The Laurelton Center has been vacant since the state closed it in 1998. The 266-acre property includes more than 50 buildings. The center had previously been used as a state hospital for the mentally disabled. In March 2021, Laurelton Center was sold for more than $1 million to Jay Fulkroad of Juniata County, who owns a construction business in McAlisterville. Fulkroad has not disclosed his plans for the property.

Over the years, urban explorers have come to film or take pictures of the abandoned property. Police make it clear those people will be charged. The property is marked with "No Trespassing" signs and in some areas purple paint markings indicating the land is closed to entry. Pennsylvania State Police warn that anyone entering the marked property can face criminal trespass charges, which as a non-traffic summary offense can carry a maximum penalty of up to 90 days in jail or up to $300 in fines.