Rutgers Rarities and Unexplained Phenomena

The Haunted Winery of Bound Brook

Account as Told by K.A., An Employee

I work at this really old place in Bound Brook called "The Winery" which is just off Main Street, near Mountain Avenue. The place is a wine-making facility and before the current owner purchased the lease on the building, it supposedly was a sweatshop where illegal immigrants worked. It"s definitely a very old building in a neighborhood that"s famous for its immigrant population and on the top floor of the building there still are pins and some sewing stuff lying around, so the "sweatshop" rumor may be true. I have been working at the Winery for the past three months and about one month ago I had a very scary experience when I was working alone in the afternoon.

I was on the first floor labeling vats of wine at about 3:00 one afternoon and my back was to an inside door that leads to the stairway to the top floor. There is about an inch of space under the door and because there are windows on the second floor near the stairway, light streams under the door. I was just kneeling, labeling the wine, when I saw out of the corner of my eye some movement, like feet, blocking the light under the door. I was alone and there was absolutely no one else in the building so I was a little startled but when I turned and looked directly at the door, the light was coming through normal. I figured it was my hair or something in my peripheral vision that made it look like there was movement behind the door. I kept working and then I caught it again. It was like somebody was stepping behind the door or something was moving that partially blocked the light. There was no noise but I was sure I saw something briefly. I started trying to rationalize in my mind what was going on. I told myself that there were shadows under the door because of trees or something interfering with the light that streams in the windows. Then it happened again and I was definitely getting nervous. I then heard a heavy stomping sort of footsteps go across the ceiling area as if someone was walking or stomping very heavily across the top floor. At this point I became very alarmed, called my mother, and got out of there fast. In the parking lot I looked for any other cars or signs of people but there were none. Both external doors were securely locked and there is no way anyone could access the top floor of the building. No alarms went off and I couldn"t help but wonder if I was going crazy or what. I know what I heard- it was very loud, but it was so strange because if a person somehow got in, I know I would have heard them go up the stairs as they are old, loud and very creaky. That stomping noise sounded way too heavy to be a squirrel or animal - it really sounded like somebody with boots walking across the top floor. I looked around outside and saw that the top floor was really way too high for any trees or anything to have made shadows in the windows.

I was very scared after that experience and I didn"t work alone there for about two months afterwards. I recently have started working some early afternoons alone and nothing weird has happened again, but I did feel very scared that day and I still am a little uneasy at times. This is a totally true story.

Outter facade of Winery and the official delivery truck of fine spirits.

Quaint inside area of the first floor of the Winery complete with bar, dining area, and rolling hills motiff painted over garage doors and windows.

Area on the first floor containing stacked barrels of wine and equipment for storage and transportation.

Doorway behind which the shadows were seen. Behind the door was a brick wall and a small space. Up the stairs was a window from which there were no trees that could form shadows.