Note: This story originally appeared in Herald Newson Oct. 30, 2006.
CLIFTON — The legends of the Gates of Hell promise spine-tingling encounters with the burning fires of the underworld.
But those who venture into the maze of drainage tunnels off Paulison Avenue are more likely to confront burnouts under the influence.
Visitors to Internet chat rooms devoted to the Gates of Hell share stories of bloody rituals, evil spirits and a secret room that houses a glowing human skull.
As far as the Police Department is concerned, there is no skull — but plenty of knuckleheads.
"It's been mostly juvenile situations," police Detective Capt. Robert Rowan said of activity in the area.
The entrance to the Gates of Hell can be found in a wooded area down the hill from a railroad line. The first pipe looks like a narrow, empty swimming pool about eight feet deep. Water runs down the center of the long, wide pipe toward Weasel Brook Park. In the other direction, the pipe leads to a cave-like entrance that begins the maze of underground tunnels.
The entrance walls and the first few tunnels are covered with graffiti. The painted words fall into several categories: obscene (the usual four-letter words and rude comments about so-and-so's mother), incomprehensible ("Gutter Ballet" and "Wyoming Mike") and, the largest category, graffiti that aspires to be spooky ("This Way To Where the Children Are Buried").
The most unsettling thing about the tunnels is that they are absolutely dark. There are also occasional loud noises, most likely from NJ Transit commuter trains that roar overhead.
Other than that, the Gates of Hell is pretty standard teenage stuff.
On a recent exploration of the tunnels, a reporter walked as far as an intersection of several tunnels, where rushing water made continuing the journey impossible.
Perhaps the most truthful bit of graffiti reads, "There Is Nothing Here."
It is not clear how old the tunnels are or how long they have been a destination for daring (or bored) teens, said Rowan. But he said mischievous activity picked up around the Gates of Hell after a recent book recounted some of the lore surrounding the site. The book, "Weird N.J.: Your Travel Guide to New Jersey's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets," was published in 2003 by the creators of a magazine of the same name.
The Weird N.J. website has a page devoted to the Gates of Hell.
"Satanic sacrifices, bones everywhere, decaying carcasses, and upside down crosses, anything dealing with the darkness in human nature was supposedly down there," said one writer, identified only as Ralph S.
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A writer named Jeff H. described a mystical guardian at the entrance of the tunnels:
"Red Eyed Mike is the spirit that guards the entrance of the tunnel. If you knock on the railroad ties above the entrance three times, you will hear a loud horn blast emanate from within the tunnel. I have heard this horn, not every time I've tried this, but it has sent me running so fast that I nearly broke my leg. I've also encountered rocks being tossed out of the tunnel with no apparent deliverer. I've also seen a small figure, about three feet high, sprint out of the tunnel faster than any human being can move, and take off towards the tunnel that leads to Weasel Brook Park. I was later told that this was Red Eyed Mike."
Several visitors to the Gates of Hell in recent years have looked for Red Eyed Mike, only to find the men in blue.
In November 2003, a 26-year-old Totowa man was arrested on weapons charges after police caught him with several knives near the tunnels.
A 22-year-old Avenel man was arrested on an outstanding warrant. Police were called to the scene, because the man was swept away by rushing water as he explored the tunnels. They found him soaked and shivering in the woods by the nearby Passaic River.
These tales of misfortune have not dissuaded more recent visits.
Brian Olave, 17, and Rafael Polanco, 16, both of Clifton, said they wandered down into the Gates of Hell a couple of years ago.
Their reason for going?
"There's levels, and the more levels you go down, you can find the door to hell," Rafael said.
The boys said they did not make it that far, but were there long enough to experience some pretty eerie stuff.
"I had a brand new phone," Brian said, holding his cell phone. "I poked it out. It died automatically!"
The boys nodded, resting their case.
