Jul 14, 2026 23:00:00

48 people were arrested in four months for trespassing into a dilapidated former IBM office, and there was even an incident where a fire broke out.

by

Michael Coleman

It has been revealed that 48 people have been arrested for trespassing in the past four months at a former IBM office complex in Somers, Westchester County, New York. Thirty of those arrested were teenagers, and in one case, a fire was started by an intruder.

People Keep Sneaking Into an Empty IBM Campus. This Town Has Had Enough. - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/ibm-campus-explorers-somers-new-york-e3dfe489

Former IBM campus sees 42 trespassing arrests in four months
https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/trespassing-arrests-ibm-complex-somers-22311078.php

The building in question is a complex consisting of five buildings, designed by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei. He is best known for his glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum.

With the completion of the complex in 1989, IBM was able to consolidate its 3,000 employees, who had been scattered across surrounding offices, into one location, making it the business center of Somers.

by Michael Coleman

However, IBM withdrew from this office in 2016 and sold the facility. As of 2026, the facility is owned by Sebastian Capital and a company called '294 Route 100, LLC'.


While there have always been people who enjoy exploring abandoned places as a hobby, in recent years, the popularity of abandoned place exploration challenges on TikTok has led to an influx of people other than enthusiasts into these locations.

According to local police, the facility has seen a surge in trespassers since a video of it went viral in the winter of 2025. In the four months from February 2026, 48 people were arrested for trespassing on the premises. Most were visitors from nearby towns, and 30 were teenagers. One man in his 20s was charged with a serious crime for possessing a loaded gun and stealing cameras, power strips, and other items, calling them 'souvenirs.'

Local fire officials reported on March 30, 2026, that a fire believed to have been caused by an intruder occurred. The fire damaged the central service supply building.


Roxana Gilland Spitzer, president and CEO of Sebastian Capital, said, 'We are victims of vandalism,' and expressed gratitude for the support from the police.