In life, it’s very rare to come across a place that’s been truly—and suddenly—abandoned.
Most of the time, any empty building you see is simply a result of slow-moving, easily explainable factors. A company starts to lose money and eventually goes out of business; a fault in the building means it’s no longer suitable for habitation, but it’s also too expensive to fix.
Occasionally, however, urban explorers will come across a place that appears to have been left in a matter of minutes. These have an eerie, haunting feeling: food left half-eaten, flowers rotting away in vases, and wall photos fading into pale imitations of their former selves.
One might expect to see something like this in a Colorado ghost town. But what’s a place like this doing in downtown Secaucus, New Jersey?
Why Was This Restaurant Abandoned?
In a video with over 1.9 million views, TikTok user Marce Lin (@the_marce_lin) explains how she and her sister decided to visit “the abandoned Houlihans at Harmon Meadows in Secaucus.”
The video starts with the pair looking into the window of the restaurant. Numerous plates and cups sit on the tables, many of them still holding food and drink.
“There’s literally mold on that,” says one of the women, looking at the food on the table.
The pair then shows a sign on the window. It’s an order to vacate dated February 24, 2026. Following this, one of them asks a question about the roof. This is a clue regarding why this restaurant became abandoned in the first place.
In an email to BroBible, Scott Marshall, COO of Houlihan’s, wrote, “Due to a partial roof collapse resulting from accumulated snowfall, we are currently closed. Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of our employees and guests, the building was immediately evacuated. The facility remains unsafe for occupancy and entry is prohibited. We have no updates at this time and will as more information becomes available.”
From Bustling Restaurant To Abandoned Eatery
According to ABC7, the reason the restaurant was initially abandoned was due to a significant snowfall.
On February 24, 2026, snow piling up on top of the restaurant caused its roof to cave in. While the roof did not fully collapse, it buckled enough that the Town Building Inspector declared the building must be closed until further notice. Building management was put in charge of managing repairs.
Lin’s video was posted at the end of May. In the weeks since, there appear to have been few updates—though it seems that change is under way.
On June 10, 2026, New Jersey photographer Alex Fagioli made an Instagram post containing photos of Houlihan’s he says were taken on June 8. These photos show the interior of the restaurant; while he still describes the eatery as “abandoned,” he notes that, at some point between Lin’s video and his photographs, they cleaned the food and drinks shown in Lin’s video off the tables.
Additionally, the “careers” section of the Houlihan’s website directs visitors to another page in which several positions are listed for the Secaucus location. For now, the Houlihan’s website still lists this specific restaurant as “temporarily closed.”
@the_marce_lin My sis and I exploring the abandoned Houlihans at Harmon Meadows in Secaucus. #marcesview #abandonedhoulihans #secaucusnj
Diners Are Freaked Out
In the comments section of Lin’s video, users expressed their surprise and shock at the decision to simply leave the restaurant as it apparently was on the day it closed.
“That’s crazy they didn’t even clean it up,” wrote a user.
“A roof collapsing is a hazard,” countered another. “No one going in there to clean up food plates knowing the roof could fall on their head.”
“The kitchen must be a nightmare by now,” shared a third.
BroBible reached out to Lin via email and Instagram direct message.