  In this paper we investigate the production of pentaquark states in the
photon -- proton interactions present in hadronic collisions at the RHIC and
LHC. We consider two phenomenological models for the $J/\Psi$ photoproduction
that consider the presence of the $P_c(4312)$, $P_c(4440)$ and $P_c(4457)$
resonances in the $s$ -- channel of the $\gamma p \rightarrow J/\Psi p$
reaction. The rapidity distribution is estimated for $pA$ collisions at the
RHIC and LHC. Predictions for $pPb$, $Pb \, Ar$ and $Pb \,He$ fixed -- target
collisions at the LHC are also presented. We demonstrate that the experimental
analysis of the $J/\Psi$ photoproduction in fixed -- target collisions can
provide complementary and independent checks on these states, and help to
understand their underlying nature.
