NYPD to increase security sweeps after three people emerge from Upper East Side manhole amid UN gathering
Three individuals were seen climbing out of a manhole on the Upper East Side, prompting the NYPD to plan additional security sweeps as the U.N. General Assembly convenes in New York.
The New York Police Department said it will expand security sweeps after three people were observed exiting a manhole on the Upper East Side, an area considered sensitive because several dignitaries are staying nearby. The incident, captured on camera, occurred around 4:30 a.m. in front of 535 Park Avenue, across from the Regency Hotel, and the individuals fled northbound in two vehicles.
Brad Weekes, a police spokesperson, said the event matches previous cases in which people entered the sewer system after storms to search for scrap metal and other valuables. He added that, with the United Nations General Assembly meeting in the city this week, the department will conduct extra sweeps.
"NYPD has a robust response to these incidents, which were deployed overnight and additional measures today," Weekes said.
The Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that the sewer infrastructure is safe but warned that entering the system is illegal and hazardous due to toxic gases, flooding risks and confined spaces. No arrests have been made, and an investigation remains ongoing.
Similar incidents have been reported in recent months, including five people exiting a manhole near Penn Station in August and groups of seven and eight emerging from manholes in Brooklyn neighborhoods earlier this year.