Police Search for Three Men Seen Entering Manhattan Manhole Early Sunday

New York police are searching for three men who were observed entering a manhole on West 141st Street in the Hamilton Heights area just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, officials said. By the time officers arrived, the individuals had already left the scene.

The incident follows several similar reports in recent weeks, including an Oct. 9 sighting on the Upper East Side where four men and a woman emerged from a manhole, later driving away in a black SUV and leaving behind shovels and other tools. Police have described these urban scavengers as unlikely to pose a threat, suggesting they may be searching for valuables displaced by rain.

Earlier this month, two people were arrested after a manhole near a hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefly stayed during the U.N. General Assembly was investigated. Although federal and city agents conducted additional sweeps of the area, no suspicious activity was found. A separate report from Sept. 25 described three men climbing out of a sewer in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, before the opening was closed by police.

"We do not believe these individuals represent a security risk; they appear to be looking for discarded items," a police source said.