NYC police investigate nighttime manhole exits, suspect scavenging activity
Detectives are reviewing surveillance after three individuals emerged from a Manhattan manhole early on Aug. 18, and say prior incidents suggest many underground trespassers are searching for valuables.
Police are examining a video recorded shortly after 4 a.m. on Aug. 18 that shows three people in dark clothing and headlamps climbing out of an open manhole on Seventh Avenue near West 32nd Street, close to Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. The New York Police Department is reviewing surveillance footage to identify the individuals, and no arrests have been made.
Detectives said earlier investigations into similar incidents indicate that many of the people entering the city’s sewer system are scavengers, often migrants, looking for items of value. Previous cases involved groups emerging from Brooklyn sewers in May, with participants later charged with low-level offenses that were often dismissed.
Following those incidents, NYPD Emergency Services Unit officers and the Department of Environmental Protection inspected the sewer infrastructure and reported no damage or hazardous material left behind. City officials reiterated that unauthorized entry into the sewer system is illegal and poses serious risks, including toxic gases, unstable surfaces and flooding.
The investigation into the Aug. 18 incident remains ongoing, and authorities have not linked the latest group to earlier cases.