The New York City police department (NYPD) is investigating a recent video showing three people emerging from a manhole, the latest in a series of similar incidents that have sparked public curiosity.
The video, posted to TikTok on Friday, shows three individuals climbing out of a manhole one after another at 4.19am on 18 August, wearing headlamps and black overalls near Madison Square Garden.
Police confirm active investigation
“The NYPD is aware of the incident and is actively investigating,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement on Monday. “There are no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.”
The investigation comes about three months after the NYPD first announced a search into multiple social media videos from May showing people climbing out of sewer systems across the city, all in the middle of the night and wearing similar attire.
Previous searches found no threats
In a previous statement to NBC News, the agency said: “The NYPD, to make sure there was not a threat to the public, sent their highly trained Emergency Services Unit officers into the sewer system to make sure nothing nefarious had been left behind by the individuals – nothing was found.”
That statement added: “And the city Environmental Protection Department, which manages the system, also went in and apparently found no damage to the sewer system equipment.”
NBC, citing a senior law enforcement official, reported that one theory investigators are considering is that those in the videos are “scouring the system for valuables that get into the sewage”.
Health and safety concerns raised
It remains unclear whether the videos from May and the one from Friday are related, authorities said.
Regardless, Rob Wolejsza, a spokesperson for New York’s department of environmental protection, expressed concerns about the health and safety of those emerging from the manholes.
“DEP works closely with our public safety partners to help ensure the safety and security of critical infrastructure throughout New York City,” Wolejsza said in an email reported by NBC. “Entering the sewer system is both illegal and extremely dangerous.”
