Three men dressed in overalls and headlamps were filmed pulling themselves out of a manhole in Manhattan at 4am on August 18 near Madison Square Garden. The footage is the latest in a spate of 'mole people' sightings in New York City this summer.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) said it is aware of the incident and is "actively investigating" the case. It remains unknown whether the incidents are connected.
Scavenging trend across boroughs
Police investigated similar incidents in Queens and Williamsburg, where scavengers allegedly spent hours below ground carrying shovels or other tools. In May, bands of people were filmed emerging from sewers across Brooklyn, mysteriously spotted exiting New York's manholes.
According to police, the people appear to be diving into the city's sewer system to scavenge for valuables that could have fallen through a grate and made its way into the sewage. A spokesperson for the city's Environmental Protection Department said none of the infrastructure had been damaged and no arrests have yet been made in an ongoing investigation.
Dangers and past incidents
Authorities urged people seeking hidden treasure to stay out of the sewers, warning that sneaking into manholes was "both illegal and extremely dangerous." Officials cited risks of noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces, and said members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole, or outfall.
In 2015, three people were arrested for trespassing after scavenging through sewers for "gold, jewellery and valuables" in a Brooklyn manhole but emerged empty-handed. Part-time city Department of Environmental Protection employee Marquis Evans took two men, Damien Nieves and David Hannibal, into a Brooklyn manhole, and the trio faced criminal charges for trespassing following the incident.
Long-standing fascination
The American public has a long-standing fascination with exploring New York's sewer system. New York Times articles from the 1800s reported criminals retrieved jewels from the underground, with criminals discarding drugs and other contraband into drains.
