Videos of men mysteriously emerging from New York City sewers have drawn the attention of police, who insist there’s “no threat to the public,” authorities said Monday.
Social media posts appear to show groups of men, not affiliated with any public works crews, climbing out of manholes in various Brooklyn neighborhoods last week.
There haven’t been any immediate arrests in the apparent trespassing incidents.
Police are pursuing their leading theory that the group is “scouring the system for valuables that get into the sewage,” a senior law enforcement official told NBC News.
“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. And the city Environmental Protection Department, which manages the system, also went in and apparently found no damage to the sewer system equipment,” the official added.
In video timestamped about 2 a.m. Friday, a man in a white shirt and shorts is seen picking up a manhole cover and allowing seven men to emerge. All of them appear to be wearing coveralls or protective clothing before quickly changing into different clothes near McDonald and Bedford avenues.
In another video also shot in Brooklyn, a man in a red shirt is seen opening a manhole cover from underneath, dangerously climbing into a street with traffic near Heyward Street and Bedford Avenue.
Six people emerge following that first man, with at least three of them carrying shovels. They all appeared to be wearing or carrying headlamps.
Investigators have not immediately linked the two incidents, police said.
“There were no injuries reported. There are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing,” a police spokesperson said of both Brooklyn incidents.
