Mystery sewer crawlers caught on camera in NYC; police launch probe

New York City police have opened an investigation after security cameras repeatedly caught unidentified people entering and exiting the sewer system through manholes late at night. No evidence of a threat to public safety or any injuries has been confirmed so far, but authorities warned that unauthorized sewer access is both illegal and extremely dangerous.

Surveillance cameras captured at least three separate incidents of people climbing in or out of manholes in Brooklyn and Queens, according to the Associated Press.

In the early hours of May 29, roughly seven people were filmed emerging one by one from a manhole in the middle of a roadway at an intersection in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Some wore headlamps and carried what appeared to be shovels and other equipment. One person nearly collided with a passing vehicle while climbing out.

Around the same time, several people were also caught on camera surfacing from a manhole in Gravesend, Brooklyn, and walking to a nearby vehicle. Police believe the group entered the sewer around 11 p.m. the previous night and remained underground for about three hours.

Earlier, on May 5, three people wearing protective gear and waterproof boots were filmed lifting a manhole cover and descending into the sewer on a street in Queens. The last person to enter pulled the cover shut behind them as vehicles waited nearby.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection inspected the two Brooklyn sewer facilities shown in the footage and found no damage to the infrastructure. The Queens case remains under investigation.

Authorities said sewers pose life-threatening hazards — including toxic gases, flooding, unstable ground and confined spaces — and are strictly off-limits to the public.

Police searched the areas involved but said no arrests have been made. Separately, a woman died last month after falling into an open manhole in Manhattan.