Overview
- Security and social-media videos show at least three nighttime incidents where groups climbed through manhole covers and entered sewer tunnels in Brooklyn and Queens, with the latest two captured late Friday in Brooklyn.
- Police deployed the NYPD Emergency Services Unit and the Department of Environmental Protection to sweep the tunnels and found no apparent damage to infrastructure or hazardous materials.
- Investigators’ leading theory is that the individuals were scavenging the sewer system for lost coins, jewelry or other valuables, a behavior tied to prior arrests in 2015 and April 2025.
- No arrests or injuries have been reported and the NYPD’s Intelligence Division continues an active investigation to identify those involved and any links between the incidents.
- City officials warned the public that entering sewers is illegal and extremely dangerous because of toxic gases, unstable surfaces and flood risks, and urged residents to call police rather than approach suspected trespassers.