The New York Police Department is investigating a series of incidents in which groups of people have been recorded entering and exiting the city’s sewer system through street-level maintenance holes, according to security footage reviewed by authorities.
One video, captured early Friday in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, shows roughly seven people emerging from a manhole in the middle of a street intersection as vehicles pass nearby. Some of the individuals wore headlamps and carried what appeared to be shovels and other tools, the footage shows. One person narrowly avoided being struck by a car while pulling themselves out of the ground.
Security cameras have recorded at least three separate nighttime instances of similar activity since late last week across Brooklyn and Queens, according to investigators. In each case, groups were seen entering or exiting the sewer system through maintenance holes.
The NYPD has not publicly identified any of the individuals involved or disclosed what investigators believe the groups were doing underground. The investigation remains active, department officials said.