12,000 km of sewage flows in and out of the manhole, and there’s a danger of toxic gas and missing… a strong warning from the authorities
사진 확대 Video footage showed three people walking out with a manhole cover closed near Penn Station in Manhattan on Aug. 18. Ricardy Fabre
In the middle of Manhattan, New York, people wearing black waterproof suits and headlights appeared at dawn after opening the manhole lid.
As the video, which was shot on 7th Street near Pennsylvania Station on August 18, spread through social media, controversy surrounding mysterious figures infiltrating the underground sewer system is heating up.
Citizens are curious by comparing their appearance to the movies ‘Minions’, ‘Mario Brothers’, and ‘Ninja Turtles’, while raising concerns about possible crimes.
The New York Times reported on the 30th (local time) that this is the fifth time people have been seen entering and leaving sewage manholes in New York City since May, according to New York City authorities and police. In July, two men who broke into a sewage system were arrested by police and charged with home invasion.
The exact motives of those entering the New York City underground sewer network, which extends about 12,000 kilometers in total, are not yet known.
Police and experts have made various speculations about their purpose, ranging from urban exploration to collecting junk such as copper cables and exploration of valuables.
사진 확대 Veteran urban explorer Steve Duncan said he explored the sewer 100 times but found no valuables. Steve Duncan
Steve Duncan, who has been exploring New York’s underground for 20 years, explained, “It is a characteristic of a skilled urban explorer to be equipped with headlamps and waterproof suits and to move at night with low levels of sewage.”
“I’ve explored deep underground passages more than 100 times, but the most expensive thing I found was an expired credit card,” he said. “Out of all the ways to make even a little money in New York, getting into a manhole lid is the most ridiculous way.”
However, New York City authorities strongly warned that such actions could threaten infrastructure safety and lead to major accidents. The New York City Environmental Protection Agency (DEP) banned the unauthorized intrusion of the general public, saying, “The underground sewage network is an extremely dangerous place where toxic gases, sudden flooding, and the risk of confined space can lurk.”
An open manhole can be a great danger to citizens. In May, a 56-year-old woman died after falling into an open manhole while getting out of a car in midtown Manhattan.
The city council and police are also discussing measures to strengthen the security of underground facilities and seal manholes with the possibility of leading to major telecommunication and power cable theft or infrastructure terrorism.