One or more groups of overall-wearing manhole raiders have taken center stage in the New York City social media scene, leaving many to wonder who they could be and what would drive them to enter such a dangerous and disgusting part of the city.
City officials are unequivocal in pointing out that the activity is illegal, dangerous, and much less mysterious than the speculation spreading online.
Here’s what to know
Since May 5, four such episodes have been reported in the city. The one that spread most widely online was an August 18 video showing three people in chest waders coming out of a maintenance hole near Penn Station, according to The Irish Times. Authorities later said another group was also filmed entering a maintenance hole in Wantagh on Long Island.
Speculation has focused on urban exploration and the possibility of copper scavenging, but police said they haven’t confirmed why the entries are happening. Brooklyn officers arrested two men on criminal trespass charges after officials said they had been sewer diving.
Déja Stewart, a spokesperson for New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, said the underground network contains “noxious gases, flooding risks and confined spaces” and warned that entering it threatens the “safety and security of our critical infrastructure.”
More background
What has been documented so far is narrower than the claims of a secret society that online conspiracy talk suggests. Repeated unauthorized entries by people carrying headlamps, waders, and tools are taking place within a sewer system that runs about 7,500 miles, but there’s no evidence of an “underground society” or any other plot.
To Steve Duncan, an urban explorer who spent two decades moving through New York’s underground spaces, the people in the videos didn’t look inexperienced. He said their timing suggested they understood when conditions might be less dangerous.
“When it rains, that has the effect of flushing out the nasty stuff,” Duncan told The Irish Times, explaining why some explorers may choose to go after storms.
The danger isn’t limited to people below street level. Phil Wong, a New York City Council member who represents parts of Queens, said his office had reported at least six exposed maintenance holes in August, and three were still open when he spoke. Officials also warned that sewer conditions can change quickly, creating immediate risks for pedestrians and drivers.
What’s being done?
Wong said he wants to press for a hearing on ways to better seal or secure maintenance holes, especially after repeated complaints about covers that were missing, damaged, or dislodged. City officials are treating the episodes as both a public-safety issue and a threat to infrastructure security.
One explanation that cable workers in Wong’s district shared with him is that scavengers may be heading underground to look for old copper wires. Duncan, however, questioned whether sewer diving would be a practical way to earn money.
“Out of all the ways to scavenge a bit of money in New York, buying headlamps and chest waders and going into a manhole cover seems like the most absurd way to go about it,” he said.
The city said an exposed maintenance hole can lead to injury, flooding, toxic exposure, and damage to critical infrastructure.
Officials said the priority is preventing additional unauthorized entries. As Stewart put it: “Members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole or outfall.”
Where can I learn more?
The reports out of New York have also put a spotlight on the infrastructure most people never think about until something goes wrong. The stories below look at other cases where sewage systems, drainage networks, and hidden hazards turned into issues of public health, contamination, or enforcement.
• In Taiwan, inspectors found company workers with septic sewage during an illegal dumping scheme.
• In Lowndes County, Alabama, the disturbing danger flowing through failed pipes exposed residents to parasites.
• In Austin, disturbing new findings emerge as roadside debris sends microplastics into waterways.
Each case is a reminder that buried systems can create problems well above ground. That helps put New York officials’ warnings about unauthorized sewer access in context.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.