Security cameras near a New York City hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was planning to stay captured three men emerging from sewers before dawn Wednesday, police said.
The appearance by the mysterious scavengers does not appear to be connected to Netanyahu or the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan.
“We have seen a number of incidents over the past few months of individuals going into the sewer system to look for valuables and other scrap metal after a storm,” New York police said in a statement.
Security video of a group prying open a manhole cover in Astoria, Queens, in May. (AKI Autocare)
“This incident fits that same criteria, but out of an abundance of caution given the U.N. General Assembly and the sensitivity of the location, the NYPD is conducting additional security sweeps with our federal partners,” the police department said.
The three men popped out from the sewer at about 4:30 a.m. and left by car.
The police department has “a robust response to these incidents, which were deployed overnight and additional measures today,” police added.
It’s believed the men were behind similar incidents, mysteriously emerging from city sewers, captured on video this year.
The men, not affiliated with any public works crews, were seen climbing out of manholes in various Brooklyn neighborhoods in late May.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com