{"id":329643,"date":"2026-08-25T22:40:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T22:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/329643\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T22:40:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T22:40:21","slug":"migrants-seen-emerging-from-nyc-manholes-may-be-searching-sewers-for-valuables-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/329643\/","title":{"rendered":"Migrants seen emerging from NYC manholes may be searching sewers for valuables: police"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (TNND) \u2014 Investigators believe the men captured on video climbing out of manholes<\/a> in New York City in the middle of the night are migrants searching the sewer system for valuables, the NYPD told ABC 7 News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Three men were caught on camera<\/a> emerging from a manhole near Penn Station last week, wearing overalls and headlamps.<\/p>\n

The video was recorded after 4 a.m. Tuesday at 32nd Street and Seventh Avenue, near Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, the person who posted it told NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An NYPD spokesperson said police are aware of the video and are searching for three people in connection with the Aug. 18 incident. No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.<\/p>\n

Detectives told ABC7 they learned of similar scavenger activity in countries including Venezuela, whose nationals arrived in New York City in large numbers during the immigration crisis that began in 2022. <\/p>\n

The incident follows another investigation<\/a> earlier in the summer, when groups of people were seen entering sewers at night in Brooklyn and Queens. <\/p>\n

The NYPD told ABC 7 News officials either charged them with low-level crimes that were dismissed because they are first-time offenders or prosecutions were declined altogether. <\/p>\n

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection said Sunday that an inspection of the sewers in the area of the incident found that there was no damage to the infrastructure. The agency added that entering the sewers is \u201cboth illegal and extremely dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSewers can contain numerous hazards, including noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces,\u201d the department said. \u201cFor these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole, or outfall.\u201d<\/p>\n