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The New York Police Department is investigating after video showing three people in overalls and headlamps emerging from a Manhattan manhole went viral on social media.
The NYPD confirmed to Fox News Digital that the incident occurred on Aug. 18 at 4:19 a.m. on the southeast corner of 32nd Street and Seventh Avenue, which is near Penn Station.
No arrests have been made in this case, but police said they are reviewing surveillance video.
NYPD detectives told WABC that they believe many of the people who have been caught on camera doing this are migrants searching for valuables in the sewers.
WOMAN DIES AFTER PLUNGING INTO UNCOVERED MANHOLE OUTSIDE LUXURY STORES
A video posted to social media captured three individuals exiting a manhole on Aug. 18, 2026, near Penn Station. This is the first person to climb out onto the sidewalk. (Ricardy Fabre via Storyful)
Detectives said a scavenger culture exists in nations like Venezuela.
City officials have said that sneaking into manholes is both illegal and “extremely dangerous.”
Another individual seen exiting the manhole on Aug. 18. The NYPD is investigating this incident. (Ricardy Fabre via Storyful)
NYPD INVESTIGATING AFTER SURVEILLANCE VIDEO CAPTURES GROUP ENTERING SEWERS THROUGH MANHOLES
“DEP has inspected the sewers at the location, and our infrastructure is safe. DEP works closely with our public safety partners to help ensure the safety and security of critical infrastructure throughout New York City,” the city’s Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The statement continued: “Entering the sewer system is both illegal and extremely dangerous. Sewers can contain numerous hazards, including noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces. For these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole, or outfall.”
A construction worker stands near an open manhole during street maintenance works in New York City, in October 2025. (Stefan Panaitescu/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
New York City’s sewer system is made up of an elaborate network of more than 7,400 miles of wastewater and stormwater pipes, parts of which date back to the 1800s.
In June, The Associated Press reported on three separate instances of people exiting manholes in Queens and the Williamsburg and Gravesend neighborhoods of Brooklyn.
Many of them were wearing headlamps and were carrying shovels or other tools when they were caught on video.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
