Mysterious groups entering/exiting NYC sewers under investigation by police
Consensus Summary
New York City police are investigating a series of unexplained incidents where groups of people entered and exited sewer maintenance holes across Brooklyn and Queens between late May and early June 2026. Surveillance footage from multiple locationsâincluding Williamsburg and Gravesend in Brooklyn, and Astoria in Queensâshows individuals descending into sewers at night, often equipped with flashlights, hip waders, and tools, before resurfacing hours later. In one case near Williamsburg, a group of seven nearly missed a vehicle while emerging. Authorities, including the NYPD and NYC Environmental Protection Department, have inspected the sewers and found no damage or immediate threats, though the motive remains unclear. Theories range from scavengers searching for valuables to more sinister activities, though no arrests or injuries have occurred. The incidents follow a May 2026 fatality involving a maintenance hole in Midtown, highlighting the dangers of unauthorized sewer access.
â Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Groups of people (7â8 individuals) emerged from a maintenance hole in Brooklynâs Gravesend neighborhood around 2am on June 2, 2026, after entering at ~11pm the prior night, changing clothes beside parked cars.
- A group of ~7 people surfaced from a maintenance hole in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (~2.5 hours after entering) on June 2, 2026, near Heyward Street and Bedford Avenue, with one nearly hit by a vehicle.
- On May 5, 2026, three people in waterproof hip waders and protective gear entered a Queens sewer near 20th Avenue and 36th Street in Astoria, closing the cover behind them.
- NYPDâs Emergency Services Unit and NYC Environmental Protection Department inspected sewers post-incidents and found no damage or threats to public safety.
- No arrests or injuries have been reported in connection with the incidents.
- Aki Jakupovic, owner of an auto detailing shop in Brooklyn, provided surveillance footage of the Queens incident (May 5) showing individuals in hip waders with flashlights.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- A resident in Williamsburg, Anthony Purdie, suggested the group âlooked like they were looking for something important, like money, or for doing some type of hurting.â
- The NYC Department of Environmental Protection explicitly warned that sewer entry is âextremely dangerousâ due to gases, unstable surfaces, flooding, and confined spaces, citing a fatality in May 2026 where a woman died after falling into an open maintenance hole in Midtown Manhattan.
- Police described one group in Williamsburg as carrying âshovels and other toolsâ and wearing âheadlamps.â
- A senior law enforcement official suggested one theory is that the individuals were âscouring the system for valuables that get into the sewage.â
- The Guardian noted the incidents are âreminiscent ofâ the May 5 Queens case but did not provide additional details beyond what ABC reported.
- The Guardian explicitly states the NYPD âsent their highly trained Emergency Services Unit officers into the sewer systemâ to check for threats, though ABC does not mention this unit by name.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states the Queens incident involved three people, while the Guardian does not specify a number for Queens but focuses on the Brooklyn incidents.
- ABC mentions a fatality in May 2026 (a woman falling into a Midtown maintenance hole), but the Guardian does not reference this event.
Source Articles
Police investigating people entering New York sewers for unknown reason
Security cameras have recorded at least three night time instances where groups of people entered or exited sewer tunnels via maintenance holes on streets in Brooklyn and Queens.
New York police investigate mysterious cases of people coming out of manholes
Investigation follows circulation of videos showing groups climbing out of sewer systems across the city at night New York police are investigating a bizarre mystery involving groups of people emerging from the cityâs manholes in recent weeks. The investigation follows the circulation of multiple social media videos showing people climbing out of sewer systems across the city, all in the middle of the night. Continue reading...