The New York Police Department has opened an active investigation after videos circulating on social media showed three people emerging from a manhole near Madison Square Garden at roughly 4 a.m. on Aug. 18. No arrests have been made.
The individuals were seen wearing work suits, headlamps and waterproof boots, climbing out one by one. Highly trained emergency service officers subsequently entered the sewer system and found nothing hazardous or damaging to infrastructure, a finding confirmed by the city's Department of Environmental Protection.
Law enforcement sources suspect the individuals may be searching for lost valuables beneath the city, ruling out threats to the public. The episode is the latest in a series dating to May, when similar footage surfaced across multiple boroughs, including an earlier incident in Brooklyn involving seven people. Environmental officials have warned that entering the sewer system is illegal and carries the risk of inhaling lethal gases.