Police say similar sewer trespassing cases have led to arrests in Brooklyn and Queens, while the latest Midtown investigation remains open.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — New York City police are searching for three people filmed climbing from a manhole near Penn Station on Aug. 18 as detectives investigate whether the latest unusual underground trip was part of a wider pattern of scavenging for valuables in city sewers.
Detectives now believe many of the people seen in recent sewer incidents are scavengers who enter the underground system looking for items of value, according to new information released by the NYPD. Police have linked earlier cases to people who told investigators they were searching for valuables. No arrests have been announced in the latest Midtown incident, and officials have not publicly identified the three people police are seeking. Inspections after recent cases have found no damage or threat to the city’s sewer infrastructure.
The latest episode unfolded shortly after 4 a.m. Aug. 18 near Seventh Avenue and West 32nd Street, across from Penn Station and close to Madison Square Garden. Video recorded by Ricardy Fabre, who was waiting overnight for concert tickets, showed three people wearing overalls and headlamps climbing through a manhole into the street. Fabre said he believed about five people emerged in all, but he began recording after the first members of the group were already out. Two people moved quickly away while another remained near the opening long enough to replace the manhole cover before leaving. “I was surprised and shocked this was actually happening,” Fabre said. Police later confirmed that investigators were reviewing the footage and looking for three people connected with the incident.
The NYPD said detectives have encountered similar groups during other investigations and believe some of those involved are migrants who may be familiar with underground scavenging practices in other countries. Police specifically cited a scavenging culture in places such as Venezuela. Authorities have not said that every person captured in sewer videos has the same background, and investigators have not established publicly that the Aug. 18 group is connected to earlier groups in other boroughs. The motive in the Midtown case has also not been confirmed because police have not questioned the people being sought. What investigators do have is a pattern from earlier arrests: people detained after previous sewer entries told police they were searching for valuables. Officers are also reviewing surveillance footage around the Penn Station area as they try to identify those seen above ground.
The Midtown video follows several sewer incidents that drew attention in Brooklyn and Queens this spring. On May 5, security footage captured three people wearing hip waders entering a manhole in Queens. Later that month, groups were recorded entering or emerging from manholes in Brooklyn neighborhoods including Williamsburg and Gravesend. Video from Gravesend showed several people coming out of a manhole on McDonald Avenue in the early morning, some wearing protective clothing and carrying equipment. Another group was seen near Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. Four arrests were made in connection with the Brooklyn cases in May, and police said those charged told investigators they had been scavenging for valuables. At least one person was also arrested after a Queens incident. Prosecutors ultimately did not pursue that Queens case, according to police.
Those earlier cases did not produce evidence of an attack or damage to critical infrastructure, officials said. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection inspected sewer areas involved in the recent incidents and reported that the infrastructure was safe. The department oversees an underground network of about 7,400 miles of wastewater and stormwater pipes, portions of which date to the 1800s. The system includes confined spaces that can contain toxic or potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces and sudden flooding hazards. A department spokesperson said entering the sewer system without authorization is illegal and extremely dangerous. Police have also sent specially equipped personnel underground during earlier investigations to check for suspicious objects or signs that infrastructure had been disturbed. Those searches did not uncover a public safety threat.
The legal outcomes from the previous cases have so far been limited. Police said people encountered in earlier incidents were either charged with low-level offenses that were later dismissed, including cases involving first-time offenders, or prosecutors declined to pursue charges. No charges have been filed in connection with the Aug. 18 Midtown incident because the three people being sought have not been arrested, police said. Detectives are continuing to review recovered surveillance video and compare the circumstances with earlier cases. Authorities have not announced evidence that the groups were stealing from businesses, damaging pipes or using the underground network to reach restricted buildings. Investigators also have not said whether people entering at one manhole traveled substantial distances underground before emerging elsewhere. Establishing who the Midtown group members are remains the next major step in determining whether their purpose matched earlier scavenging cases.
The videos have drawn particular attention because the people involved appeared prepared for the conditions beneath the streets. Witnesses have described overalls, waders, boots, flashlights and headlamps, equipment that would allow someone to move through dark and wet underground spaces. Construction worker Matt McCann, who works near the latest scene, said he had seen people dressed for sewer travel before. “I don’t know what the hell they’re doing down there,” McCann said, describing waders and headlamps. Fabre also said the people he saw near Penn Station appeared organized and familiar with what they were doing. His video showed a quick exit onto the Midtown street before the group dispersed. Despite the unusual appearance of the incidents, police have said investigations and infrastructure inspections so far have not identified a broader threat to the public.
The NYPD investigation into the Aug. 18 Penn Station incident remained active Tuesday, Aug. 25. Detectives were still seeking three people and reviewing video as they worked to determine whether the Midtown case is connected to the earlier scavenging incidents in Brooklyn and Queens.
Author note: Last updated August 25, 2026.