Two arrested after people seen mysteriously emerging from various New York City sewers
The city has seen a string of incidents in which people have climbed out of manholes late at night.
Two arrested after people seen mysteriously emerging from various New York City sewers
New York officials arrested two of three men they said were seen coming out of a manhole and leaving the city’s underground sewer system on Wednesday.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) charged 26-year-old Kevin Rodriguez and 25-year-old Samuel Reveron with conspiracy and trespassing.
Three men were observed exiting a manhole near the hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reportedly due to stay for the United Nations General Assembly.
In a statement to the BBC, the NYPD said it had witnessed several incidents in which people entered the sewer system after a storm to search for valuables and scrap metal.
"This incident fits that same criteria, but out of an abundance of caution given the U.N. General Assembly and the sensitivity of the location, the NYPD is conducting additional security sweeps with our federal partners," the police department said in a statement.
Rodriguez and Reveron, both from Queens, were arrested on Thursday. Police said they allegedly ran from the scene after climbing out of the manhole when officers were called at around 4:30 EST (9:30 BST) on Wednesday.
At a hearing on Friday morning, the two men entered not guilty pleas and were released from custody, according to court records.
The arrests come after a series of incidents in recent months in which people were seen emerging from pavement manholes in different parts of the city.
In August, surveillance video showed a person climbing out of a manhole in Queens early in the morning. That same month, the NYPD said it was investigating three people wearing overalls and headlamps who were seen climbing out of a manhole near Penn Station.
In May, surveillance footage captured a group of people moving a manhole cover and climbing down into the sewer in South Brooklyn.
Officials have said that entering the New York sewer system is both illegal and dangerous, warning of the risk of toxic gases and flooding in a confined space.
"For these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole, or outfall," the city's Department of Environmental Protection previously told the BBC.
This year, a woman died after she opened her car door and accidentally fell into an open manhole in Midtown Manhattan.