The New York Police Department is investigating multiple recent incidents involving unauthorized groups of men who entered and emerged from the city's underground sewer system at night across neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens.
Authorities launched the probe after surveillance and social media videos surfaced showing individuals removing heavy manhole covers to access the subterranean infrastructure.
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Law enforcement officials suspect the individuals are urban explorers or treasure hunters searching for valuables that washed into the sewage system.
Specialized police units entered the underground lines following reports of trespassing to check for potential hazards.
No injuries have been reported, no arrests have been made, and the sewer infrastructure sustained no damage.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection highlighted the severe physical risks associated with unauthorized entry into the municipal utility network.
"Entering the sewer system is both illegal and extremely dangerous," said a spokesperson for the city's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The agency warned that the underground network contains multiple invisible dangers that pose immediate threats to untrained civilians.
"Sewers can contain numerous hazards, including noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces," the DEP spokesperson said.
The department urged residents to stay completely away from all utility access points on city streets.
"For these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole, or outfall," the DEP spokesperson said.
Police response teams deployed specialized personnel to clear the underground locations and verify public safety after witnesses reported the activity.
"The NYPD, to make sure there was not a threat to the public, sent their highly trained Emergency Services Unit officers into the sewer system to make sure nothing nefarious had been left behind by the individuals – nothing was found," said the New York City police department.
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The municipal environmental agency subsequently conducted an independent physical inspection of the underground site.
"And the city Environmental Protection Department, which manages the system, also went in and apparently found no damage to the sewer system equipment," it added.
Local authorities confirmed that officers responded to the separate locations but found the suspects had already departed the scene.
"The individuals then fled the location in an unknown vehicle to parts unknown," said the New York Police Department.
Police investigators confirmed that the search for the unidentified individuals remains active across multiple precincts.
"There were no injuries reported. There are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing," said a police spokesperson.
Local residents observed the individuals wearing specialized gear before descending into the street openings.
"Three random guys walking around in a strange suit, open the sewer, go in like Ninja Turtles," said witness Aki Jakupovic.
The witness noted that the group appeared aware of their surroundings before vanishing underneath the roadway.
"I was looking at them, they were looking at me, you know, I could tell they were up to no good.
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They went in there, closed the cover, like, you know, they were never here," he added.
