New York City authorities are puzzled after at least three recent incidents caught on surveillance video show people emerging from sewer manholes at night, reminiscent of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-like figures. The NYPD is investigating the bizarre occurrences, which have raised questions about what the groups are doing underground.
Brooklyn Incidents
On May 28, around 11 p.m., several people were caught on camera climbing out of a manhole in Brooklyn's Gravesend neighborhood, then fleeing in waiting vehicles, according to an NYPD spokesperson. Surveillance footage obtained by The Flatbush Scoop shows a person removing the manhole cover before multiple individuals emerged one by one from the sewer system near McDonald Avenue around 2 a.m. Some appeared to be holding flashlights and wearing waders, gloves, and heavy-duty boots commonly used in wet or hazardous environments. After reaching the surface, the group gathered near two parked cars, where they seemed to remove dirty gear and load equipment into the vehicles before driving away.
About an hour earlier, around 1 a.m. on May 29, security cameras captured multiple people entering a sewer manhole near Heyward Street and Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, as reported by News 12 Brooklyn. Some wore headlamps and carried shovels and other tools, according to The Associated Press. The group resurfaced around 3:40 a.m. and left in a waiting vehicle, the NYPD told The Independent. No injuries or arrests have been reported, and the investigation is ongoing.
Queens Incident
In a separate incident on May 5, surveillance video in Queens showed three people wearing waterproof hip waders and protective gear prying open a manhole cover and climbing into the sewer system, with the last person closing the cover behind them as traffic slowed nearby. The footage came from an auto detailing shop owned by Aki Jakupovic, who told AP he didn't know what they were doing underground but suspected they might be “up to no good.”
Authorities Respond
Police examined the Gravesend location on May 29 and declared the area “safe and free of hazards,” according to a social media post. The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) also inspected the Brooklyn sewer sites and found no damage to the infrastructure, as reported by News 12 Brooklyn. However, the Queens incident remains under investigation, per AP. The NYPD believes there is no threat to public safety, but entering the sewer system is illegal and “extremely dangerous,” DEP spokesperson Rob Wolejsza warned.
“Sewers can contain numerous hazards, including noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces,” Wolejsza said in a statement. “For these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole or outfall.”
The Independent has contacted the NYPD and DEP for updated comments.
