Concern and questions have been raised in New York due to repeated incidents in which people have been recorded entering and exiting the city’s sewer network, with authorities conducting an investigation to determine who they are and what exactly they are searching for beneath the streets of Brooklyn and Queens.

In recent weeks, multiple security cameras and citizen videos have captured at least three separate incidents in which groups of individuals appear to open manholes and descend into the sewers, or emerge from them after spending several hours in the underground network.

In one of the most striking videos, recorded on Friday morning in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, about seven people emerged from a manhole in the middle of a busy intersection, surprising pedestrians and drivers. Some of them were wearing headlamps, while others were carrying shovels and tools. One of them nearly got hit by a passing vehicle as he was climbing to the surface.

In a second incident, around 2 a.m., a group of seven people was recorded exiting a manhole in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn. According to police, the same individuals had entered the system around 11 p.m. the previous night, suggesting they remained underground for nearly three hours. Immediately after exiting, they were seen changing clothes beside parked vehicles.

Another similar incident also took place in Queens on May 5, when three individuals wearing waterproof boots and protective gear opened a maintenance manhole and descended into the sewer system, closing the cover behind them before disappearing from view.

Authorities’ investigations are ongoing. At the same time, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection inspected the locations where the Brooklyn incidents were recorded and found no damage to infrastructure, while the Queens case is still under investigation.

A department spokesperson, Rob Wileyza, emphasized that entering the sewers is illegal and carries serious risks. He noted that underground facilities may contain toxic or deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flood hazards, and confined spaces that make any unauthorized access extremely dangerous.

Meanwhile, the New York Police Department announced that so far no threat to public safety has been identified. No injuries have been reported and no arrests have been made, while investigations continue.

According to information cited by U.S. media outlets including the BBC and CBS News, the men seen in the videos are believed to be “treasure hunters” or urban explorers, who search for valuable items or explore the city’s underground network. However, authorities have not yet confirmed their identities or whether the same groups are involved in all incidents.