The NYPD is still trying to identify and locate three people caught on video climbing out of a manhole just steps from Penn Station last week, an unsettling incident that has prompted a police investigation and raised security concerns because of the location’s proximity to one of New York City’s busiest transportation hubs, the NY Post reports.
No arrests had been made as of Monday in connection with the bizarre Aug. 18 episode, in which the three individuals emerged from beneath the street near Penn Station and Madison Square Garden before quickly leaving the area.
The sight has alarmed some New Yorkers and visitors, particularly because of the sensitive infrastructure beneath Midtown Manhattan.
“I just immediately thought, reconnaissance, 9/11,” said an Arizona tourist named Mark to The Post in packed Herald Square in Manhattan.
“If you’re an Iranian soldier, you need to cripple New York City? Under Penn Station? Under Madison Square Garden? Aren’t all the train lines crisscrossing here?”
Video of the incident shows three people wearing headlamps and overalls pulling themselves from a sanitation and drainage manhole at approximately 4:20 a.m. on Aug. 18. The manhole is about 150 feet from Penn Station and only a block from Madison Square Garden. After reaching street level, the three quickly walked away.
An employee working with Vornado Realty Trust, the developer behind the nearby Penn 2 project, said police had been canvassing the heavily traveled neighborhood in an effort to obtain surveillance video that might provide additional information about the mysterious group.
“The more they told me about it, the more I wanted to get transferred to another area,” the man said.
The strange episode bears similarities to two incidents involving so-called “mole people” in Brooklyn earlier this year. Those cases resulted in several arrests, with authorities saying they believed the individuals involved had entered underground infrastructure while searching for valuables.
Investigators have gathered surveillance recordings that may have captured the three people involved in the Penn Station incident, according to law-enforcement sources. Police hope to use facial-recognition technology to identify them, track them down and determine why they were underground.
Authorities apparently did not learn about the Aug. 18 incident until Sunday, after footage showing the group emerging from the manhole began circulating widely on social media.
“The NYPD is aware of the incident and is actively investigating,” the Police Department said in a statement to The Post on Monday.
“There are no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.The incident occurred on August 18, 2026 at 0419 hours at the southeast corner of West 31st Street and 7th Avenue.”
Despite the alarming location, investigators said there is currently no evidence that the three were engaged in anything more serious than illegally entering restricted underground infrastructure.
A law-enforcement source said, “There is nothing to indicate there is any criminal activity here besides trespassing.
“The manhole covers lead to the sewer system. But who knows what someone is doing down there if they are looking to cause [trouble].”
Another law-enforcement source said people entering the city’s underground infrastructure is not as unusual as it might appear, with some trespassers apparently believing they can find valuable objects below ground.
Another source called the situation “not uncommon.
“Mostly people who do this think there’s treasure. Precious metals. Lost property.
“Yes, [the sewer-hunting is] not ideal from a security standpoint. But it’s [the city Department of Environmental Protection’s] infrastructure to secure,” the source added.
The city Department of Environmental Protection oversees thousands of miles of sewer and drainage infrastructure beneath New York City. Asked Monday about the latest episode, a DEP representative referred to the agency’s statement from Sunday, which said an inspection had uncovered no damage to the underground system.
“Members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole or outfall,” it said.
Law-enforcement officials said investigators are considering whether the Penn Station incident could have an explanation similar to the earlier Brooklyn cases.
In May, groups of people were recorded entering or emerging from manholes in separate incidents in Williamsburg and Gravesend, prompting investigations by the NYPD.
At least four people were ultimately charged with trespassing in connection with those episodes. Law-enforcement sources said the individuals were apparently exploring underground areas in hopes of finding valuables.
Other officials have floated another possible explanation for the Penn Station episode: the three could have staged their underground adventure to produce social-media content. The fact that the activity was being recorded during the early-morning hours has contributed to speculation that the stunt may have been intended for TikTok or another platform.
“It could be anything,” said Ari, a fashion worker in the Manhattan neighborhood. “Kind of sketchy the way they’re running away after they come out of the hole.”
{Matzav.com}
