NYPD links incident to post-storm scavenging pattern, expands federal sweeps

The New York Police Department arrested two men Thursday on charges stemming from a Wednesday incident in which three people were seen exiting a manhole near the hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reportedly expected to stay during the United Nations General Assembly.

Kevin Rodriguez, 26, and Samuel Reveron, 25, both from Queens, face charges of conspiracy and trespassing, according to the NYPD. A third person seen exiting the same manhole was not arrested.

The arrests followed a response around 4:30 EST on Wednesday, when officers were called to the scene. The two men allegedly fled after climbing out of the manhole, police said. They were taken into custody the following day and, during a Friday morning court hearing, pleaded not guilty and were released from custody, according to court records.

In a statement, the NYPD said the department had seen “a number of incidents involving people going into the sewer system to look for valuables and scrap metal after a storm.” The department added: “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 arrest comes amid repeated reports of people emerging from manholes across New York City in recent months. In August, surveillance footage showed a person coming out of a manhole in Queens early in the morning. The 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, a group was captured on surveillance footage shifting a manhole cover and climbing down into the sewer in South Brooklyn.

City officials have cautioned that entering the sewer system is both illegal and dangerous. “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, citing the risk of toxic gases and flooding in confined spaces.

Earlier this year, a woman died in Midtown Manhattan after she opened her car door and accidentally fell into an open manhole.