The footage near Penn Station follows earlier reports of groups entering New York City sewer access points during overnight hours.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — The New York Police Department is investigating video that appears to show three people wearing headlamps and protective clothing climbing from a Manhattan manhole near Penn Station early Aug. 18, the latest in a series of unusual incidents involving people entering the city’s underground sewer system.
The footage was recorded around 4 a.m. near West 32nd Street and Seventh Avenue, close to Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, according to reports about the video. Police said they are aware of the incident and are investigating. No arrests had been announced as of Sunday, and authorities have not established publicly why the people were underground or whether the latest incident is connected to similar cases reported earlier this year.
The video, which was posted on TikTok days after the encounter, shows three figures emerging one after another through the street opening. They appear to be wearing work-style clothing and headlamps. Authorities have not publicly identified the people, and there has been no confirmation that they were city employees, contractors or people authorized to enter the system.
The city’s Department of Environmental Protection, which manages New York’s sewer infrastructure, inspected the area and found no reported damage to the system, according to news reports citing city officials. Investigators have not announced finding evidence that the people damaged equipment or left anything dangerous underground. Police also have not disclosed whether they have identified the individuals shown in the Manhattan footage.
The episode follows several similar sightings that drew police attention in Brooklyn in late May. In one case, surveillance video showed a group entering a manhole near McDonald Avenue and later climbing back to street level after spending hours underground. Some appeared to wear waders and gloves and used lights as they entered. A 911 call brought officers to the area, but the group had left before police arrived.
Another incident was reported around the same period near Heyward Street and Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. Police said a group was seen entering a manhole around 1 a.m. and leaving several hours later before departing in a vehicle. At the time, authorities said they did not know what the people had been doing underground or whether the separate Brooklyn incidents were connected.
NYPD Emergency Service Unit officers later entered parts of the sewer system as police examined whether the earlier activity posed a public threat. Police said nothing dangerous was found, while the Department of Environmental Protection reported no damage to sewer equipment. Authorities said at the time that there was no apparent connection to terrorism. Investigators considered the possibility that some of the people may have been searching underground for valuables that had entered the sewer system, but officials did not establish that theory as fact.
City officials have also warned that unauthorized entry into the sewer system is illegal and can be extremely dangerous. Underground passages can contain toxic or potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding hazards and confined spaces. Those risks remain regardless of why a person enters the system, officials have said.
The Manhattan video has renewed attention on the earlier cases, but several key questions remain unanswered. Police have not said whether the three people shown near Penn Station are linked to those previously recorded in Brooklyn, what they were doing underground or how long they had been there before emerging. No arrests have been reported in connection with the newest footage, and the NYPD investigation remains ongoing.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.