New York City police have not made any arrests after three unidentified people were captured on video emerging from a manhole near Penn Station in the early morning hours of Aug. 18, as reported [1] by the New York Post.
The incident occurred around 4:19 a.m. at the southeast corner of West 31st Street and Seventh Avenue, roughly 150 feet from the main entrance to Penn Station and about a block from Madison Square Garden.
The three individuals were seen wearing headlamps and overalls as they climbed out of a sanitation and drainage manhole before quickly leaving the area.
The unusual footage later circulated on social media, prompting questions about why the group had been inside New York City’s underground sewer system in such a heavily trafficked part of Manhattan.
The NYPD said Monday that investigators are working to identify the individuals.
“The NYPD is aware of the incident and is actively investigating,” the Police Department said in a statement.
“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.”
Police became aware of the incident Sunday after additional video of the so-called “mole people” began circulating online.
Law-enforcement sources said investigators have collected surveillance footage that could help identify the three people through facial recognition technology and determine what they were doing underground.
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The strange sight has raised security concerns because of the location. Penn Station is one of the busiest transportation hubs in New York City, while Madison Square Garden sits nearby.
“I just immediately thought, reconnaissance, 9/11,” said an Arizona tourist named Mark while speaking to The Post in Manhattan’s crowded Herald Square.
“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?”
However, law-enforcement sources cautioned against assuming the group was involved in a broader criminal or security operation.
One 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 source described the activity as “not uncommon,” saying people sometimes enter sewer systems in search of valuables.
“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.
A worker with Vornado Realty Trust, the developer involved with the nearby Penn 2 project, said he was aware that police had been looking into the incident and collecting potentially useful surveillance footage.
The incident also resembles several unusual sewer-related episodes reported in Brooklyn earlier this year.
In May, people were recorded entering or emerging from manholes in Williamsburg and Gravesend, leading to an NYPD investigation.
Seven people were reportedly spotted coming out of a manhole in Williamsburg on May 29.
At least four people were subsequently charged with trespassing in connection with those incidents. Law-enforcement sources told The Post that investigators believed some of those individuals were searching for valuables.
The latest Manhattan incident could have a similar explanation, according to law-enforcement sources.
Other sources, however, suggested the people may have been seeking social-media content because the activity was recorded and appeared to have been staged or documented for TikTok.
“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.”
The city’s Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees thousands of miles of sewers and drainage infrastructure, was asked about the incident Monday.
The agency referred to a statement issued Sunday saying an inspection found no damage to the sewer infrastructure.
“Members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole or outfall,” the DEP said.
For now, police have not announced any arrests or identified the three individuals seen emerging near Penn Station. Investigators are continuing to review surveillance footage as they try to determine who entered the underground system and what they were doing there.