NYPD arrests two men seen emerging from New York City manhole near Upper East Side hotel
NYPD says two Queens men arrested on conspiracy and trespassing charges after emerging from a manhole near the Upper East Side hotel where Israel's prime minister stays during the UN General Assembly pleaded not guilty and were released.
New York City police have arrested two Queens men they say emerged from a manhole in the city’s sewer system, ending a manhunt that drew in the US Secret Service because the underground incursion happened steps from the Upper East Side hotel where Israel’s prime minister stays during the UN General Assembly.
The NYPD said Kevin Rodriguez, 26, and Samuel Reveron, 25, were charged with conspiracy and trespassing after being linked to the incident in which men were spotted climbing out of a manhole near East 61st Street and Park Avenue at around 1:38am on Wednesday, 23 September, per the criminal complaint cited by Geo News. Surveillance video showed two Toyota Corolla sedans pull up as men pried open the sewer cover and climbed down, the New York Post reported.
Police say the motive was scavenging, not sabotage. The NYPD said the pair fit a pattern of individuals going into the sewer system to look for valuables and scrap metal swept underground after storms. “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 department said in a statement to the BBC. The department ruled out any link to terrorism.
Brian Kennedy, an attorney for Reveron, denied any connection to the United Nations or any international government officials. “It’s entirely plausible that someone might go into the sewers looking for valuables,” he told CNN. “Desperation leads to great efforts.”
The pair were arraigned in Manhattan criminal court on Friday and pleaded not guilty, court records show. Both were released from custody — the Post reported they were granted supervised release.
The arrests follow a string of similar sightings. In May, groups were filmed shifting manhole covers and climbing into sewers in Brooklyn, and in August three people in overalls and headlamps were seen climbing out of a manhole near Penn Station, the BBC reported.
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