Police sources say they believe the group seen entering New York City manholes are scavengers looking for discarded valuables flushed into the sewer system.
Photo by Dean Moses
New York’s mole people were spotted again Sunday morning in Manhattan, the second sighting in just several days.
NYPD sources say cops from the 30th Precinct were called to an apartment building located at 502 West 141 St. in Hamilton Heights just before 1 a.m. after a witness spotted the sewer divers. Police were told that the eyewitness saw three men disappear beneath the city via a nearby manhole. Cops responded and investigated, but did not find the suspects.
One man was seen wearing a black shirt and red sweatpants, the second wore a white t-shirt, black pants, and the third wore all black. The man wearing the white shirt was seen fleeing in a silver-colored car.
This comes after about five people were seen emerging from a Manhattan manhole on E. 82nd St. near East End Ave. on the Upper East Side at around 2 a.m. The band of mole men made their getaway in a vehicle. In this case police pulled a shovel from the bowls of the street.
Authorities have stated that they do not believe the underground activity poses any security risk to the public and instead these so-called mole men are scouring the sewer system looking for lost valuables they can sell and make a profit. However, one law enforcement source said the activity goes beyond that. The source reported that some of the items they are searching for are stolen and flushed with an AirTag, allowing the sewer divers to track and retrieve the items.
Another source previously told amNewYork that the majority of these treasure hunters are immigrants looking for a way to earn some cash.
Last month, 25-year-old Kevin Rodriguez and Samuel Reveron, also 25, were cuffed after they were spotted allegedly entering a sewer on East 61 Street, not far from where Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu was set to stay. Both men told police they were looking for valuables and were charged with trespass and conspiracy.
The wave of modern NYC mole people sightings kicked-off in Queens back in May. At around 2 a.m. on May 5, three individuals carrying flashlights and hip waders were seen prying open a manhole cover in Astoria, Queens. This sparked mass confusion and conspiracy theories. The questions only grew when several more glimpses occurred on May 28 in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and Gravesend. On April 19, 2025, a 25-year-old man, a 26-year-old man, and a 39-year-old man were all arrested at around 5 p.m. on 82nd street and 17th Avenue for doing the same thing.
The investigation into the ongoing mole people sightings continues.
