NYC Warns After 3 Sewer Incursions Since May 5 Spur Search for Valuables

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Jun 2

Three documented sewer break-ins since May 5 prompted New York City officials to warn Tuesday that entering the sewer system is illegal and extremely dangerous.
City officials said explorers may be hunting valuables washed into the sewage, while investigators reported no arrests, injuries or evidence of a public health threat so far.
Queens shop owner Aki Jakupovic said he saw men descend into a sewer in Astoria at 2 a.m. on May 5, called 911 and moved customers' cars after fearing trouble.
Two more incursions were reported in Brooklyn last week, and officials urged witnesses not to confront anyone entering manholes or drains but to call police instead.
Authorities said the underground system poses risks including deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding, confined spaces, electrical lines and possible electrocution.

Sources

If people can vanish into NYC's 7,500-mile sewer network, what does this reveal about urban infrastructure vulnerability?

Are men really risking death for scrap metal, or is something else happening inside New York's sewers?