Mystery deepens after another person seen emerging from sewer in Queens
QUEENS (WABC) -- A person was seen emerging from a manhole in Queens early Monday, adding to a series of incidents involving people entering and exiting sewer systems across New York City.
Police reported that at about 4 a.m. Monday, someone was seen coming out of a manhole at the corner of Juniper Boulevard South and 74th Street in Middle Village. No arrests were made.
"From what I've heard from through the grapevine Monday, is that somebody came up and there may have been some other people waiting with them, possibly," resident Danny O'Neill said.
A surveillance photo from the scene shows a police vehicle responding to the location.
The incident occurred at an intersection bordered by residential homes and gardens on one side and a popular playground on the other.
"It's kind of scary for, like, all the kids, especially, like, what could be going on, what they're doing. They can have like a whole factory under there and we don't know," O'Neill said.
Another resident expressed concern about the situation.
"I would say one who's in charge of the underground. Right. And what are we going to do about it? Right. Especially for the citizens in the neighborhood," the resident said.
This is not the first time people have been spotted going in and out of manholes.
Last month, three people climbed out of a manhole near Penn Station during the predawn hours. They are still being sought.
In May, there were sightings in Gravesend and Williamsburg. Four people were arrested and told police they were scavenging for valuables.
Also in May, in Queens, three people wearing protective gear were seen going down a manhole and closing it behind them.
In August, surveillance video caught a group of people opening a manhole cover in Wantagh and descending into the sewer system.
The incidents have left some residents questioning what may be happening beneath city streets.
"I remember there's a book that I read not too long ago called Mole People all about how there were communities when people who moved underground here in New York," a resident said.
The city Department of Environmental Protection noted that entering the sewage system without authorization is both illegal and dangerous.
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