Men Who Climbed Into NYC Sewer Claim They Were Looking for Valuables, Court Filing Says
A group disappearing beneath Park Avenue in the middle of the night was enough to draw serious attention in New York City this week.
The location made it harder to dismiss. The manhole near East 61st Street sat close to a hotel associated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a week when the United Nations General Assembly had already brought heightened security across Manhattan.
Police conducted additional sweeps after people were spotted emerging from the sewer early Wednesday, but the explanation that surfaced after two arrests was considerably less dramatic. The men told police they had gone underground looking for valuables washed into the city’s drains, according to court reporting.
Kevin Rodriguez, 26, and Samuel Reveron, 25, were arrested Thursday and appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court the following day. Both pleaded not guilty to trespassing charges and were released while the case continues.
Under Park Avenue
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The first public description focused on three people seen coming out of the sewer near Park Avenue and East 61st Street at about 4:35 a.m. Wednesday. FOX 5 New York reported that police later arrested Rodriguez and Reveron and charged them with trespass and conspiracy.
A criminal complaint described a larger group underground. Gothamist reported that surveillance footage cited in the complaint showed six people lifting the manhole cover and entering the sewer at roughly 1:30 a.m.
Two Toyota Corollas were positioned near the manhole, according to the complaint. The group came back out at about 4 a.m. and the cars headed toward Queens.
Automatic license plate readers near the Queensboro Bridge captured information from the vehicles. Police then traced the cars to Rodriguez and Reveron, Gothamist reported.
What They Wanted
The complaint offered an explanation for what the men were allegedly doing below the street.
Rodriguez and Reveron identified themselves as people who had entered the manhole and told police they were searching for valuables that get washed into storm drains and sewers, according to Gothamist.
That account came after the location and timing had initially raised a much different concern. The incident happened during the U.N. General Assembly and near a hotel Netanyahu has used while visiting New York.
The NYPD and federal partners swept the surrounding area after the sewer sighting. ABC7 New York reported that nothing suspicious was found.
FOX 5’s on-air coverage also emphasized that there was no evidence substantiating speculation that the sewer entry involved plans for an attack.
Back In Court
Rodriguez and Reveron pleaded not guilty Friday.
Rodriguez was released on his own recognizance. Reveron was placed on supervised release, according to Gothamist, which reported that both men were ordered to return to court Nov. 25.
The arrests do not establish that the pair were responsible for other sightings of people entering or emerging from New York City’s sewer system. FOX 5 noted during its coverage that police had seen similar incidents around the city but had not established that the same people were involved.
Police were still looking for another person seen emerging from the Upper East Side sewer with the men.
