Okay, New York City, time to explain yourselves!
A series of seriously strange videos making the rounds online right now has people asking one big question: what in the world is happening beneath the streets of the Big Apple after dark?
Per CNN and others, security cameras have reportedly captured multiple groups of people climbing into and out of city manholes in the middle of the night, and the footage looks like something straight out of a movie.
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The bizarre sightings have been reported in both Brooklyn and Queens over the past few weeks, where groups of individuals were allegedly seen entering the city’s underground sewer system under the cover of darkness. And naturally, the internet has wasted no time coming up with theories. Secret treasure hunters? Urban explorers? Underground adventurers? Something even weirder???
One of the most jaw-dropping videos shows roughly seven people emerging from a manhole in Williamsburg during the early morning hours, per CNN and other outlets. According to reports from those orgs and videos posted to social media that quickly went viral, some members of the group appeared to be wearing headlamps and carrying tools. At one point, one individual came alarmingly close to being struck by a passing vehicle while climbing out into the middle of an intersection.
Whoa!!!
In another incident, a similarly sized group was allegedly seen exiting a manhole in Brooklyn’s Gravesend neighborhood around 2 a.m. one morning. The individuals then reportedly headed toward parked vehicles and changed into fresh clothes. Authorities believe the group may have spent roughly three hours underground before resurfacing.
And the mystery doesn’t stop there. Earlier this spring, surveillance footage from Queens allegedly captured three people wearing waterproof gear opening a manhole cover and descending into the sewer system. According to witnesses, the final person carefully closed the cover behind them before disappearing underground.
Ch-ch-check out some of the creepy footage (below):
WTF?!?!
City officials, however, say inspections conducted after some of the incidents found no evidence of damage to sewer infrastructure. Which, uh, okay…
Investigations remain ongoing, per CNN, and authorities say there is currently no indication of a threat to public safety.
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Officials are emphasizing one thing above all else, in the meantime: entering the sewer system is extremely dangerous. Rob Wolejsza, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, said this about it:
“Sewers can contain numerous hazards, including noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces. For these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole, or outfall.”
As for what these mysterious groups were actually doing underground, well, nobody seems to know.
One skeptical Brooklyn resident isn’t buying the idea that this was just harmless curiosity, tho. He offered his own theory after seeing footage of one of the groups!
Local man Anthony Purdie told CNN:
“They look like they were looking for something important, like money, or for doing some type of hurting. Ain’t no fun and games. I mean, seven grown adults going down there? Got to be something, man.”
And TBH, that’s the question everyone is asking. Were they searching for something? Exploring forgotten tunnels? Chasing an urban legend? Goofing off? Setting up a heist?!?!
Whatever the answer may be, the image of groups of people disappearing into New York’s underground maze in the middle of the night is… unsettling, to say the very least.
For now, authorities are investigating, the videos continue to circulate online, and the rest of us are left wondering what secrets might be hiding beneath the city streets! Reactions, y’all?? Share ’em (below)…
[Image via TNYF/WENN]