NYPD: Migrants scavenging sewers near Penn Station identified

The NYPD is investigating after three people were filmed climbing out of a manhole near Penn Station last week, with detectives believing the scavengers are migrants searching the sewer system for valuables. No arrests have been made in the August 18 incident. Detectives have identified or caught up with men involved in similar cases, but charges were dismissed or declined because they were first-time offenders. Officials link the activity to a scavenger culture from Venezuela, which saw a surge of nationals into the city beginning in 2022. City officials stress that entering the sewer system is illegal and extremely dangerous, citing hazards like deadly gases and flooding. Inspections found no threat to infrastructure, though similar incidents occurred in Brooklyn and Queens earlier this summer.