Sewer Opportunists Raise Security Concerns After Breach In NYC

Three men were arrested in New York City this month after breaking into the sewers to look for valuables, an event that sparked concern about system security.

“God knows what they were looking for,” said Police Commissioner William Bratton, per The New York Times. “I know damn sure I wouldn’t be crawling through the sewers of New York.”

The incident raised concerns about the security of local sewers. Residents alerted authorities when they saw men lifting a manhole cover in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. The men crawled inside, but police could not follow them in.

Officers “tried going into the hole to follow the men, but the fumes were overwhelming, the authorities said. Instead, the police pulled back and waited for the men to resurface. Hours later, shortly after midnight, they did — though empty-handed,” the report said, citing authorities.

The conclusion? “Police officials said there was not much more that could be done to further protect the sewage system from intruders,” the report said.

“The reality is we cannot be everywhere protecting everything from everybody,” Commissioner Bratton said.

The arrested men may have had lofty ideas about they would find in the sewer, but here’s a reality check from The New York Times:

Officials said there was a reason the sewer system was closed to the public. “Entering a sewer without proper authorization and training is illegal, incredibly irresponsible and dangerous,” Chris Gilbride, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection, said in a statement.

The sewer system is not exactly the network of cavernous corridors as it is sometimes depicted in popular culture, officials said. Instead it can be confining in places, filled with overpowering fumes, and tunnels can rapidly fill during heavy rain.

Manholes can be difficult to penetrate. The covers can weigh as much as 195 pounds and require a crowbar or a similar tool to open. The limited access seems only to feed into the mystique.

Nevertheless, some people have grand ideas about what might be found there. Over the years, some buried treasures have been located:

A series of articles in The New York Times dating back to the late 1800s reveal accounts of gems being fished out as well as missing pets. It has been a getaway for escaped convicts and a place to toss drugs. Bodies have been found there, and in 1955, a woman in Jamaica, Queens, discovered 2,141 pieces of unopened mail, mostly Christmas letters, that had been dumped by temporary postal workers.

Residents knew something was amiss when they saw the men lifting the manhole cover.

“It was like Indiana Jones in Brooklyn,” said resident Louis Lashley, per The Times.

“You don’t just open a manhole cover like that, and jump right in,” said Gaston Zitman, a local, per The Times.

“What happened here last night is what we ask people to do: See something, say something,” Commissioner Bratton said. “Somebody saw them, it is an out of the ordinary action, and we responded.”

The men who breached the sewer were David Hannibal, 45, and Damion Nieves, 35, according to Reuters. Marquis Evans, 21, who works for the Department of Environmental Protection, popped the manhole cover.

“This case is entirely overblown,” Evans lawyer, Antonio Villaamil, said, per the New York Post. “Lifting a manhole cover is not something you need a special key to do. It’s a 70- pound piece of metal. Anyone can lift it.”

For more stories on utility security threats, visit Water Online’s Resiliency Solutions Center.