Manhattan ‘mole’ mystery: rumors of lost gold spur clandestine excursions into New York sewers

A recent arrest suggests that underground invaders of city’s sewer system are lured by the promise of lost valuables There’s been one thing in particular that has been intriguing New Yorkers this summer: the existence, and whereabouts, of so-called “mole people” – a mysterious group of individuals who spend at least some of their time wading about in the city’s sewers. New Yorkers learned a bit more about the phenomenon this week, when two men were caught red – or perhaps another color – handed, after allegedly emerging from a tunnel in Manhattan. Their arrests have shed some light on a slew of instances where people have been witnessed lifting manhole covers and clambering underground. Continue reading...

Adam Gabbatt in New York · Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 5:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

Manhattan ‘mole’ mystery: rumors of lost gold spur clandestine excursions into New York sewers

A recent arrest suggests that underground invaders of city’s sewer system are lured by the promise of lost valuables

There’s been one thing in particular that has been intriguing New Yorkers this summer: the existence, and whereabouts, of so-called “mole people” – a mysterious group of individuals who spend at least some of their time wading about in the city’s sewers.

New Yorkers learned a bit more about the phenomenon this week, when two men were caught red – or perhaps another color – handed, after allegedly emerging from a tunnel in Manhattan. Their arrests have shed some light on a slew of instances where people have been witnessed lifting manhole covers and clambering underground.

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