Two New York men have been arrested after allegedly emerging from a manhole just outside a Manhattan hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regularly stays during the United Nations General Assembly.
The bizarre predawn incident initially set off national security concerns because of the location and the extraordinary security surrounding Netanyahu’s visit to New York.
Police said three men were seen climbing out of the sewer system near Park Avenue and East 61st Street around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday before leaving the area in two vehicles.
Authorities ultimately determined there was no indication the group was targeting Netanyahu, the United Nations or any foreign dignitary.
Instead, investigators believe the men were part of a broader pattern involving people entering New York City’s underground infrastructure looking for valuables and scrap metal.
Kevin Rodriguez, 26, and Samuel Reveron, 25, both of Queens, were charged with criminal trespass and released Friday morning after being arraigned in Manhattan criminal court.
At least one additional suspect was still being sought.
Brian Kennedy, an attorney for Reveron, denied that his client’s alleged conduct had anything to do with Netanyahu, the United Nations or foreign officials.
It’s “entirely plausible” that someone might go into the sewers looking for valuables, Kennedy told CNN. “Desperation leads to great efforts.”
The timing and location nevertheless prompted a major response from the NYPD and U.S. Secret Service.
Netanyahu is considered one of the highest-security foreign leaders protected during the annual gathering of world leaders in Manhattan, and investigators moved quickly to determine who had been beneath the street and why.
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Detectives reviewed surveillance footage, license plate reader data and other evidence as they tracked the suspects across the city.
Investigators reportedly canvassed Park Avenue door by door and obtained footage showing the men getting into two vehicles after emerging from underground.
Once detectives identified the license plate on one of the vehicles, they used the NYPD’s plate-reader network to reconstruct the car’s movements and identify its registered owner.
Officers then reviewed previous body-camera footage from traffic stops to help identify a suspect.
Detectives eventually staked out the location connected to the vehicle and took a suspect into custody after he approached it.
The investigation came amid a string of unusual incidents involving people entering or leaving manholes around New York City during early-morning hours.
Police have said some suspects in previous cases claimed they were searching underground for jewelry, copper and other valuables that may have washed into the system.
“We have seen a number of incidents over the past few months of individuals going into the sewer system to look for valuables and other scrap metal after a storm,” the NYPD said.
“This incident fits that same criteria, but out of an abundance of caution given the U.N. General Assembly and the sensitivity of the location, the NYPD is conducting additional security sweeps with our federal partners.”
Those sweeps found nothing suspicious, authorities said.
What initially raised fears of a possible security threat near one of the world’s most heavily protected political leaders instead appears, according to police, to be another case of people illegally exploring the city’s underground tunnels in search of something valuable.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
