Video shows suspects accused of breaking into sewer system in Brooklyn
Three men are facing burglary charges after police say they were caught on video climbing into a manhole in Brooklyn, and police might be searching for more suspects.
It happened Monday evening on 17th Avenue off 82nd Street in Bensonhurst.
4 men caught on camera climbing into manhole in Brooklyn
The video shows five people wearing neon vests with tools in tow. They open a manhole in the middle of the street, and one after another, four in total descend down.
A hand from below closes the manhole cover, and the fifth man unfolds a chair on the curb then gets comfortable.
Police were soon called and started looking in the sewer.
The NYPD eventually took three people into custody, ranging from 25 to 39 years old. They're charged with burglary and criminal mischief.
Police sources tell CBS News New York one suspect told the cops, "I was hired to clean the sewer." Another said they were "looking for treasure."
The suspects were not employed by a company nor contracted by the city, police sources say.
"Last time I heard about this was 'Ninja Turtles'"
While detectives investigate a motive, the neighborhood is buzzing with theories from hunting for jewelry lost down the drain to recording content.
"[Police] were at this [manhole], and then they came over to the [manhole] over here. I'm guessing they were thinking they might have crawled through," Bensonhurst resident Janine Vitiello said. "I don't know what's in there, maybe gold or something."
"Last time I heard about this was 'Ninja Turtles,'" Bensonhurst resident Lou Venturelli said. "This neighborhood is always looking out for each other, so when you see something like that, four people jumping in a sewer and then maybe one closing it, it doesn't look right. And there's no guardrails to protect them."
Videos can go viral on social media of what's called "urban exploring," where trespassers sneak into abandoned or underground areas of New York.
"You never know. You can think it's something 'simple' as a burglary, but you never know what they're doing," Vitiello said.
