Authorities have arrested two separate groups accused of entering manholes in Upper Manhattan, adding another chapter to the city’s increasingly strange underground mystery involving so-called “mole people.”
Police said a witness saw two people descend into a manhole on Nagle Avenue near Dyckman Street at about 11:15 p.m. on Sept. 29.
When officers arrived, they found another man waiting inside a nearby vehicle and promptly took him into custody, according to authorities.
A search of the surrounding area led police to two more men who appeared to be soaking wet. They were also arrested, cops said.
Wilfredo Teran Briceno, 23, Guenis Martinez, 33, and Xavier Guevara Lizcano, 24, were each charged with criminal trespass, police said.
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According to a criminal complaint, Martinez and Briceno told investigators they entered the underground passageways while “looking for jewelry.” Lizcano reportedly said he had been paid $200 to drive the pair to the location.
In a separate incident just after midnight on Oct. 4, a witness reported seeing two more people enter a manhole near West 218th Street and Indian Road, authorities said.
Officers arrived and arrested Jean Rosa, 31, and Luis Chaparro, 28. Both were charged with criminal trespass, police said.
All five suspects were released on their own recognizance because the charges do not qualify for bail, according to authorities.
The unusual manhole activity has been reported across New York City this year, with alleged “mole people” emerging in Middle Village, Queens; Williamsburg and Gravesend in Brooklyn; the Upper East Side; and even near heavily traveled areas around Penn Station and Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.
