‘Human moles in Manhattan?’ Viral footage shows subterranean group wearing headlamps emerging from NYC manhole

A group of people filmed in the early hours has been dubbed “mole people” by netizens online after they were seen climbing out of a sewer running beneath NYC. The bizarre phenomenon has left people with tons of questions but very few answers.

The subterranean gang has gone somewhat viral online, with footage showing the three men clambering out from beneath the sidewalk near Penn Station in Manhattan. A timestamp on the original TikTok tells us that the men were spotted climbing out of the hole at 4:19 a.m. The description also states that there were five men spotted emerging from the sewers.

The footage shows what appears to be a group of white men wearing black overalls and headlamps on their heads. Upon rising out of the sewers, they quickly dart off into the night, with the final man dragging the manhole cover back into its place before disappearing like the rest of his fellow underground explorers.

Viewers noted that the men in the video didn’t appear to be conducting official sewer work: “Their body language tells me this wasn’t sanctioned/official business.” Others in the comment section on TikTok tended to agree: “Something ain’t right our own city knows something,” another comment reads.

This isn’t the first time this has happened in NYC

This strange occurrence has many NYC residents questioning whether it might be linked to a similar incident which occurred back in June of this year. Earlier this year, two separate videos showed groups of men emerging from the sewers in the middle of the night, prompting an NYPD probe.

In that case, an emergency services unit was sent into the sewers to investigate but found nothing sinister or dangerous left behind by the groups. At the time, the running police theory was that the groups were “urban scavengers,” searching the sewers for valuable loot.

Of course, the recent footage has renewed concerns that these groups may pose a threat. The story quickly found its way to local news outlets, prompting people to take to X and share their own wild theories about the strange phenomenon. 

“Human moles in manhattan?” one person questioned. Others speculated that they had come from an underground society, while more people expressed security concerns: “Now you see how easy it would be for someone to put explosives down there.” 

Others believed more banal explanations, with one echoing the NYPD theory that the men were scavengers looking for gold, jewellery, and other valuables that get dropped in the city. Another suggested that the group were simply content creators who thought filming their escapades underneath NYPD would make for a good video.