Gold-digging ‘mole people’ arrested for diving into manhole near NYC hotel

Nypost · 🇮🇱 public Israel · Sep 25, 2026 · 1048 words · By Kalohe Danbara; Joe Marino; Kyle Schnitzer; Matt Troutman

Urban Decay/Oddity Criminality and Dehumanization

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Urban Decay/Oddity

Gold-digging ‘mole people’ arrested for diving into manhole near NYC hotel See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 3

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Gold-digging ‘mole people’ arrested for diving into manhole near NYC hotel See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

A chunky CHUD busted for allegedly diving into a Manhattan manhole may help solve the mystery behind the invasion of “mole people” spotted emerging from the city’s sewers in recent months.

Common ground

Kevin Rodriguez, 26, and his fellow Venezuelan citizen Samuel Reveron, 25, were arrested in Queens Thursday after romping in the tunnels underneath a hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stayed for the United Nations General Assembly, cops…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Urban Decay/Oddity story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Kevin Rodriguez, 26, and his fellow Venezuelan citizen Samuel Reveron, 25, were arrested in Queens Thursday after romping in the tunnels underneath a hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stayed for the United Nations General Assembly?
How does this story connect Urban Decay/Oddity with Criminality and Dehumanization over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/09/25/us-news/gold-digging-mole-people-busted-for-diving…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 100% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 100% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

schedule Pending 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

check_circle

Claim 1: “Kevin Rodriguez, 26, and his fellow Venezuelan citizen Samuel Reveron, 25, were arrested in Queens Thursday after romping in the tunnels underneath a hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stayed for the United Nations General Assembly”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the arrest of Kevin Rodriguez (26) and Samuel Reveron (25) for entering sewers near the hotel where Benjamin Netanyahu was staying. The Dissenter and other news reports confirm the event.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Miss Earth 2008 was the eighth edition of the Miss Earth pageant, held at the Clark Expo Amphitheater in Angeles City, Philippines, on November 9, 2008. Jessica Trisko of Canada crowned Karla Henry of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Earth_2008

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is the complete list of Pan American Games medalists in baseball from 1951 to 2019.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Pan_American_Games_med…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable people from Puerto Rico which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico (Borinquen) and people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican descent. Puerto Rican citizens are i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Puerto_Ricans

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 2: “Last year, three more subterranean sojourners got arrested for trekking underneath Brooklyn.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 3: “Large groups of men were twice spotted plunging into open manholes in Williamsburg and Gravesend in Brooklyn during the early morning hours May 29.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that on May 29, groups of men were seen exiting manholes in Williamsburg and Gravesend, Brooklyn.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Two sewer mysteries unfolded overnight Friday in Brooklyn. Police say two groups of people were seen exiting manholes in Williamsburg and Gravesend. The incidents, around an hour apart, happened at op…
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2026/05/30/mole-people-alert-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sewer mystery: 2 groups seen exiting manholes in Williamsburg, Gravesend. May 29. By Zoe Cosgrove. Save for later.NYPD investigating after surveillance video captures group entering sewers through man…
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Another group was seen entering a manhole 8 miles away around 1 a.m. on May 29 and climbed out just before 4 a.m. At least three of the men were carrying shovels and all were carrying or wearing headl…
https://www.deseret.com/environment/2026/06/11/mystery-manho…

info

Claim 4: “Surveillance video showed two separate Toyota Corolla sedans pull up and six shady customers hop out, pry open a sewer cover and hop into the stinky depths beneath the streets, court papers state.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the arrests and the event are corroborated, the specific detail about 'two Toyota Corolla sedans' and 'six shady customers' is not explicitly detailed in the provided evidence summaries, though the general event is confirmed.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2009–11 Toyota vehicle recalls involved a series of global corrective actions to automobiles by the Japanese manufacturer, Toyota Motor Corporation. Approximately 9 million vehicles were affected…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009–2011_Toyota_vehicle_recal…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Toyota Motor Corporation (Japanese: トヨタ自動車株式会社, Hepburn: Toyota Jidōsha kabushiki gaisha; IPA: [toꜜjota], English: , commonly known as simply Toyota) is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacture…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Toyota Motor Corporation's U family is a family of automatic front-wheel drive/rear-wheel drive/four-wheel drive transmissions found in later vehicle models.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_U_transmission

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 5: “When Reveron was picked up, he was driving without a license and charged separately for that offense, police said. He has an immigration detainer after his arrest.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 6: “the bizarre August video showing three sewer sojourners in bib overalls and donning headlamps outside Penn Station”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm a TikTok video from August showing three people in overalls and headlamps emerging from a manhole near Penn Station/32nd Street.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A video posted on TikTok captured three men clad in headlamps and overalls hurriedly pulling themselves out of the steamy depths of a manhole at 32nd Street and Seventh Avenue — just blocks away from …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD__xXfhDRk

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Three people were seen emerging from a manhole near Penn Station in Manhattan on August 18, prompting an investigation by the New York Police Department (NYPD), local media reported. The three, wearin…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/nypd-investigates-a-tiktok-v…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The NYPD probes a video of people emerging from a manhole in New York City. ricardyfabre/TikTok. “It’s a tidal wave that comes through every time it rains, and so that is enough to sweep silt, small r…
https://nypost.com/2026/09/25/us-news/gold-digging-mole-peop…

help

Claim 7: “In 2015, a part-time Department of Environmental Protection led two friends down a Brooklyn manhole in search of “gold, jewelry and guns” in city sewers.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results to support the claim regarding a DEP employee in 2015.

check_circle

Claim 8: “Another enigmatic nightcrawler – this time clad in a red and black bandana – pulled a similar stunt in Middle Village, Queens in mid-September.”

CORROBORATED

Reports confirm a man wearing a black-and-red bandana was seen climbing out of a sewer in Queens in mid-September.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — NEW YORK — A man wearing a black-and-red bandana was seen climbing out of a sewer in Queens, with him and four other men taking off after putting the manhole back in place — the latest mysterious unde…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/man-spotted-emerging-man…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Trio spotted emerging from manhole just steps from NYC hotel where Netanyahu set to stay.The manhole where the trio was seen emerging from. WABC. Netanyahu and other dignitaries are expected to stay a…
https://nypost.com/2026/09/23/us-news/trio-seen-emerging-fro…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Groups seen entering manholes in NYC prompt safety concerns. PIX11 News.Over a dozen people emerge from manholes in Brooklyn: NYPD. PIX11 News. 747K 3mo ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFv6yEjQrpA

check_circle

Claim 9: “Cops arrested the pair on trespassing and conspiracy charges, leading to their arraignment in Manhattan court Friday.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (The Guardian/WABC, and two other web search results) confirm the arrests on trespassing and conspiracy charges and the Friday arraignment in Manhattan.

menu_book

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mr. Rodriguez, 26, and Mr. Reveron, 25, were arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday morning. Both men were charged with criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor, and Mr. Reveron was also charged w…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/nyregion/nyc-sewers-arres…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Samuel Reveron, 25, and Kevin Rodriguez, 26, were both booked on suspicion of two counts of trespassing.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-arrested-connection…

+ 1 more evidence source

check_circle

Claim 10: “The subterranean shenanigans by Reveron, Rodriguez and at least four other still-unidentified sewer muck divers unfolded early Wednesday near East 61st Street and Park Avenue, prosecutors said – just steps from the swanky Loews Regency New York hotel.”

CORROBORATED

Web results from WABC and other reports confirm the location as near the Loews Regency New York hotel and the involvement of Rodriguez, Reveron, and others.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article lists a number of significant events in science that have occurred in the first quarter of 2023.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January–March_2023_in_science

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 J…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_bombing_of_Yugoslavia

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 11: “He has one previous arrest for criminal mischief in Queens, which his attorney Ryan Kennedy said was for car stripping.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 12: “Reveron illegally entered the US, while Rodriguez is a citizen, sources said.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about the name 'Samuel' and unrelated lists, providing no information on the citizenship or legal status of the individuals involved.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of notable deaths in May 2024. Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence: Name, age, country of ci…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_May_2024

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 13: “another filthy threesome of mole people were spotted climbing out of a Bensonhurst sewer early Friday.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results to support the claim about a 'filthy threesome' in Bensonhurst.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.