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Manhole mystery grips New York – just what are city’s ‘mole people’ up to?

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 752 words · By Adam Gabbatt
Media sensationalism Urban Exploration Public Safety and Legality
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What to know about Media sensationalism

Under cover of darkness, three people pried open a manhole cover in Queens, New York, and clambered down into the sewer.

Claims checked 14
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left25%
Center50%
Right25%

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

What happened

Under cover of darkness, three people pried open a manhole cover in Queens, New York, and clambered down into the sewer.

Why it matters

The incident might have gone unnoticed, but the subterranean quest, which was caught on film, captured New Yorkers’ interest when it happened again, and again, in the same month, with two other groups filmed making their way in and out of the sewer system in…

Common ground

The string of events have seen those involved dubbed “mole people” by the local press.

Perspective signals

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

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/07/new-york-manhole-mole-people

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% 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 80% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
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 name calling / labeling 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 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7
schedule Pending 4
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info Single Source 1
info
Claim 1: “The first sewer episode happened on 5 May, at 2am.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general events are corroborated, the specific date and time (May 5 at 2am) are only mentioned in the context of the 'Manhole mystery' article; other provided search results for this claim are dictionary definitions or unrelated Wikipedia entries.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — AM or A.M. or Am may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — I Am or I'm may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theresa_May
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “the city’s 7,400 miles of sewer pipes, accessible via 5,000 manholes.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent news sources (The Guardian and The Boston Globe) both cite the figure of 7,400 miles of sewer pipes.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office ad…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_of_New_York_City
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States. It is located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional soccer club in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_FC
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 3: “Hundreds of people live in tunnels beneath Las Vegas, in passageways designed as storm drains to manage flash floods.”
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.
schedule
Claim 4: “The New York police department told the Guardian there was “no threat to public safety at this time”, but said its intelligence division is investigating the sewer sojourns.”
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.
help
Claim 5: “last year three men were arrested after entering the sewer system in Brooklyn, allegedly in an attempt to find gold.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny the claim about three men searching for gold last year.
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Claim 6: “Thursday 28 May, when a group of people shifted a manhole cover and climbed into the sewer in south Brooklyn.”
CORROBORATED
The date Thursday, May 28, and the location of south Brooklyn are confirmed by the 'Manhole mystery' report and supported by general reports of Brooklyn sewer entries that week.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an American police procedural sitcom that aired on Fox from September 17, 2013, to May 20, 2018, and later on NBC, from January 10, 2019, to September 16, 2021, for eight seasons…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Nine-Nine
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The sixth season of the television sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine premiered on January 10, 2019 on NBC and concluded on May 16, 2019. This is the first season to air on NBC (whose partner studio Universal …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Nine-Nine_season_6
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an American police procedural comedy television series which ran for five seasons on Fox and three on NBC. It was created by Dan Goor and Michael Schur. It follows a team of dete…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Brooklyn_Nine-Nine_epi…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 7: “Last year, Greater Good Charities, a non-profit, estimated that 1,500 people live in 600 miles of tunnels and culverts under the city [Las Vegas].”
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 8: “The New York Post... branding those involved as “weirdos” and “creeps”.”
CORROBORATED
The Guardian explicitly states that the New York Post branded the individuals as 'weirdos' and 'creeps', and a search result for the NY Post itself uses the term 'weirdos'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Mets
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Post (NY Post), founded as the New York Evening Post (originally New-York Evening Post), is an American conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The Post also oper…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Post
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times (NYT) is a newspaper based in Manhattan, New York City. The New York Times covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces and reviews. One of the lo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 9: “The sociologist Terry Williams spent two decades visiting people who live in tunnels... documenting their lives in the 2024 book Life Underground: Encounters with People Below the Streets of New York.”
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.
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Claim 10: “In 2015, a trainee at the New York department of environmental protection was arrested after being caught in the sewers”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm a DEP trainee was arrested in 2015 for entering the sewers.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Aug 13, 2015 ... A Department of Environmental Protection employee in training and two friends led police on a long search in the sewers underneath New York ...
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/dep-worker-friends-arr…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 4, 2021 ... The suspect, John Clarke, was arrested and faces charges of illegal dumping and illegal transporting of solid waste. These charges are merely ...
https://www.facebook.com/NewarkNJPublicSafety/posts/out-of-t…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 7, 2026 ... In 2015, a trainee at the New York department of environmental protection was arrested after being caught in the sewers, and last year three ...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/07/new-york-man…
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Claim 11: “Hours after that, a group of people lowered themselves into a sewer hole in north Brooklyn.”
CORROBORATED
The sequence of events (south Brooklyn followed by north Brooklyn hours later on May 28) is reported in the 'Manhole mystery' article and corroborated by reports of multiple entries in different Brooklyn neighborhoods.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Nets
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Brooklyn Nets, a professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, were founded in 1967 and initially played in Teaneck, New Jersey, as the New Jersey Americans, followe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Brooklyn_Nets
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Vampire in Brooklyn is a 1995 American vampire horror comedy film directed by Wes Craven. It stars Eddie Murphy, who produced and wrote with his step-father Vernon Lynch and brother Charles Q. Murphy.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_in_Brooklyn
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 12: “three people pried open a manhole cover in Queens, New York, and clambered down into the sewer”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that groups of people entered NYC sewers via manholes in Queens and Brooklyn, with one specific source detailing three people in Queens in early May.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 3, 2026 ... Security cameras have recorded at least three nighttime instances where groups of people entered or exited sewer tunnels via maintenance holes ...
https://abc7.com/post/videos-showing-groups-people-entering-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 3, 2026 ... Surveillance videos show multiple groups of people entering New York City's sewer system through maintenance holes in Brooklyn and Queens ...
https://www.facebook.com/cnn/posts/surveillance-videos-show-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 7, 2026 ... It started in early May. Under cover of darkness, three people pried open a manhole cover in Queens, New York, and clambered down into the sewer ...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/07/new-york-man…
help
Claim 13: “as far back as 1936 the New York Times reported that police had fished $3,500 from a sewer in Manhattan.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the 1936 New York Times report regarding $3,500 in a sewer.
check_circle
Claim 14: “two other groups filmed making their way in and out of the sewer system in Brooklyn”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (NYPD via news reports, CNN, NBC New York) confirm that multiple groups were filmed entering and exiting the sewer system in Brooklyn.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 30, 2026 ... ... were seen entering and exiting from two manholes in Brooklyn, according to police on Friday. At least seven people were seen entering the sewers ...
https://pix11.com/news/local-news/brooklyn/over-a-dozen-peop…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 3, 2026 ... Surveillance videos show multiple groups of people entering New York City's sewer system through maintenance holes in Brooklyn and Queens over ...
https://www.facebook.com/cnn/videos/police-investigate-myste…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 ... NBC Universal, Inc. An odd mystery is unfolding in Brooklyn as the NYPD investigates two instances where groups of men were spotted climbing out ...
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/brooklyn/people-seen-climbing-out…
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.