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NYC manhole ‘mole people’ have plundered sewer for lost treasures for decades

Nypost · · 696 words · By Chris Nesi; Alex Oliveira
Urban Scavenging Public Safety and Legality NYC Infrastructure
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What to know about Urban Scavenging

NYC manhole ‘mole people’ have plundered sewer for lost treasures for decades See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center67%
Right33%

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

What happened

NYC manhole ‘mole people’ have plundered sewer for lost treasures for decades See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleTreasures abound beneath city streets for anyone brave or crazy enough to explore the murky depths of the Big Apple’s sprawling 7,500-mile sewer system — all in search of a wayward wallet or piece of jewelry that may have fallen…

Common ground

Those temptations were put on full display last week by two separate incidents caught on camera Friday night, where troops of people were seen emerging from manhole covers across Brooklyn after sneaking around the steamy depths in what police said were likely…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: 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://nypost.com/2026/06/01/us-news/nyc-manhole-mole-people-have-plundered-sew…

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 90% 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
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
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 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 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
info Single Source 1
verified
Claim 1: “a spate of New York Times articles from the 1800s described claims of jewels being pulled from their depths”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided search results mention NYT articles about sewers and general crime, but do not specifically confirm a 'spate' of articles from the 1800s describing jewels being pulled from sewers.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An election for the mayor of New York City was held on November 4, 2025. Democratic state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won the election with 50.78% of the vote, defeating Republican activist Curtis Sliw…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_City_mayoral_ele…
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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 — Times Square is one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections, tourist destinations, and entertainment hubs. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street in Midtown …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “In 2015, when part-time city Department of Environmental Protection worker Marquis Evans, then 21, led two pals down a Brooklyn manhole in search of “gold, jewelry and guns””
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that in 2015, a man named Evans and two others were arrested for searching for valuables in the sewers.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The NBA draft returned to Brooklyn afte…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_NBA_draft
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joel Ross (born 1995) is an American jazz vibraphonist currently living in Brooklyn. Born and raised in Chicago, he was introduced to music by playing drums at his father's church, and got a musical e…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Ross_(vibraphonist)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Vinegar Hill is a neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City on the East River Waterfront between Dumbo and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The neighborhood is locally governed by Brooklyn Commu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegar_Hill,_Brooklyn
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “a different threesome who were arrested for descending into the Brooklyn sewers in April 2025”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results from 2026 explicitly reference an incident in April 2025 where three men were arrested for entering Brooklyn sewers.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 NBA draft was the 79th edition of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual draft. Like the 2024 draft, this draft took place over two nights. The draft consisted of 59 picks, rather…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_NBA_draft
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 Brooklyn Nets season was the 50th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), 59th season overall, and its 14th season playing in the New York City borough of Bro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_Brooklyn_Nets_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On May 17, 2025, the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtémoc struck the Brooklyn Bridge while departing New York City. The ship's masts collided with the underside of the bridge, at around the height of her topg…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuauhtémoc–Brooklyn_Bridge_col…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 4: “One of the men, Willer Green, told police at the time, “The reason we went down there is that people lose their gold down there. We got to sell it to make money.””
SINGLE SOURCE
While the arrest of Willer Green in April 2025 is corroborated by multiple sources, the specific quote provided is only found in the context of the reporting and not independently verified by a second distinct source in the provided evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — WILLER TRAVEL offers you highway buses and attractive tours throughout Japan.
https://willer-travel.com/en/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us.
https://www.willer.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The adventure of Wilier Triestina began in Bassano del Grappa, in 1906; 120 years that have witnessed our frames continuously evolving.
https://www.wilier.com/en
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Claim 5: “two separate incidents caught on camera Friday night, where troops of people were seen emerging from manhole covers across Brooklyn”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report that police investigated two separate incidents in Brooklyn where people were filmed emerging from manholes on a Friday night.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — “The reality is we cannot be everywhere protecting everything from everybody.” New York City Police Emergency Service officers examining a manhole. 3. Police were dispatched to investigate both sewers…
https://nypost.com/2026/06/01/us-news/nyc-manhole-mole-peopl…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — People emerge from New York City manhole – video.The incidents are reminiscent of a similar episode on 5 May, when residents in Astoria, Queens, reported seeing several people open a maintenance hole …
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/02/new-york-pol…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In two separate incidents, surveillance footage has caught groups of people leaving, or entering, manholes in the middle of the night. The two incidents were reported last week, both in Brooklyn, afte…
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2026/06/03/fears-grow-af…
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Claim 6: “The trio took several such belowground “scavenger hunt” excursions before the law caught up with Evans and his friends Damien Nieves and David Hannibal. They were slapped with criminal trespassing charges”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that Evans and two others were charged with criminal trespassing for their sewer excursions.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA: the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_NBA_Summer_League
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an award presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Album_of_the_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of American films released in 2009.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_films_of_2009
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “the city’s nearly 200-pound manhole covers”
CORROBORATED
Cross-reference (Nypost) and multiple web search results (abc7NY, NYPD report) confirm that NYC manhole covers typically weigh around 200 pounds.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 ... The heavy steel manhole covers involved can weigh between 200 and 300 pounds, depending on their diameter and thickness. Workers and ...
https://pix11.com/news/local-news/nyc-investigates-third-rep…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 21, 2026 ... They typically weigh about 200 pounds each. 7 On Your Side ... There are close to 700,000 manhole covers in New York City. More ...
https://abc7ny.com/post/manhole-covers-complaints-rise-no-fo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mar 10, 2015 ... The force on the top of the manhole cover is his weight (200lbs) plus the atmospheric pressure of approx 14.7psi (standard atmosphere).
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2yi19k/if_i_wei…
+ 1 more evidence source
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Claim 8: “the Big Apple’s sprawling 7,500-mile sewer system”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including a NYC.gov PDF and web search results, confirm the sewer system is approximately 7,500 miles long.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New York City is made up of five governmental districts named boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is coextensive with a respective county of the State of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boroughs_of_New_York_City
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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
menu_book
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
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 9: “separate groups of men were seen climbing out of two manhole covers in Gravesend and Williamsburg”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results specifically mentioning Gravesend and Williamsburg as the two locations for these incidents.
help
Claim 10: “Footage from the Gravesend incident obtained by Flatbush Scoop showed a man prying back a manhole cover from McDonald Ave. around 2 a.m. and stashing it between nearby cars — when seven men proceeded to file out of the ground one at a time.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding 'Flatbush Scoop' or the specific details of the Gravesend incident on McDonald Ave.
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.