NEW YORK — September 25, 2026. A bizarre early-morning incident on Manhattan’s Upper East Side has generated viral claims that unidentified men emerging from New York City’s underground system near a hotel used by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have been preparing an attack.
The underlying incident is real.
But some of the most alarming claims circulating online — including suggestions that the men were armed or planting bombs — are not supported by evidence released by police.
What Happened on Park Avenue?
According to the New York Police Department, officers responded at approximately 4:35 a.m. on September 23 after three people were reported climbing out of the underground system near 535 Park Avenue at East 61st Street.
The individuals then entered two vehicles and drove north on Park Avenue.
The location attracted immediate attention because it is close to the Loews Regency New York, the Park Avenue hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to stay during the United Nations General Assembly.
The incident was captured by an NYPD surveillance camera, according to local reporting citing police.
One vehicle was described as a silver sedan. The other was described as a four-door vehicle.
NYPD and Federal Authorities Conducted Security Sweeps
The timing and location made the episode a legitimate security concern.
Thousands of police officers and federal personnel are deployed around Manhattan during the United Nations General Assembly, when presidents, prime ministers and other senior officials are concentrated in New York City.
Because the men emerged near a hotel associated with a high-profile foreign delegation, the NYPD and federal partners conducted additional security sweeps.
However, according to ABC7 New York, nothing suspicious was found during those sweeps.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection also inspected the underground infrastructure and said it was safe.
Was There Evidence of Bombs?
No evidence publicly released by authorities establishes that explosives were planted.
There has also been no public finding that the men were preparing a terrorist attack or targeting Netanyahu.
That distinction is important because a viral video published by commentator Benny Johnson framed the incident much more dramatically.
Johnson repeatedly questioned whether the underground access could have been used for terrorism and asked whether someone could “set explosives” beneath buildings.
Later in the video, he speculated that the individuals were “probably terrorists planting bombs” and asked viewers whether they believed the men were “planting bombs.”
Those statements were speculation, not a finding by police.
Were the Men Armed?
Available police accounts reviewed by Midtown Tribune do not establish that the three people were armed.
Video images reportedly showed individuals wearing work-style clothing, headlamps or protective equipment in some similar incidents.
But clothing, boots, lights or underground equipment are not evidence that a person is carrying a weapon.
Midtown Tribune found no NYPD statement identifying firearms or other weapons connected with the September 23 Park Avenue incident.
Police Are Investigating a Much Larger Pattern
The Park Avenue incident did not occur in isolation.
Police have been investigating a series of unauthorized entries into New York’s sewer and underground infrastructure in recent months.
ABC7 reported that investigators believe the latest incident may be connected to a pattern involving more than 20 similar cases.
Law-enforcement sources told the station that individuals involved in the pattern were suspected of entering underground areas to search for lost valuables and metals such as copper that could be resold.
Police also believe five men may originally have entered the underground system through an access point near East 63rd Street and Fifth Avenue before three were seen emerging on Park Avenue hours later.
The NYPD has not publicly established that every sewer-entry incident is connected to the same group.
One Person Questioned
By late September 24, ABC7 reported that police were questioning a person believed to be one of the individuals connected to the Upper East Side incident.
No charges had been filed at the time of that report, and at least two other people were still being sought.
According to the station’s law-enforcement sources, investigators believed the person may also be associated with the broader series of underground trespassing incidents.
Why Authorities Still Took It Seriously
The absence of evidence of a bombing plot does not make the incident insignificant.
Unauthorized access to New York City’s underground infrastructure creates obvious public-safety and security concerns.
The city’s Department of Environmental Protection has warned that entering sewer infrastructure without authorization is both illegal and dangerous.
The underground environment can contain toxic gases, rapidly changing water levels, flooding hazards and confined spaces.
There is also a separate security issue: during the U.N. General Assembly, unusual underground activity near hotels housing foreign leaders receives greater scrutiny than it might during an ordinary week.
What Benny Johnson’s Video Gets Right — and What It Does Not Establish
The video is based on a real and unusual event.
Three unidentified people did emerge from an underground system near the Park Avenue hotel area. Police did investigate. Security sweeps were conducted. And the incident occurred during one of the most security-sensitive weeks of the year in Manhattan.
Those facts justify questions about who the individuals were and what they were doing underground.
But several additional claims go beyond the available evidence.
| Claim | What Is Currently Supported |
|---|---|
| Three people emerged from underground near Netanyahu’s hotel | Confirmed. |
| They fled in two vehicles | Confirmed. |
| NYPD investigated | Confirmed. |
| Federal partners participated in security sweeps | Confirmed. |
| The men were armed | Not established by available police reporting. |
| They were planting bombs | No evidence publicly released supports this claim. |
| They were targeting Netanyahu | No link has been established. |
| Nothing suspicious was found during the security sweep | Reported by ABC7 citing police sources. |
The Unanswered Questions
The incident still leaves legitimate questions.
- Who were all of the people who entered the underground system?
- Why were they underground for several hours?
- Were they actually searching for scrap metal or valuables?
- Are the recent sewer-entry incidents organized or unrelated?
- How easily can unauthorized individuals access critical New York City underground infrastructure?
- Will any criminal charges follow?
Those questions remain appropriate subjects for investigation.
What the available evidence does not currently support is converting those unanswered questions into a conclusion that a bombing operation was underway.
Source Video
Sources
- ABC7 New York — Three people spotted climbing out of Upper East Side sewer
- ABC7 New York — Person questioned in connection with Upper East Side manhole incident
- Gothamist — NYPD steps up security sweeps after Park Avenue manhole incident
- Loews Regency New York — Official Hotel Website
Midtown Tribune will update this report if the NYPD identifies the remaining individuals, files charges or releases additional information about what investigators found underground.
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