Two Queens Men Charged After Park Avenue Manhole Exit Triggers UNGA-Week Security Sweep

Intro

Two Queens men have been charged after police say they were recorded climbing out of a manhole on Park Avenue in the early hours of Wednesday, Sept. 23 a few steps from a hotel used by visiting dignitaries during the United Nations General Assembly.

Kevin Rodriguez, 26, of Flushing, and Samuel Reveron, 25, of Elmhurst, were arrested Thursday. The NYPD says they are charged with trespass and conspiracy. Both were arraigned Friday in Manhattan Criminal Court and released.

According to the criminal complaint, the men told detectives they went underground to look for valuables such as jewelry that wash into the city’s storm drains and sewers.

Background

Police say officers responded to a 911 call at about 4:35 a.m. Wednesday near 535 Park Avenue at East 61st Street, ABC7 reported. By the time officers arrived, three people had come out of the sewer and left, heading north on Park Avenue in two vehicles.

The location drew immediate attention. Police sources told reporters the manhole sits near the hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stays during UNGA week. NYPD officers and federal agents swept the area as a precaution. Nothing suspicious was found.

Police have since said the incident does not appear connected to the hotel, according to CNN. Instead, they describe it as part of a citywide pattern of people entering sewers to search for valuables and scrap metal.

Investigators identified the vehicles using automatic license plate readers, which logged both cars crossing the Queensboro Bridge together, according to the complaint as reported by NBC News. The two men own those vehicles, and both identified themselves to detectives as the people who entered the manhole.

One additional detail: PIX11 reported that the men appeared to lower a drone-like device on a string through the opening. Police have not publicly explained what the device was.

A third person seen leaving the manhole has not been arrested.

The Charges, Explained

The NYPD lists the charges as trespass and conspiracy. Court records described by NBC News show two counts of trespassing for each man. CNN reported the charge as criminal trespass. The specific Penal Law sections were not included in the reporting reviewed for this article.

In simple terms: trespass charges in New York cover entering or staying somewhere you are not allowed to be. The lowest level is a violation, not a crime. Higher degrees are misdemeanors, depending on the type of property and the circumstances.

Neither man was held on bail. Court documents indicate the charges were not bail-eligible under New York law. Reveron was placed on supervised release. Rodriguez was released on his own recognizance.

In simple terms: “released on recognizance” means a defendant is freed on a promise to return to court, with no money posted and no supervision.

About the Defendants

The New York Post, citing police and law-enforcement sources, reported that both men are Venezuelan citizens. NexfinityNews has not independently confirmed their nationality, and other outlets covering the arrests did not report it.

The Post also reported that Reveron is subject to an immigration detainer following his arrest. ICE has not publicly confirmed the detainer. No immigration status has been reported for Rodriguez.

In simple terms: a detainer is a request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) asking a local jail to notify it before releasing someone, or to hold that person for up to 48 hours. It is a request, not a warrant. New York City law sharply limits when city agencies honor such requests, which is why a defendant with a detainer can still be released from court. (See NexfinityNews’ earlier coverage of ICE detainers in New York.)

According to the Post, Reveron was driving without a license when he was picked up and was charged separately for that offense. Police said Rodriguez has no prior arrests.

No employer or occupation has been reported for either man.

Reveron’s attorney, identified by NBC News as Kennedy, said his client’s alleged actions were not directed at the United Nations or any international government officials. He said that if it is proven Reveron went underground, he would counsel him not to do so again.

The Post, citing sources, also reported that the two men may be part of a larger crew, possibly connected to a group that entered a subway access gate near the hotel on Monday. Police have not publicly confirmed that link. Most outlets reported one additional suspect at the Park Avenue site; the Post put the number of unidentified participants at four or more.

A Pattern, Not a One-Off

The Park Avenue case is the latest in a series of manhole sightings across the city since spring.

People have been seen emerging from sewers near Penn Station and in Brooklyn neighborhoods including Gravesend and Williamsburg. Several of those encounters were captured on residents’ phones, often in predawn hours, with the individuals wearing waders and boots.

The pattern continued within 48 hours of the Park Avenue arrests. At about 4:30 a.m. Friday, a caller reported three men in brightly colored clothing climbing out of a manhole near 17th Avenue and Bay Ridge Parkway in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Gothamist reported. The cover was closed when police arrived. No arrests were announced.

Residents told Gothamist that a separate group was arrested in the same Bensonhurst area in April 2025.

Impact

The timing turned a scavenging case into a security event. UNGA week brings heads of state, protective details and federal agencies into a few dozen blocks of Manhattan. An unexplained exit from underground near a protectee’s hotel requires a response regardless of intent and that response draws on NYPD and federal resources.

The case also shows how the NYPD identified the suspects. Surveillance video captured the exit. Automatic license plate readers then tracked the vehicles across the Queensboro Bridge. That chain camera to plate reader to vehicle owner is the same surveillance infrastructure this publication has examined on its privacy beat.

Analysis

Three points stand out.

First, the enforcement outcome follows a familiar path. Earlier this year, arrests in similar Brooklyn and Queens cases ended in dismissals or declined prosecutions. Charges at the trespass level carry limited penalties and, in these cases, no pretrial detention. Whether the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office pursues this case differently, given the security context, is an open question.

Second, the public record contains inconsistencies. The complaint reportedly places the men climbing out at about 1:38 a.m.; police say the 911 call came in around 4:35 a.m. One outlet reported the men were arrested at their Queens homes; another said they were taken into custody in the 13th Precinct in Manhattan. Rodriguez’s age appears as 25 in one report and 26 in most others. These discrepancies should be resolved against the complaint itself.

Third, the “valuables” explanation comes from the defendants. Police have described sewer scavenging as a recurring pattern, but have not said whether anything was recovered from these two men.

Conclusion

The Park Avenue case now has names, charges and an explanation. What remains unresolved is whether it ends differently from the cases before it and whether the city treats unauthorized sewer entry as a nuisance or as a security gap that recurs every time the world’s leaders come to Manhattan.

Editor’s Note on Sourcing

Immigration detainer: The New York Post reported, citing law-enforcement sources, that Reveron is subject to an ICE detainer. ICE had not publicly confirmed the detainer, or whether New York City honored it, as of publication.
Release terms: Reports conflict. ABC7, citing court documents, reported that Rodriguez was released on his own recognizance and Reveron on supervised release. The New York Post reported that both men received supervised release.
Immigration entry: At least one online outlet has stated that Reveron entered the United States illegally. That outlet cited no source, and NexfinityNews has not included the claim.

Key Takeaways

Kevin Rodriguez, 26, and Samuel Reveron, 25, both of Queens, were arrested Thursday, Sept. 24, after allegedly exiting a manhole at Park Avenue and East 61st Street on Sept. 23.
The NYPD lists charges of trespass and conspiracy; court records reportedly show two trespass counts each.
Both were released after Friday arraignment; the charges were not bail-eligible.
They told detectives they were searching for valuables washed into the sewer system.
The New York Post, citing law-enforcement sources, reports both men are Venezuelan citizens and that Reveron has an immigration detainer; ICE has not confirmed the detainer.
Police say there is no link to the nearby hotel used by Netanyahu; a security sweep found nothing suspicious.
At least one other participant remains unidentified, and a new sighting occurred Friday in Bensonhurst.