A citywide manhunt concluded with the arrest of two individuals spotted emerging from a manhole on Park Avenue, located just outside a hotel frequently used by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the UN General Assembly. Law enforcement officials initially treated the incident with extreme caution, fearing a potential security threat to the high-profile visitor, but later determined the activity was unrelated to the hotel or its guests.
Kevin Rodriguez, 26, and Samuel Reveron, 25, both residents of Queens, were taken into custody and charged with criminal trespass. Following an arraignment in Manhattan criminal court, both men were released on Friday morning. Brian Kennedy, representing Reveron, explicitly rejected any suggestion that his client’s actions were tied to international government officials or the United Nations. He described the incident as a desperate attempt to locate scrap metal or valuables within the city’s underground system, calling the claim “entirely plausible” while adding that “desperation leads to great efforts.” Has reached out to Rodriguez’s attorney for comment.
The investigation triggered a significant multi-agency response, as the NYPD and US Secret Service collaborated to identify the intruders. Law enforcement relied on a blend of modern digital forensics and traditional investigative techniques. Detectives from the major case unit canvassed the area door-to-door and reviewed security footage showing three men boarding vehicles on Park Avenue shortly after 4 a.m. on Wednesday. According to law enforcement officials, the investigation involved the use of a combination of modern police technology and old-fashioned shoe leather. Including when it arrived and when it departed the Park Avenue location, the system gave detectives a pattern of the car’s travels.
Digital evidence proved vital, as authorities used license plate readers to track the movements of a vehicle captured on video. By analyzing patterns from the plate reader system and accessing body camera footage from previous traffic stops, investigators were able to identify the registered owner. Police eventually staked out the location where the vehicle was registered, leading to the arrest of the suspects. It remains unclear if the two men were apprehended simultaneously or separately, and authorities continue to search for additional individuals who may have been involved. It is not clear whether the two suspects were arrested together or separately.
While this event initially raised concerns about terrorism or foreign espionage due to the proximity of the UN General Assembly, investigators ultimately classified it as part of an ongoing local crime pattern. In recent months, New York residents have recorded several instances of individuals wearing waders and boots, entering or exiting manholes in the predawn hours. Similar cases have involved suspects who admitted to scavenging the sewer system for copper, gold jewelry, and other resaleable metals swept into the infrastructure. Including gold chains, rings, or other metals such as copper that can be resold, detectives say in a number of cases where arrests were made the suspects made statements that they were just looking for valuables.
Ultimately, a case that demanded immediate national security scrutiny ended with detectives identifying a mundane, albeit illegal, motive. The investigation remains active as police look for further suspects connected to the breach. Lauren del Valle contributed to this story.
