Caller reports three men slipping into the sewer at 1 a.m. in Hamilton Heights

Investigators from the NYPD and FDNY worked through the night beneath Hamilton Heights after a 911 caller said at least three men had lowered themselves into the city’s sewer system at around 1 a.m. Sunday, police officials said.

According to the caller, the group disappeared through a sewer cover at the corner of Hamilton Place and West 141st Street. The joint team stayed at the scene until morning, combing the tunnels for any clue that might point to who the men were. By Sunday afternoon, detectives were going door to door on the block and speaking with neighbors.

The episode left some people in the area uneasy. Speaking on Sunday afternoon, one neighbor said residents need to work together to learn what is happening, so that families can keep themselves and their children safe.

Latest in a string of manhole sightings

The NYPD is once more looking into people going underground through city manholes, and Hamilton Heights is now the newest neighborhood on that list. Two days before the uptown call, on the Upper East Side, five people were spotted emerging from beneath the street early Friday. That group drove away in a black SUV, and officers are still trying to track them down.

What is drain diving in NYC?

Authorities say they do not think the activity, sometimes called “drain diving,” points to anything sinister. According to the NYPD, the department has fielded several reports of people heading down into the sewers once a storm has passed, hoping to turn up scrap metal or other items worth money.

The department described its approach as “a robust response to these incidents” and said officers will keep answering such calls as the situation requires.