New York police arrested Kevin Rodriguez, 26, and Samuel Reveron, 25, after they were spotted Wednesday evening emerging from the sewer system near the hotel where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was staying during the UN General Assembly.
A third individual was seen with them and remains wanted by police. According to the NYPD, the three are accused of criminal trespass, as entering New York City's sewer system is prohibited by law.
Rodriguez and Reveron, both Queens residents, were arrested Thursday. They appeared before a judge Friday morning, denied the allegations against them, and were released from custody.
Police are now investigating whether the three entered the sewer system and emerged near Netanyahu's hotel as part of a possible plot to harm the Israeli Prime Minister, or whether they were searching for valuables washed underground during severe storms that struck the area in recent months.
In recent months, the NYPD has arrested several people after they were spotted emerging from the city's sewer system, having entered it to search for valuables.
In August, police said they were investigating an incident involving three people wearing coveralls and headlamps who were seen entering the sewer system. In May, security cameras also captured a group of men descending into the sewers in Brooklyn, apparently searching for valuables swept underground during severe storms.
In a statement quoted by the New York Times, the NYPD said that the incident appears similar to the earlier incidents, "But out of an abundance of caution, given the U.N. General Assembly and the sensitivity of the location, the N.Y.P.D. is conducting additional security sweeps with our federal partners. The N.Y.P.D. has a robust response to these incidents, which were deployed overnight and additional measures today."