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| Body Found Under N.Y.C. Manhole Cover, Baffling Police | Body Found Under N.Y.C. Manhole Cover, Baffling Police |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Well after most New Yorkers had gone to bed, a crew of Verizon workers was on the streets of the city early Tuesday morning getting ready to work on utility lines buried beneath the asphalt. | Well after most New Yorkers had gone to bed, a crew of Verizon workers was on the streets of the city early Tuesday morning getting ready to work on utility lines buried beneath the asphalt. |
| At around 3:15 a.m., they stood in a usually traffic-choked intersection in Midtown Manhattan and removed the manhole cover separating them from the task at hand, officials said. | At around 3:15 a.m., they stood in a usually traffic-choked intersection in Midtown Manhattan and removed the manhole cover separating them from the task at hand, officials said. |
| When the manhole was exposed, the workers were hit by a putrid smell, they told a local news outlet. After descending, they were shocked to discover the source of the odor: a decaying corpse. | When the manhole was exposed, the workers were hit by a putrid smell, they told a local news outlet. After descending, they were shocked to discover the source of the odor: a decaying corpse. |
| The gruesome discovery of a man’s decomposing body under a manhole cover opened a subterranean mystery that has left investigators and utility workers puzzled. | The gruesome discovery of a man’s decomposing body under a manhole cover opened a subterranean mystery that has left investigators and utility workers puzzled. |
| Hours after the man’s body was removed for an autopsy, the authorities were still investigating how it ended up under a solid metal plate that can weigh as much as 300 pounds. | Hours after the man’s body was removed for an autopsy, the authorities were still investigating how it ended up under a solid metal plate that can weigh as much as 300 pounds. |
| As of Tuesday afternoon, a strong smell could still be detected around the manhole, located near the intersection of 58th Street and Eighth Avenue, in a bustling neighborhood near Columbus Circle. | As of Tuesday afternoon, a strong smell could still be detected around the manhole, located near the intersection of 58th Street and Eighth Avenue, in a bustling neighborhood near Columbus Circle. |
| Pedestrians covered noses as they passed, coughing as they tried to wave away the stench, and Verizon workers were pumping air into the vault where the body was found. | Pedestrians covered noses as they passed, coughing as they tried to wave away the stench, and Verizon workers were pumping air into the vault where the body was found. |
| “We don’t think he got in there himself,” said one worker who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak with reporters. “Those manhole covers are heavy. It takes two men to lift one of those.” | “We don’t think he got in there himself,” said one worker who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak with reporters. “Those manhole covers are heavy. It takes two men to lift one of those.” |
| Officials have yet to identify the man. They also have not determined what caused his death, and officers could not immediately figure out whether he had been the victim of foul play. | Officials have yet to identify the man. They also have not determined what caused his death, and officers could not immediately figure out whether he had been the victim of foul play. |
| The body was in a state that suggested the man had been underground for “some time,” possibly days, the police said. | The body was in a state that suggested the man had been underground for “some time,” possibly days, the police said. |
| One official familiar with the case said investigators believed the man may have been homeless. | One official familiar with the case said investigators believed the man may have been homeless. |
| Manhole covers — heavy cast-iron disks — generally require multiple workers or heavy equipment to remove. They guard access to a labyrinth of unseen infrastructure that powers New York City. | Manhole covers — heavy cast-iron disks — generally require multiple workers or heavy equipment to remove. They guard access to a labyrinth of unseen infrastructure that powers New York City. |
| Across the city, hundreds of thousands of covers protect this subterranean network of electric cables, gas and steam lines, water mains, telecommunications wires and sewers that provide crucial services to millions. | Across the city, hundreds of thousands of covers protect this subterranean network of electric cables, gas and steam lines, water mains, telecommunications wires and sewers that provide crucial services to millions. |
| The Fire Department responds to hundreds of calls each year related to manholes, including reports of smoke billowing up from under the asphalt and explosions that can blow off the covers. Last week, at least two people were injured after a manhole explosion elsewhere in Midtown. | The Fire Department responds to hundreds of calls each year related to manholes, including reports of smoke billowing up from under the asphalt and explosions that can blow off the covers. Last week, at least two people were injured after a manhole explosion elsewhere in Midtown. |
| The manhole covers are owned by specific city agencies or utility companies that are responsible for the structures beneath them. The manhole where the body was found was not connected to the city’s sewer system, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection said. | The manhole covers are owned by specific city agencies or utility companies that are responsible for the structures beneath them. The manhole where the body was found was not connected to the city’s sewer system, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection said. |
| A Verizon spokesman said the company was still gathering details and could not comment further. | |
| The discovery left many people in the neighborhood shaken. Police officers were canvassing the streets on Tuesday afternoon looking for information. | The discovery left many people in the neighborhood shaken. Police officers were canvassing the streets on Tuesday afternoon looking for information. |
| “I’ve never seen these many police here,” said Gustavo Coral, 20, who operates a halal food cart near the manhole. “I can’t say they find many bodies here. It’s really strange.” | “I’ve never seen these many police here,” said Gustavo Coral, 20, who operates a halal food cart near the manhole. “I can’t say they find many bodies here. It’s really strange.” |
| James Maron, 59, a homeless man, said the death added to the fear stoked by the recent brutal beating deaths of four homeless men in Chinatown. | James Maron, 59, a homeless man, said the death added to the fear stoked by the recent brutal beating deaths of four homeless men in Chinatown. |
| “How in the hell did he end up in there?” Mr. Maron said. “This is not a good time to be homeless. Somebody has to do something about this.” | “How in the hell did he end up in there?” Mr. Maron said. “This is not a good time to be homeless. Somebody has to do something about this.” |
| Azi Paybarah contributed reporting. | Azi Paybarah contributed reporting. |