Around 70 girls from an ultra-Orthodox school in Monsey, New York, accidentally entered a sewer system during a class trip to a park in Nyack, walking about half a mile through dark underground tunnels before emerging safely.
According to reports in the New York Post and CBS, the students eventually came out of the sewer system near a restaurant in downtown Nyack. Video of the girls climbing out of the tunnels drew millions of views on social media and also prompted a wave of antisemitic comments.
Officials said the group, from the Toras Emach school in Monsey, had been on an outing when the girls entered a large drainage tunnel that collects much of the village’s stormwater.
Police were called after an officer saw a large number of young girls coming out of a manhole in an alley near a restaurant. Other girls emerged from manholes in other parts of Nyack. The New York Post reported that all of the students managed to leave the drainage tunnel on their own and that none were seriously injured.
Nyack Mayor Joe Rand told CBS the girls had apparently seen the drainage tunnel and became curious.
“The girls saw the storm drain, they saw the cave, and thought, ‘Let’s go take a look, let’s see what’s in there,’ and then they started walking, and they just kept walking and walking and walking,” Rand said.
Rand said the group walked about half a mile inside the dark drainage tunnel, over rocks and uneven ground, before safely finding an exit near a local restaurant. He said he would review safety measures at the drainage site and reminded residents and visitors that drainage tunnels are not meant for recreation or hiking.
Matt Hudson, the owner of the restaurant where some of the girls emerged, said he was stunned to see them coming out of the sewer.
“I was in the office when I heard kids chattering,” Hudson said. “I said to myself, where is that coming from?”
He said he was surprised to discover the girls climbing out of a drainage opening above a creek in the courtyard behind his restaurant.
“We came back here to the courtyard area, looked around, and the place started filling up with kids,” Hudson said. “They were fine, but they were excited. They were happy to be out of there.”