About 70 girls from Orthodox school wander into New York storm drain and climb out unharmed

A school outing for about 70 girls from the Orthodox Jewish school Toret Emek in Monsey, New York, turned dangerous after they entered a large storm drain in Nyack while visiting a park. According to CBS and the New York Post, the students were drawn to an opening that looked like a cave and decided to explore it.

The girls walked roughly 800 meters through the dark underground drainage system, moving over rocks and uneven ground until they started looking for exits. Their escape became visible above ground when passersby and a local police officer saw several of them climbing out one by one through a manhole in a downtown alley, as well as from other drain openings around Nyack.

Police were called to the scene, but authorities found that all of the students had gotten out on their own and none needed treatment for serious injuries. One major exit point was in the backyard of a local restaurant in the center of town.

Restaurant owner Matt Hudson said he was startled while in his office after hearing children talking. He said he was shocked to find dozens of girls emerging from a drain opening above a stream in his inner courtyard, and added that they were fine, excited, and very happy to finally leave the dark tunnel. Nyack Mayor Joe Rand told CBS the girls simply saw the drain and the cave, thought it would be interesting to see what was inside, and kept walking deeper into the darkness. He said he would review the site’s safety and access measures, and reminded residents and visitors that city drainage systems are for infrastructure only, not recreation.