Sewer Divers in Bensonhurst, and the Story the Media Stepped Over

BENSONHURST, Brooklyn — Monday, just after 5 p.m., a group of people in broad daylight removed a manhole cover on 17th Avenue and climbed down into the sewer system like it was a secret tunnel to Narnia. One person stayed topside, replaced the cover (very polite), and was arrested on the spot.

The others?

Gone. Still missing. No one seems to know who they are or why they went down there.

Are they explorers?

Activists?

Just… sewer-curious?

Now here’s where this turns from strange to disappointing: mainstream media barely lifted a finger. Local outlets ran a few sleepy lines and called it coverage. “Police are looking.” No further questions.

But I did, and my little blog was the only outlet that actually dug into this bizarre moment when I first saw it pop up on Citizen. I didn’t wait for a press release. I followed the lead, asked the obvious questions no one else did, and tried to understand the “why,” not just the “what.”

And let’s be real: this isn’t about ego. It’s about standards. Why does it take an independent journalist (If I can even call myself that) running a Substack to chase down a wild story unfolding in real time—while major outlets need a tip-off just to notice something literally happening in the street?

This is a theme we’re seeing more and more. Independent writers are out here doing real work while legacy media runs on autopilot. The difference? We’re not trying to fill a quota. We’re trying to tell the truth.

Mainstream journalism shouldn’t need a nudge to care. And when they get one, they should respond with curiosity, not a copy-paste paragraph. What happened underground matters. Who these people are matters. And if they’re still down there? That’s not just strange. That’s a public safety issue.

But sure, let’s keep scrolling past that like it’s normal.

If the media won’t go down the rabbit hole, someone has to. So here I am. Sewer grate open. Eyes wide. Asking the real questions.

You're welcome.

Let’s be clear: this story didn’t surface because a journalist spotted something. It surfaced because someone tipped them off- ME! Which, again, raises the question: why weren’t they already there?

This connects to a bigger pattern we’re seeing: independent journalists are out-hustling mainstream outlets. They're breaking the real stories, digging past the press releases, and treating weird moments like this not as blips, but as clues to something deeper. Meanwhile, big outlets—with their corporate backers and bloated brand equity—phone it in.

My dad wrote about this for his Marketing Accountability Council (MAC) newsletter.

We get it. Newsrooms are understaffed, overextended, and trying to keep pace with a broken attention economy. But this? This was right there. It’s not a matter of resources. It’s a matter of instinct. This kind of story should set off every reporter’s internal siren: Who? What? Why? How? Motivation?

If the system works, we don’t need a tip to get to the truth. And when the tip comes in? We don’t just echo a police blotter entry and call it journalism.

Mainstream outlets had the chance to do real reporting. Instead, they just covered the manhole like the guy did. Closed it back up, walked away.

So until someone goes looking for the people still missing under Brooklyn—and asks real questions about how this happened and why—independent journalists, once again, are going to be the ones doing the actual work.

Until next time, stay weird, Brooklyn. Stay curious.

—Gavin
Igniting Curiosity