CrownHeigts.info reported on Friday that a massive tunnel had been discovered beneath a building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The sprawling tunnel threatens the foundation of the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway, and its construction has resulted in at least ten arrests, according to X user @FrumTikTok.
NYPD officers removed several Jewish men from the tunnel before taking them into custody
The Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement is an Orthodox movement that originated in Eastern Europe. Crown Heights, Brooklyn, is home to a Chabab community of about 20,000 people, which has its own rabbinical court and Jewish Community Council.
Chaotic footage from the scene shows NYPD officers removing several Orthodox Jewish men from the tunnel before taking them into custody. According to TikTok, several men attempted to stop city workers from filling the tunnels with cement, causing chaos.
Police were eventually seen taking members of the crowd into custody using zip-tie handcuffs.
According to CrownHeights.info, the tunnel was discovered around three weeks ago. A homeowner on nearby Union Street reported hearing suspicious noises in his home for an extended period. A construction crew working on a plumbing system near the headquarters discovered a tunnel while attempting to lay a water line.
According to the local outlet, several Yeshiva men began working on the tunnel sometime in the last six months. Working at night, the men allegedly dug a tunnel that led from the nearby Mikvah building to the headquarters.
Initial reports indicated that construction began during the COVID-19 pandemic, but CrownHeights.info has since amended this report after a neighbor reported that no signs of construction were visible as recently as six months ago.
Following an investigation, the city determined that the sprawling complex threatens the building’s structural integrity. According to JewishPress.com, no charges have yet been filed against any of the suspects. It’s also unclear.
As of the publication of this report, city officials had not commented on the structural integrity of surrounding buildings.
Additional footage from the scene showed mattresses being removed from the tunnel after members of the movement tore panels off the wall. Others displayed a secret entrance that could be accessed from a nearby street.
