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On Friday, CrownHeigts.info reported the discovery of a massive tunnel underneath a building in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights section. The sprawling tunnel is threatening the foundation of the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway while its construction has resulted in at least 10 arrests, according to X user @FrumTikTok.
The Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement is an Orthodox movements with roots in Eastern Europe. Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood is home to a roughly 20,000 strong Chabab community and contains its own rabbinical court and Jewish Community Council.
Chaotic videos from the scene show NYPD officers pulling several Orthodox Jewish men from the tunnel before taking them into custody. Frum TikTok reported that several men had attempted to stop city workers from filling the tunnels with cement, leading to chaos.
Police could eventually be seen taking members of the crowd into custody with zip-tie handcuffs.
According to CrownHeights.info, the tunnel was discovered roughly three weeks ago. A homeowner on nearby Union Street reported hearing suspicious noises in his home over a lengthy period of time. A construction crew that who were working on a plumbing system not far from the headquarters also discovered a tunnel while attempting to lay a waterline.
The local outlet reported that a number of Yeshiva men started work on the tunnel at some point over the last six months. Working at night, the men allegedly dug the tunnel from the nearby Mikvah building all the way to the headquarters.
Initial reports indicated that construction began during the COVID-19 pandemic, though this report has since been amended by CrownHeights.info after a neighbor reported that signs of construction were not evident as recently as six months ago.
After investigation, the city determined that the sprawling complex presents a threat to the structural integrity of the building. Charges have not yet been filed against any suspects, according to a report from JewishPress.com. It is also unclear.
City officials have not yet commented on the structural integrity of surrounding buildings as of this report.
Additional videos from the scene showed mattresses being removed from the tunnel after members of the movement ripped panels off the wall. Others showed a secret entrance that could be accessed from a neighboring street.
This is a developing story.
