**Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff** has broken his silence on the alleged **2024 gang rape** of a student at a fraternity house, calling the case "deeply disturbing" and pledging **greater transparency** amid mounting outrage over how the Ivy League school handled the allegations.

In an eight-minute video message to the Cornell community on Saturday, Kotlikoff expressed deep sorrow for the survivor. "My heart aches when I think of what she experienced," he said.

## One of Cornell's Darkest Chapters

Kotlikoff characterized the past week as **one of the most difficult in the university's history**, warning that it would weigh on Cornell for years to come.

"It raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about **sexual assault, dehumanisation** and aspects of **party culture, alcohol and drug use**," he said.

The woman, identified in court documents as **Jane Doe**, alleges she was sexually assaulted by multiple members of the **Chi Phi fraternity** in 2024 and has sued the **university and seven former students**.

## State Takes Over the Criminal Investigation

Scrutiny over Cornell's handling of the case intensified after **New York Governor Kathy Hochul** said newly released information had undermined her confidence in the local prosecutor, who initially declined to bring charges.

Hochul subsequently appointed **state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor** to take over the criminal investigation, declaring she would "not allow anyone to **sweep this case under the rug**."

![New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James attend a press conference on the Cornell investigation](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/reuters_6ac19979-1791072633.jpg?resize=770%2C507&quality=80)

## A Legal Loophole Under Fire

The case has reignited scrutiny of the **"voluntary intoxication loophole"** in New York law, which makes it difficult to prosecute sexual assaults involving victims who voluntarily consumed alcohol or drugs — even if they later became too intoxicated to consent.

**Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten** had cited the legal provision in defending his original decision not to pursue charges. Hochul has pledged to push for **changes to the law**.

## Pressure Mounts on Campus

At a student assembly hearing on Thursday, several speakers **called for Kotlikoff's resignation**.

In Saturday's video, the president reaffirmed his support for an **independent review** of the university's handling of the case, with Cornell's **Board of Trustees** expected to announce details next week. He also called for a "serious look at the role of **fraternities and sororities in campus life**."

James's appointment has placed the case under a prosecutor whose office has repeatedly clashed with **President Donald Trump**. She has separately described the matter as "an **active criminal investigation**."

Michael Kotlikoff expresses deep sorrow over the case, calling it one of the most challenging periods for Cornell.

Cornell President Breaks Silence on Fraternity Rape Case as NY Attorney General Takes Over Investigation

Himmel + Meringoff, the powerhouse firm behind **5 million square feet** of prime New York City property — mostly in Manhattan — is ready to part with its **crown jewel in the outer boroughs**.

H+M and its joint-venture partner **Affinius Capital** are exploring a sale of **1601 Bronxdale Ave.**, a sprawling **7.4-acre site** steps away from the planned new **Parkchester/Van Nest Metro-North station** in the Bronx.

![Illustration of the planned high-rise residential and retail development in the Bronx](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/bronx-housing-retail-site-set-143516339.jpg?w=1024)

### A Fully-Approved Mega-Project

H+M purchased the parcel back in **2019** and has already secured **all necessary city approvals** for six buildings totaling **2.41 million square feet**. The greenlit plans include:

- **Public space** featuring a plaza, retail and community space
- **640 parking spaces**
- A **direct pedestrian connection** to the planned new Metro-North station

### Up to 2,300 New Apartments

The complex would contain up to **2,300 apartments** — a project estimated to cost around **$1 billion** — and may well be **the city's largest fully-entitled housing development site**.

The changes in use and size were approved as part of the **state's and city's plan to add Metro-North stations in the Bronx**, a major transit expansion poised to reshape the borough's real estate landscape and fuel a new wave of transit-oriented development.

Himmel + Meringoff, which has developed, partnered in or managed 5 million square feet of prime Big Apple property mostly in Manhattan, plans to sell its outer-borough jewel.

Massive $1 Billion Bronx Mega-Development Near New Metro-North Station Hits the Market

New York City's underground has become an unlikely hunting ground this summer, as a wave of **clandestine sewer excursions** has captured the city's imagination — all fueled by rumors of **lost gold** trapped in storm drains.

## The Arrest That Exposed the 'Mole People' Mystery

Two men, **Samuel Reveron** and **Kevin Rodriguez**, were apprehended in Queens after police tracked them down through **video footage**. The pair were allegedly spotted entering the sewers with **four other people** who have yet to be identified. Both were charged with **criminal trespassing** — but it's their stated motive that has truly fascinated New Yorkers.

"We go into the sewer and look for valuables that get stuck in the storm drains and sewers, gold, anything of value," Reveron, 25, reportedly told police after his arrest.

## A Misguided Get-Rich-Quick Scheme

The duo's quest fits an apparently misguided pattern of people believing **New York's sewers are paved with gold**. Last year, three men were arrested after allegedly emerging from a Brooklyn sewer, with one telling police: "The reason we went down there is that people lose their gold down there. We got to get it and sell it to make money."

Despite the vaulting ambition, there's little evidence that **sewer foraging pays off**. Steve Duncan, a former urban explorer who has spent extensive time in the city's sewers and subway tunnels, told the New York Times that across **more than 100 sewer trips**, the most valuable thing he ever found was an **expired credit card**.

## Real-Life Ninja Turtles?

The phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down. In May alone, there were **three separate reported incidents** of people climbing down into sewers, two of which were captured on video. In footage from Astoria, Queens, three people wearing **dungaree-style hip waders** and carrying flashlights hauled aside a manhole cover and descended into the darkness.

"Three random guys walking around in a strange suit. Open the sewer, go in like the Ninja Turtles," eyewitness Aki Jakupovic told NBC New York at the time.

The comparison to the **Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles** — the fictional human-turtle hybrids famously depicted as living in the sewers — has become a recurring theme in coverage of these bizarre incidents.

## A Longstanding, Dangerous Trend

While incidents appear to have spiked this year, this is **nothing new**. In 2015, a trainee at the New York Department of Environmental Protection was arrested after being caught in the sewers.

"God knows what they were looking for. I know for damn sure I wouldn't be crawling through the sewers of New York," then-police commissioner **Bill Bratton** said at the time.

## The UN Connection That Wasn't

Reveron and Rodriguez's September sojourn drew extra police attention because it coincided with **world leaders gathering at the UN**, some of them staying at swanky hotels near where the men went underground. But Reveron's attorney, **Brian Kennedy**, dismissed any sinister angle.

"There's no connection to the UN or the appearance of Netanyahu or any other kind of nefarious scheme," Kennedy told NBC News.

## Officials Sound the Alarm

Rob Wolejsza, a spokesperson for New York's Department of Environmental Protection, called the practice **"both illegal and extremely dangerous."**

"Sewers can contain numerous hazards, including **noxious and potentially deadly gases**, unstable surfaces, flooding risks and confined spaces," Wolejsza warned. "For these reasons, members of the public should never enter a pipe, drain, catch basin, manhole or outfall."

Whether people will listen remains to be seen: on the very same day Reveron and Rodriguez were arrested, **three more men** were spotted climbing out of a sewer at 4:30am in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Police found a **shovel** in the sewer — but the men got away.

A recent arrest suggests that underground invaders of city’s sewer system are lured by the promise of lost valuables

Sun 4 Oct 2026

Massive $1 Billion Bronx Mega-Development Near New Metro-North Station Hits the Market

NYC's Secret Sewer Gold Rush: Why Treasure Hunters Keep Vanishing Into the City's Manholes

Cornell President Breaks Silence on Fraternity Rape Case as NY Attorney General Takes Over Investigation

Massive $1 Billion Bronx Mega-Development Near New Metro-North Station Hits the Market

NYC's Secret Sewer Gold Rush: Why Treasure Hunters Keep Vanishing Into the City's Manholes

Cornell President Breaks Silence on Fraternity Rape Case as NY Attorney General Takes Over Investigation

Get the top stories by email