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An investigation by New York City’s Department of Buildings uncovered a tunnel located underneath the global headquarters of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, an important Jewish site.

Secret tunnel in NYC synagogue: City issues vacate orders of 60-foot tunnel barsbincheckedcloseclouddown-chevrondownexpandexternal-linkfast-forwardfog01101112131415161718192202122232425262728293303132333435363738394404142434445464756789closenafuture-twcicekeylayersleft-chevronlocationminus-thinminusfullMoonfirstQuarterlastQuarternewMoonwaningCrescentwaningGibbouswaxingCrescentwaxingGibbousnext-buttonpause-buttonpause-iconpause-twcplay-buttonplay-icon-engageplay-iconplay-twcplus-thinpluspoolprecipRainprecipMixprecipRainprecipSnowprev-buttonright-chevronsearchsettingsshowershrinkstar-emptystar-fullstop-buttonsunrisesunsettogglesup-chevronvolumewarningwind Watch LiveNewsWeatherGood DayInside FOX 5Contests More Watch Live Expand / Collapse search ☰ Search site News Local NYC NewsNew York State NewsNational NewsPoliticsCrime & Public SafetyEntertainmentUnusualScienceSportsSeen on TVFOX News SundayNewslettersWatch LiveWeather ForecastClosingsWeather AlertsTrafficTravel NewsFOX 5 NY Weather AppFOX WeatherGood Day New York Good Day CafeGood Day Street TalkHealthThings to DoWatch LiveAbout Us How To StreamMeet The TeamFOX 5 TV ScheduleFOX ShowsGet Our AppsJob OpportunitiesPublic AffairsContact UsContestsFCC Public FileFCC ApplicationsIt's 10 p.m.Money ConsumerRecallsBusinessThe EconomyPersonal FinanceReal EstateOnly on FOX 5 Street SoldiersThe Tape RoomLew's ViewFOX 5 FlashbackSkyFOX VideosBrand SpotlightRegional News New Jersey News - My9NJPhiladelphia News - FOX 29 PhiladelphiaWashington DC News - FOX 5 DC River Flood Warning until MON 7:00 PM EST, Morris County, Somerset County 7 River Flood Warning is in effect, Fairfield County, Essex County, Essex County, Essex County, Morris County, Morris County, Morris County, Morris County, Passaic County, Passaic County, Passaic County, Somerset County Coastal Flood Warning from SAT 12:00 AM EST until SAT 7:00 PM EST, Mercer County Coastal Flood Warning from FRI 6:00 PM EST until SAT 7:00 PM EST, Coastal Ocean County, Ocean County High Wind Warning from FRI 8:00 PM EST until SAT 5:00 AM EST, Coastal Ocean County, Eastern Monmouth County Coastal Flood Warning from SAT 7:00 AM EST until SAT 2:00 PM EST, Southern Queens County Coastal Flood Warning from SAT 7:00 AM EST until SAT 6:00 PM EST, Northeast Suffolk County, Southeast Suffolk County, Southern Nassau County, Southwest Suffolk County Secret tunnel in NYC synagogue: City issues vacate orders of 60-foot tunnel By JAKE OFFENHARTZ Published January 11, 2024 9:12AM Crown Heights FOX 5 NY Share Copy Link Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Secret tunnel found FOX 5 NY's Lisa Evers has the story. BROOKLYN - New York building officials have issued emergency work orders to stabilize a historic synagogue and its neighboring structures after an illicit underground tunnel was discovered earlier in the week at the sanctuary in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. An investigation by the city's Department of Buildings uncovered a tunnel that was 60-foot-long, 8-foot-wide and 5-foot-high located underneath the global headquarters of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, an important Jewish site. It extends under several buildings in the vicinity. "As a result of this extensive investigation, we have issued emergency work orders to stabilize the buildings above the tunnel, vacate orders in parts of the buildings to ensure occupant safety, and enforcement actions against the property owners for the illegal work," Andrew Rudansky, a spokesperson for the buildings department, said in an email to The Associated Press. ◀︎ ▶︎ Image 1 of 6 ▼ The property is a deeply revered site that each year receives thousands of visitors, including international students and religious leaders. Its Gothic Revival facade, immediately recognizable to adherents of the Chabad movement, has inspired dozens of replicas across the world. Officials and locals said young men in the community recently built the tunnel in secret. When the group’s leaders tried to seal it off Monday, supporters of the tunnel staged a protest that turned violent as police moved in to make arrests. Featured article NYC secret tunnel in Brooklyn synagogue leads to brawl between NYPD, worshippers A historic Brooklyn synagogue that serves as the center of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Crown Heights was trashed this week during an unusual community dispute that began with the discovery of a secret underground tunnel and ended in brawl between worshippers and the NYPD. A spokesperson for the buildings department said the tunnel did not have approval and permits from the city. City inspectors found dirt, tools and debris inside. Rabbi Motti Seligson, a spokesperson for Chabad, characterized the tunnel as a rogue act of vandalism committed by a group of misguided young men, and condemned the "extremists who broke through the wall to the synagogue, vandalizing the sanctuary, in an effort to preserve their unauthorized access." Those who supported the tunnel, meanwhile, said they were carrying out an "expansion" plan long envisioned by the former head of the Chabad movement, Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Rundansky, of the building department, said the excavation work to create the tunnel caused structural issues at two single-story buildings, resulting in orders to partially vacate them for safety reasons. The agency also issued a full vacate order at a two-story brick building behind the synagogue. Seligson said the building, which houses offices and a lecture hall, had been vacated prior to the city's order. There was inadequate and rudimentary shoring used in the tunnel, the investigation found, as well as in basement-level wall openings created in adjacent buildings. The owners of the buildings have already engaged an architect, engineer and contractor to do the needed work, Rudansky said. The department has also cited the synagogue for the illegal excavation work that created the tunnel, he said. JAKE OFFENHARTZ, with the Associated Press, helped contribute to this report. 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