Pics of green slime oozing out of New York sewers go viral. Here's what it is

Some people compared the phenomenon to something just out of a superhero comic. (Image: @danpantelo/X)

A picture that has gone viral on the internet showed a sort of green sludge oozing out of the grates and sewers at various locations across Gotham. An X user from Manhattan first shared the first picture and video of the bright liquid emerging from the sidewalk.

“So there’s literal green sludge bubbling up from the ground next to World Trade Center right now,” Dan Pantelo wrote on Friday. The post has clocked in over 25 million views till now.

So there’s literal green sludge bubbling up from the ground next to World Trade Center right now pic.twitter.com/VF7mErx0PH

Story continues below Advertisement

Remove Ad

— Dan Pantelo (@danpantelo) November 2, 2023

“Can anybody explain this or are we just living in full-blown Gotham rn,” Pantelo wrote while sharing a video of the slimy green liquid.

Can anybody explain this or are we just living in full blown Gotham rn pic.twitter.com/scwPXix7j6

Related stories

• 
  Live crabs cause chaos as woman's grocery bag bursts open inside metro coach. Watch
• 
  23 Years of 9/11: NASA shares haunting image of New York attack's tragic day
• 
  New York City turns to AI-powered scanners in push to keep guns out of the subway system

— Dan Pantelo (@danpantelo) November 2, 2023

While some people compared the phenomenon to something just out of a superhero comic, others recalled “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” after looking at the green goo.

Pantelo even shared an image of people walking by the liquid while it emerged from the pedestrian path.

UPDATE: it’s still there, people are walking through it casually, sometimes a small crowd gathers around and stares at it.

Follow for updates on the green sludge lol pic.twitter.com/Qc2uKBLTDt

— Dan Pantelo (@danpantelo) November 3, 2023

The post garnered hundreds of comments from social media users.

“Call the Ghostbusters,” a user wrote. Another user commented, “Nickelodeon up to something.”

“I knew Ninja Turtles were real,” a third user chimed in. A fourth user remarked, “Don't worry that's just the natural slime.”

However, it was nothing like what people were imagining. The liquid was actually a green dye that plumbers use to detect leaks in plumbing and sewage systems. Moderators on X added a “Readers added content” box in an attempt to bust the myths.

“This is water full of green dye. Plumbers frequently use harmless, fluorescent green dye to detect leaks in plumbing and sewage systems,” it read. A Wikipedia link to a page about “dye tracing” was also included.