An NYC man walked down a randomly discovered shady staircase and found a whole family living on the other side of it. The video has gone viral and has left the internet stunned at the discovery.
Popular TikToker @nottheayoooguy was on a walk in the streets of New York City when he came across a black metal door. Since the door was slightly ajar, out of curiosity, he decided to check it out.
When he opened it, he found a shady cement staircase leading somewhere he didn’t quite expect. The stairs appeared to be dirty and thick with dust and had a metal railing, which was equally dusty.
Seconds after he walked down the stairs, he found himself stunned at what was before him: a whole family. According to the video he shared, there appeared to be multiple people with children who were seen either walking or lounging about.
Although the content creator believes the people he found at the bottom of the stairs were family, their real relationship with each other is unconfirmed. Moreover, details such as how they came to be there remain unknown.
Right after the TikToker made eye contact with them, he immediately decided to leave. Although he was stunned, he told the camera, “Yeah, I’m out…”
The man quietly left and closed the door behind him, ending the video, which has gotten over 1.4 million views on his TikTok account.
The Internet Was Stunned at What the NYC Man Found
Many of his followers were stunned at what the NYC man found at the bottom of the staircase. But they also expressed their empathy at their living situation.
In the comment section of the TikTok post, a user mentioned, “It’s sad to see someone living like that…” But was the family truly living there? That’s what @WallStreetApes decided to look into.
This exists in a first world country….
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) July 21, 2026
Right next to these businesses in New York City, if you go down these shady stairs, you’ll come across this
It legitimately looks like the Philippines. A family seems to be living back here in what looks like extreme poverty…
It’s wild… pic.twitter.com/tXJmBKfEnL
The account zoomed in on several details in the video. The account did this to assess whether the family was truly living there. The narrator from the X video pointed out the presence of a mirror, bathroom supplies, chairs, cookware and appliances.
Moreover, he mentioned that not only was it proof of people living there, but they’re “definitely” a family. However, the narrator was equally shocked and said, “Its really wild that this exists in a First World Country in New York City.”
While others equally expressed their shock, some claimed it was fairly normal. One such individual claimed, “That’s a regular NYC Basement for like 90% buildings, and people hang out there all the time…”
The details above solely reflect the videos shared by @nottheayoooguy on TikTok and @WallStreetApes on X. The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the location or identities described in this article.
