- 19 hours ago
I Visited The Mole People Underground (They live with no Sun)
Underneath Las Vegas, there are approximately 200 miles of tunnels, wastewater networks, unused service routes, and abandoned mineshafts. These tunnels, which were once constructed as the city's infrastructure, have become a hidden world for the tunnel people.
It’s almost impossible to find food or clean water here, and there’s no plumbing. People live in constant darkness and haunted by the constant fear of flush floods. Every person who ended down here has a story. Some chased adventure. Some fled trauma. Some lost their jobs and couldn't make ends meet.
Underneath Las Vegas, there are approximately 200 miles of tunnels, wastewater networks, unused service routes, and abandoned mineshafts. These tunnels, which were once constructed as the city's infrastructure, have become a hidden world for the tunnel people.
It’s almost impossible to find food or clean water here, and there’s no plumbing. People live in constant darkness and haunted by the constant fear of flush floods. Every person who ended down here has a story. Some chased adventure. Some fled trauma. Some lost their jobs and couldn't make ends meet.
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TravelTranscript
00:00Underneath Las Vegas, there is approximately 200 miles of tunnel network.
00:04These tunnels have become a secret world for the so-called mall people.
00:08Anybody that hasn't come out and seen the light of day in a long time, I don't know if I want to meet them.
00:12They might not be civil. These tunnels are seven floors down.
00:16Do we have any flashlights?
00:20People turn gray down here.
00:22There are people out there that haven't seen the light of day and never will.
00:24The city dazzles with luxury hotels, casinos and endless entertainment.
00:29Millions of people visit Las Vegas every year.
00:32But many don't know what exists just below this desert paradise.
00:36The endless darkness has slowly altered the way people think and behave.
00:40I got shot in the head with a gun.
00:41Somebody died right where we were standing last night.
00:46Some of them were even born into this dark world.
00:49These people have no IDs and they hide in these tunnels to stay away from the law.
00:54The police radios and stuff would not work down here.
00:57So what you're looking at is a map of the tunnels in Las Vegas.
01:00There's about 1500 people who live in that system.
01:02The tunnels have their own names like neighborhoods, right?
01:06Yeah, yeah.
01:07Nobody on the street level knows what is going on underground.
01:10We are about to dive deep into the tunnels which are connected to many other tunnels.
01:14Let's descend into darkness where these tunnel people have built their lives.
01:17This is the Narcan, the nasal spray.
01:20So if you see somebody overdosing, you can hit them with this.
01:23It'll bring them back.
01:24You get 30 minutes.
01:25You still have to call an ambulance.
01:26Super easy.
01:27Pop it out right in the nose.
01:28We can't just walk in unless we're with Rob who survived five years down here.
01:33The entrance is blocked with metal bars to stop people from entering and to keep crash out
01:38during floods.
01:39What is the worst thing that happened to you in tunnels?
01:41Probably the flood that we had a few years ago when I lost two of my best friends.
01:47The ground in Las Vegas is extremely hard, so rainwater can't soak into the soil the
01:51way it normally would.
01:52To prevent flooding on the streets, these tunnels were built to direct water under the
01:56city.
01:57So when it rains, the water rushes straight into the tunnels where people are living.
02:01Even on a sunny day in the city, a rainstorm fifteen miles away in the mountains can send
02:06a flood rushing down these tunnels in minutes.
02:08Every time this sudden disaster hits, people in this massive underground city lose their
02:12lives to drowning.
02:13A lot of trash here.
02:16We ran into Nate first.
02:17He warned us not to enter the tunnel.
02:19I stay away from the deep parts of the tunnel.
02:21What is the reason for that?
02:23Just because you're unknown.
02:24I don't know what's down there.
02:26It gets smaller and smaller as you get to where you got to crawl.
02:29From what I know, these tunnels are seven floors down.
02:32Can you imagine?
02:33There's rooms off in these tunnels, service rooms, that anybody could be in there, you
02:37know?
02:38You'd be kidnapped, killed some tunnel losses, burnt alive, but it don't matter.
02:42Whatever danger hides deep in the tunnels, Toby has faced it.
02:46I'm back here in the dark, you know what I mean?
02:48Dark, dark.
02:49What is the worst thing that happened to you down in these tunnels?
02:52I got attacked one time.
02:53Like three Cuban dudes.
02:54One of the guys came in my spot with the damn machete.
02:57He was one of the top dog dudes.
02:59But I handled my own.
03:00So I had a basket and I took it in there, threw it on its side, stuck holes in it, made
03:04one of them little Maltese cocktails.
03:05It's the only thing that saved me.
03:07Stepping into someone's territory.
03:11Anybody home?
03:12Do we have any flashlights?
03:15Do we have any flashlights?
03:16I'll check and see if I got one of my babies.
03:21Hey.
03:22How are you?
03:23How are you?
03:24Everything going good?
03:25The woman, possibly under the influence of the substance, asked for Narcan.
03:29If you actually know how to navigate, you can make it all the way underground in the tunnels
03:35without ever coming up to the surface.
03:37It can be done if you know the tunnel system well enough.
03:39So they're all basically connected.
03:41Eventually they are passageways.
03:42Nice.
03:43For the most part.
03:44This labyrinth may not look like a home to you, but stepping into their spots without
03:51warning could get us into serious trouble.
03:54Some of them are armed and don't hesitate to use it.
03:57You can hear the cars.
03:58You can hear it.
03:59Oh my God.
04:00We're in the middle of the city right now and they're literally driving over the heads
04:06of people that are living underground.
04:07One of the rarest points that we see sunlight.
04:11Here it is.
04:12The city.
04:13A life they're not part of.
04:15Only able to watch from the underground.
04:17It's kind of an illusion that hides everything.
04:21A few steps later, we saw the famous Caesars Palace Hotel through the metal grate.
04:26Above, Nevada's casinos make over $15 billion a year.
04:30Below, people live in death traps of the city.
04:32So twice a day the hotel has dropped the infiltration system, so that's why it hasn't rained in forever,
04:37but it's still wet.
04:41The smell.
04:42The smell is very bad.
04:45In certain tunnels, water flows in from the city's drainage system and some people use it
04:50to take showers.
04:53There are many tunnels around here.
04:55Without our guide, we cannot come here.
04:58One wrong turn and you're lost.
05:00Someone left a note.
05:01Rest in peace.
05:02And there's a cross here.
05:04Apparently, someone has passed on the spot.
05:10A lot of bicycles.
05:11He might build them and sell them.
05:13Oh!
05:14Because bikes are like cars out here.
05:15It's the only way of transportation.
05:17You have to have a bike to go anywhere, otherwise you have to walk all the time.
05:20It's a nightmare.
05:21Walking inside the tunnels takes a lot of time, I guess.
05:23Yes.
05:24I lived down here two and a half years.
05:26I never used a flashlight.
05:27How did you find your ways under the tunnels without flashlight?
05:30I put my hand on the wall and your memory.
05:33You know where everything is in your tunnel.
05:34It's your house.
05:35It's exactly the same thing out here.
05:41What's up, Tony?
05:42Yeah.
05:43When I heard a voice echo through the tunnel, it hit different.
05:46This dark, damp tunnel that gives me goosebumps is actually where some people feel the safest
05:51and live.
05:52Here he is.
05:53At first glance, it looks like clutter.
05:56But to Tony, every single item is essential to his survival.
06:00I've been in these tunnels for six years and there has been times where we've had good people here
06:04and it was a sense of community.
06:05But now, we've got some people in here that don't give a shit about nothing but their self.
06:09You know, just, they're bullies.
06:12Some asshole over there started a fire because he's just a mean dude.
06:17The fire didn't hurt Tony, but nearly took the life of his only companion, his cat.
06:23This one right here was burnt from the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail.
06:27Five days later, she's still hanging in there, thank God.
06:30So what is the Toyota situation here?
06:32We have certain areas that we go to the bathroom and she's usually a five gallon bucket.
06:37We put a bag in.
06:39Yeah.
06:40Where do you see yourself in five years?
06:42Possibly right here.
06:44But I hope not.
06:46I don't plan on being here for the rest of my life.
06:49I mean, I'm 57 years old.
06:50I'm getting old.
06:51I just haven't been ready.
06:53After guiding us 10 minutes into the tunnel, Tony wanted to return to his spot.
06:58We handed him a week's worth of supplies and kept walking deeper into the tunnels.
07:02Man, there's so much randomness that could happen.
07:04Anybody could just decide to come down that tunnel and steal from you or take your stuff
07:09or attack you and then disappear and who would know, right?
07:12It's not like it's happening on the streets where you're laying there and somebody could see you
07:15and call the cops like down here.
07:16It's like another layer, like not knowing what could ever happen.
07:19It could be peaceful now and come back in two hours and the wrong person walks through
07:22and it could be hell, you know?
07:24As we go deeper and deeper, the less we know about what we'll come across ahead.
07:29In these harsh conditions, some tunnel dwellers make pans out of aluminum and use hand sanitizer
07:34as a heat source to cook their meals.
07:36There are a lot of rats there.
07:47Yes, there are.
07:48A voice echoed ahead and we followed it.
07:51I'm Cuckoo Bananas Crazy and I came to check on my mother in Vegas and fell for a local.
07:59We ended up here.
08:00These are my people.
08:02How long have you been down here?
08:03About five years or so.
08:05How long do you plan to stay here?
08:08At least today.
08:10I don't plan much farther than today.
08:12What is the worst thing about tunnels?
08:14Probably the lack of plumbing and dark is rough sometimes.
08:19I can't just sit in the dark.
08:21I get a little bit panicky still like I'm a little kid.
08:24Darkness is not just the absence of light.
08:27It's like an entity that covers you and erases you from the world.
08:31Tunnel people usually survive through stealing and dumpstering.
08:35Some people down here do treasure mounting such as collecting cables, coffers.
08:40Do you do things like that?
08:42I collect what the drunk tourists abandon.
08:45They go to Louis Vuitton and they pay $3,000 for a t-shirt and then they win $100 on a slot machine
08:53and they get so excited that they jump up and down and they leave their $3,000 purchase right there.
08:57Go cash in their winnings.
08:59And they remember that they spent that money, you know, two days later because they've been day drinking in the sun
09:05and they plan to lose $10,000 a day while they're here.
09:09What do you think of people losing thousands of dollars to machines?
09:13It's the American way.
09:14Decadence and excess and debauchery and this is why people come here on vacation.
09:20Then Beverly showed up in the darkness.
09:23For how long have you been down here?
09:25Probably eight or nine years.
09:27How is the situation here when it rains?
09:29Horrific.
09:30Very scary.
09:31I've been caught up in it twice and one of the times I really didn't think I was going to make it out.
09:39What do you think about Las Vegas city?
09:41A lot of it's almost like wallpaper, you know.
09:44It's just made to look good, you know.
09:46These big casinos aren't built on winters.
09:48Do you change your spot time to time or do you always stay right here?
09:54Oh no, it can definitely change.
09:56What is the hardest thing about tennis?
09:59She packed years of disappointment into one word.
10:02Um, the people.
10:05Even this deep down, there's stuff all over.
10:09Some of it was probably brought in by the flood.
10:12Some carried in with shopping carts.
10:14After walking for another 20 minutes, we came across an eerie shadow stretched across the wall.
10:20Don't shoot, we don't mean any harm.
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11:37Let's go back into the tunnel and see what is waiting for us in the dark.
11:41Look at this trash.
11:44Hey there, how are you?
11:49We first offered him some supplies, then he invited us into his tent.
11:54This is where this guy sleeps.
11:56He puts his clothes here.
11:58This is his table, kind of workstation.
12:01Six years ago I moved to Vegas alone and my parents died in 2018.
12:05It's the two years I've been down here, if not more.
12:07How do you find water and food?
12:10I go turn on the fire hydrant right around the corner from here.
12:13I have my food stamp card, but if I really, really have to, I'll go steal food.
12:16How do you stay safe in this tunnel?
12:18Like everywhere else, you just gotta watch your back.
12:20There's a scar on your forehead, what happened?
12:23I got hit in the head with a 2x4 and got 11 stitches.
12:27In here?
12:28Yeah.
12:29What was the reason?
12:30Over a bike.
12:31Bikes are a hot commodity in this area and a lot of people need them, you know.
12:35Have you ever seen someone at the moment their life was taken?
12:38Unfortunately, yeah.
12:40I remember hearing somebody come in and two shots go off.
12:45He got hit in his back and in his neck.
12:47And before I knew it, he was standing right in front of me with a white t-shirt on that was turning red really fast.
12:52It was his brother who shot him.
12:54The psychology of being down here in the darkness must be really hard.
12:58Some people can't take it.
13:00There are people out there that haven't seen the light of day and never will.
13:03People that turn gray down here like.
13:04Really?
13:05Yeah, I've never seen anything like it.
13:07At night, it sounds like there's people walking like right outside your tent and multiple times gone out there and there'd be nothing.
13:13You never know who you're gonna run into down here.
13:15That's for sure.
13:17Here in the dark, most of them lose their ID cards and never get them back.
13:21Without an ID, they can't apply for a job, rent a place, or access social services because they don't officially exist according to the system.
13:29It's a roadblock.
13:30It's not really true though.
13:31Yes, they need those things.
13:32But if I handed out IDs today to every single one of them, they'll still be here tomorrow.
13:37There's a lot of things happening at the same time.
13:39Traumas, mental health, all these things we need to address.
13:41I was like two years, three years homeless walking down the street and I saw three people that I knew having a sword fight in the middle of the night.
13:49I heard cling cling.
13:50I saw blood.
13:51I was all...
13:52I looked at it.
13:53It was like nothing to me.
13:54That's what happens out here.
13:55You become traumatized and used to these situations.
13:57Phil once lived in a house with a pool.
14:00But after retiring, life slowly pulled him underground.
14:03The police radios and stuff would not work down here.
14:07Wow.
14:08So that lured a lot of people down here.
14:10How long have you been in the tunnels?
14:12Eight to ten years.
14:13What was the worst thing that happened to you in the tunnels?
14:16Possibly getting caught up into one of the floods that came through because it takes about ten minutes for the water to be about eight feet high.
14:26We have no warning system telling us there's water coming other than to hear the water itself.
14:31There used to be signs down here that said the current never lose, which is very true.
14:38We've lost quite a few people.
14:40The hardest things in the tunnels is losing the things you've gathered over the years.
14:46Just weeks after this interview, we got word that Phil passed away.
14:51As we walk through the tunnel, mineral deposits on the ceiling catch our eye.
14:55So there's water just leaking through. That's the calcium from the water.
14:59These show that rain makes its way in again and again.
15:02Who knows how many times the flood destroyed homes and took lives.
15:06We're going ahead. Someone has created a memorial here.
15:10Somebody passed away. It takes it hard. There are ruins it.
15:14When it floods, they have 20 minutes to escape if the current or floating debris doesn't trap them inside first.
15:20This tunnel is full of puddles with a constant breeze blowing through.
15:25Oh my god. Here we go again.
15:27Here we go again.
15:28The ground is a mix of sewage, trash and human waste.
15:31And now, all of it is soaking into my shoes.
15:34Everywhere there's trash.
15:36And dead animals. Yeah.
15:38A dead rat.
15:43It is from a casino? Yeah.
15:46Oh my. Our feet are wet. But that's how we roll here.
15:51We have to keep going.
15:52We are walking in this tunnel, going on and on to find Rob's old friend.
15:56Who's been living down here for over 10 years.
15:59Baby home.
16:00The moldy gray walls started to fill with color.
16:03And then, we walked right into what looked like an underground art studio.
16:08Someone built their own gallery down here.
16:10Sad thing is, one heavy rain could wash it all away.
16:16Jay's tunnel is furnished with salvaged materials.
16:19There are all kinds of random stuff.
16:21A baby stroller, bags, toys.
16:24But everything is surprisingly well organized.
16:27Yeah, my name is Jay.
16:28I live in the flood tunnels down here.
16:31For like, pretty much ever.
16:33Like eight or nine years.
16:34I moved out here.
16:35All my luggage is stolen.
16:36My ID, everything.
16:38Basically, welcome to Vegas for $27 in my pocket.
16:41There is really no safe anywhere.
16:43You'll get robbed by other homeless people.
16:45You'll get robbed by the police.
16:46This is where each day begins and ends for him.
16:49What happens when they come to them?
16:52You go to jail.
16:53What?
16:54You go to jail for trespassing.
16:55Whose property is this?
16:56This is by state property.
16:57It's a flood zone.
16:58They put you in jail for anything.
16:59I went to jail the other night for being on the boulevard.
17:02They are the undesirables.
17:04The government banned them from everywhere.
17:06People often see these individuals as potential criminals.
17:09But Jay is tired of the stigma.
17:11With time, he develops survival tactics.
17:14There's really no food or water here.
17:15There's water in the back, I guess, but it's all like wastewater.
17:18I usually eat what people throw out.
17:20Everything you see here, I found in the trash.
17:22How do you get a shower here?
17:24Basically, with a five-gallon bucket of water.
17:27What exactly happened to your eye, if you don't mind?
17:30Shot in the head with a .45.
17:31I don't remember none of that.
17:32What is the worst thing that happened to you here?
17:35Probably be a whole haunting situation.
17:37Like, shit's following me.
17:39I mean, I've seen demons.
17:40It'll move stuff.
17:41It'll make stuff disappear.
17:43Like, I'll be laying on my bed.
17:44It'll move the bed.
17:45It'll mimic people's voices.
17:46It'll call, like, from outside.
17:48Call down the tunnel.
17:49My name.
17:50Just go in the back.
17:51Hang out for 15 minutes without a flashlight.
17:52Tell me what you think.
17:53What have you seen exactly?
17:55Looks like a man.
17:56Very thin.
17:57Probably 6'5".
17:58Got a very pointed nose.
18:00No arms or legs.
18:02It moves so smoothly.
18:03If it's totally pitch black, you can clearly see it.
18:05It's blacker than black.
18:06That's the thing that drops the temperature.
18:08What are you planning for future?
18:09Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
18:12Dead.
18:13I don't know.
18:14Everybody's, like, two paychecks away from being homeless.
18:18Every tunnel has its own identity, depending on who lives in it.
18:21You can see a lot of needles here.
18:25Oh, disgusting.
18:26How is life here?
18:27This ain't life.
18:28Do you have contacts of your family?
18:29Somewhat.
18:30What do they think that you're doing right now?
18:31They don't ask.
18:32What did you do before you came to these tunnels?
18:34Before I was in this situation, I was a family man.
18:36Two boys, one girl.
18:37They still live out here.
18:38My son just turned 17 last month.
18:39When is the last time that you see them?
18:40Ten years ago.
18:41What is the worst thing that happened to you in these tunnels?
18:43Somebody died right where we were standing last night.
18:44Oh, wow.
18:45What is the worst thing that happened to you in these tunnels?
18:47Somebody died right where we were standing last night.
18:49Last night?
18:50Last night.
18:51How?
18:52O.D.
18:53Life is precious.
18:54And short.
18:55Nearly seven out of ten Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
18:58In this situation, I was a family man.
19:00Two boys, one girl.
19:01They still live out here.
19:02My son just turned 17 last month.
19:03When is the last time that you see them?
19:04Ten years ago.
19:05Wow.
19:06What is the worst thing that happened to you in these tunnels?
19:08Somebody died right where we were standing last night.
19:10Last night?
19:11Last night.
19:12How?
19:13O.D.
19:14Life is precious.
19:15And short.
19:16Only seven out of ten Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
19:19Barely making ends meet.
19:21For many, it takes just one unexpected event to lose their financial stability.
19:30Oh my god.
19:33We were in the tunnels and you can see the Caesars Palace on that side.
19:39This is a drama.
19:40If you want to shine a light into these tunnels, consider donating to the Shine A Light Foundation.
19:45Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more documentaries like this.
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20:13See you in the next one.
20:15Ruhi Chennett was here.
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