While most visitors to the Las Vegas strip look up to admire the neon view, in 2002 local journalist Matthew O’Brien looked down below the busiest footpath in Nevada – and was stunned by what he found.
“I’d heard about a murderer who’d used the underground flood channels to evade the police and I wanted to explore what was down here,” Mr O'Brien said.
“We don’t even know how far we are in debt... We won’t live long enough for them to even figure it out."
“I thought I might find some narrow tunnels and quirky debris.
“I was not expecting to find people living down here on a permanent basis – that was a big shock to me.”
SBS was invited five metres below the famous footpath to walk several kilometres through the maze and meet some of the residents – ordinary Americans who’ve lost their way.
John ran several successful businesses in Orlando when he decided to move to Las Vegas two years ago after his kids went to college.
John now works full-time on night shift at a 7/11 store on the Las Vegas strip.
He said he hadn't taken a day off since April.
There was a sense of community below the surface and the upcoming presidential election was a big topic of conversation in the sooty tunnels.
SBS reporter Brett Mason (right) speaking to a resident of the drains (SBS) Source: SBS
“I think most of them will vote for Trump,” John said.
“They want to see change.
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“We don’t even know how far we are in debt, and it’s so bad now we’ll never know. We won’t live long enough for them to even figure it out.
“Forty-eight million Americans are on food stamps. Forty-eight million. The system isn’t working, it’s broke.”
Also living underground is Kraig, who claimed to be the "mayor” of this underground city.
He proudly showed off his 'intimidator', which is a large machete he found in a dumpster, along with a black balaclava.
Kraig began experimenting with prescription medication and illicit drugs following the sudden death of his wife.
A man sleeps in one of the drains (SBS) Source: SBS
He too was closely following the presidential election.
Each day he steals two things from a local Starbucks - his favourite chicken sandwich and a newspaper, to keep informed.
Like many voters above the surface, he’s undecided.
“Who I’ll vote for? Boy I don’t know, because I can’t believe that out of 300 million people those are the only two qualified,” he said.
“I can’t go with Hillary. She’s a crook – a crook and a thief.
“I tend to keep that out down here so I’ll keep that out up there too.”
“I’ll go to the polls and vote for Donald.”
Theirs is a city in the shadows, but it’s also one of rules and order.
Residents look out for each other, especially women and entire families who have fallen on hard times and end up underground before they land back on their feet.
Despite this sense of community, the tunnels can be deadly.
Three residents have lost their lives in this stretch of tunnel in the last twelve months.
“When it rains, the levels can rise about a foot a minute, so a tunnel like this could be filled in ten minutes or less.”
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Jazz and his girlfriend Sharon were caught off guard during a sudden storm in June.
“We were sleeping actually when about a foot of water hit us, so we woke up to that,” Jazz said.
As the couple quickly rushed to save their few possessions, a second wave hit.
“It was moving so fast, we were knocked off our feet, it was so hard it swept away my clothes,” he said.
“A third wave came and it was up to my chest and it just took Sharon away.”
Jazz managed to catch up to Sharon as they were swept through the system at more than 40km/h.
They slammed into the debris guard at the end of the channel, but Sharon became trapped under an overturned shopping trolley, which ultimately caused her death in the channel.
“I couldn’t save her,” Jazz said.
Sharon was a mother and grandmother and her death has been felt heavily, especially by Jazz who is today packing up his home of two decades to check into a rehabilitation program.
“I don’t know how I’ll go, it’s tough,” he said.
“I’m going to give it a go, I owe it to myself to do that.
“I’m just sad it took Sharon’s death for someone from social (services) to come down here and talk to me.
“We wanted to go (into rehabilitation) as a couple.”
As he wheels his bike and backpack out of the drain just below one of The Strip’s most iconic landmarks, today, at least, for one of this city’s forgotten residents, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
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