'Superheroes' fighting crime, poverty and helping patrol in New York

A group of "superheroes" have take up the task of fighting crime, poverty and generally lending a helping hand in New York.

The secretive group of men and women are a loose coalition of people called 'The Real Life Superheroes', doing relatively normal jobs during the day and donning their costumes to help patrol when the sun goes down, Sky News reported.

One of the masked vigilantes, Nicole Abramovici, known as 'The Prowler' specializes in helping animals and the homeless, and donates items to the needy at least twice a month

Another superhero, Chris Pollak, who is known as 'The Dark Guardian' patrols high-crime areas to act as a deterrent and is often joined by other superheroes, and Chaim Lazaros, who goes by the name 'Life' tours New York's addiction centers and homeless shelters.

However, the police officials are concerned that they may be putting themselves in harm's way.