Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes buys $23.5 million West Village townhouse

Maybe Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes can make like El Chapo and tunnel out of his problems? The New Republic owner (for now) just dropped $23.5 million on a West Village townhouse that comes with an unusual selling point: an underground tunnel.

Hughes and husband Sean Eldridge bought the 4,164-square-foot landmarked property at 157 West 12th Street, which comes with a 10-feet wide subterranean passage that links to a carriage house.

“The homes are connected via subterranean tunnel, but it’s nothing like El Chapo’s,” a visitor told the New York Post.

The couple purchased the townhouse in an off-market deal from UBS Bank’s Michael Stewart, who bought the home for $3.4 million in 2004. Stewart’s broker is Paula Del Nunzio of Brown Harris Stevens, the Post reported.

The three-bedroom, three bathroom “smart-wired” home also comes with a custom wet bar, a wood-burning fireplace, exposed brick, 19th-century columns, a chef’s kitchen, a home theater and a library.

Hughes and Eldridge’s previous pad — a 4,200-square-foot spread at 30 Crosby Street — recently sold for $8.5 million, according to the Post. [NYP] — Dusica Sue Malesevic