We construct a new Euler system from a collection of special 1-cycles on certain Shimura 3-folds associated to U(2,1) x U(1,1) and appearing in the context of the Gan--Gross--Prasad conjectures. We study and compare the action of the Hecke algebra and the Galois group on these cycles via distribution relations and congruence relations obtain adelically using Bruhat--Tits theory for the corresponding buildings. If time permits, we explain some potential arithmetic applications in the context of Selmer groups and the Bloch--Kato conjectures for Galois representations associated to automorphic forms on unitary groups.