NYC Subway Shooting Suspect Frank James Arrested Thanks To Crime Stoppers Tip

Topline

Frank R. James, 62, the suspect in Tuesday’s subway shooting in Brooklyn that left 10 people shot and 29 injured, was arrested Wednesday following a manhunt including hundreds of law enforcement officers, New York Police Department officials announced.

New York City subway shooting suspect Frank R. James.

New York Police Department

Key Facts

James was arrested without incident early Wednesday afternoon by officers responding to a Crime Stoppers tip from a person who sighted James in a McDonald’s, NYPD officials announced at a press conference.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) praised the investigators and said she took a subway ride Tuesday to show New Yorkers were “not afraid to take our subway.”

Wednesday morning, the NYPD redesignated James from a person of interest to a suspect, shortly after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives linked James to the gun used in the shooting, said John B. DeVito, special agent in charge of the ATF’s New York Field Division.

James was also tied to the shooting by items reportedly found at the crime scene: a credit card with his name on it, the key to a U-Haul the NYPD believed James rented, and distinctive items of clothing including an orange jacket.

Key Background

The NYPD accused James of detonating two smoke grenades and firing 33 shots aboard a car on an N line train as it approached the 36th Street Station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, causing numerous injuries but no fatalities. The NYPD offered a reward of up to $50,000 for tips leading to James’s arrest and indictment—a reward for which the Crime Stoppers tipster may now be eligible. The motive for the attack remains unclear, though James reportedly posted numerous videos to social media criticizing figures like New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) and society in general. In a video uploaded last week, James remarked that “we need to see more mass shootings” because “it’s not about the shooter; it’s about the environment in which he is,” CNN reported. Frank James had “been on his own his whole life” but was not mentally ill, his sister Catherine James Robinson told the New York Times Wednesday.

Crucial Quote

“We’re going to protect the people of this city and apprehend those who believe they can bring terror to everyday New Yorkers,” Adams said at a press conference following James’s arrest. “Thirty-three shots, but less than 30 hours later, we’re able to say: ‘We got him.’”

What We Don’t Know

Law enforcement officers are continuing to investigate James’s social media postings and possible motives for the shooting, NYPD officials said.

What To Watch For

If convicted on all charges, James could face life imprisonment, said Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.