Frank James, suspect in Brooklyn subway shooting, arrested in New York
get the free appThe suspect in Tuesday's violent rampage in New York City's subway system was arrested Wednesday, authorities announced. Police had been looking for Frank James, 62, since tying a U-Haul van they say he rented to Tuesday's subway shooting.
Ten people were shot and wounded in the attack, and over a dozen more suffered other injuries. James is facing a federal terrorism charge and a possible punishment of life in prison, authorities said. Police are still investigating the motive behind the attack that happened during Tuesday morning's rush hour.
James was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood after police received a tip, New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters. James was taken into custody without incident, Sewell said.
A law enforcement source told CBS News that authorities believe the man who called Crime Stoppers and tipped authorities off to James' whereabouts may have been James himself.
James is scheduled to appear in Brooklyn Federal Court on Thursday, according to John Marzulli, a public information officer for the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York. An exact time was not given.
Read the latest updates below.
Investigators believe Frank James may have tipped off police about his whereabouts himself
Frank James, the suspect arrested in the Brooklyn subway shooting, may have been the one to tip off police about his whereabouts on Wednesday, a law enforcement source told CBS News.
A man called the Crime Stoppers tip line and identified himself as James and said he'd heard authorities were looking for him, the source said.
When police asked for his callback number, the caller said his cell phone was dying and that he'd be at the McDonald's charging it. Police then responded to the restaurant in Manhattan's East Village and found James walking on the street nearby. He was subsequently arrested.
Various weapons found at Pennsylvania properties "associated with" suspect, U.S. attorney's office says
After Tuesday's shooting, authorities executed search warrants at Pennsylvania properties "associated with" the suspect, Frank James.
There, they found "9mm ammunition; a threaded 9mm pistol barrel, which allows for a silencer or suppresser to be attached;.223 caliber ammunition, which is used with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle; a taser; a high-capacity rifle magazine; and a blue smoke cannister," according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
James left shooting scene on another subway train, police believe
Police believe Frank James left the scene of Tuesday's rampage on a subway train that ferried people away from the chaos following the attack, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig told reporters.
After James allegedly opened fire and used smoke grenades on a Manhattan-bound train on the N subway line, he is believed to have gotten off the train at the 36th Street station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, crossed the station's platform and boarded another train that was in the same station, Essig said.
Police believe James then got off the R train at the next stop, 25th Street, Essig said. Court documents unsealed Wednesday say a person matching James' description left the subway system at that station.
Essig said James' last-known whereabouts before his arrest were reentering the subway system at a station in Park Slope, Brooklyn, less than an hour after the attack.
"There was nowhere left for him to run"
New York City police officers stopped Frank James on a street corner in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood and took him into custody without incident, New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.
The commissioner said hundreds of detectives worked on finding James.
"We were able to shrink his world quickly," Sewell said. "There was nowhere left for him to run."
James faces federal charge
Frank James will be charged in federal court with one count of terrorist attacks and other violence against a mass transportation system, a charge that can lead to a sentence of life in prison.
Tip to police led to Manhattan arrest
Frank James was detained while walking in the East Village in Manhattan shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday.
New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said during a press conference that a tip to the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline led to James' arrest. The tipster said they had seen James in a nearby McDonald's.
Video shows officers putting James in police vehicle
A Twitter user captured on video officers placing Frank James in the back of a police vehicle. Police arrested James on Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood.
The video contains language that some viewers may find offensive.
"We got him"
New York Mayor Eric Adams began a press conference Wednesday afternoon by saying, "We got him."
Subway shooting suspect arrested
Frank James has been arrested, CBS News has confirmed.
James was arrested in New York's East Village, CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton reports.
NYPD commissioner rides subway a day after shooting
New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell rode the subway Wednesday.
Sewell said on Twitter she took the A line with First Deputy Commissioner Edward Caban and Chief of Department Kenneth Corey to a graduation ceremony for the city's newest officers.
"They'll be in our neighborhoods and on the trains in just a few days," Sewell said.
Mayor says NYC looking into using detectors in subway system
New York City may try installing detectors at subway stations in the wake of Tuesday's shooting, Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday.
On WNYC radio, the mayor said the detectors wouldn't be like those used at airports. A spokesman said on Twitter they were like the technology used at ballparks and museums.
"You just walk normally through the system," Adams said, according to a transcript released by his office. "It is not even detectable that the devices are there. We think there's some great promise in this technology."
The mayor said officials were looking into conducting pilot projects with the detectors.
Video appears to show suspect before attack
CBS New York has obtained surveillance video that appears to show suspect Frank James on his way to allegedly carrying out the shooting.
The video shows a man, wearing a reflective vest, wheeling a piece of luggage down the street and carrying a bag. The man matches the description of the suspect police are looking for.
Transit agency chief addresses security camera issues
In an interview Wednesday on "CBS Mornings," Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber said crews had been working on an apparent "server problem" with at least one of the cameras near a turnstile.
"But the bigger issue is there's so much video evidence from all of the stations on this line that there are images that are going to be found," he said, pointing out that the "enormous range" of available security footage includes videos from about 2,500 cameras on the subway line where the shooting took place.
Officials warned of cameras' vulnerability years before shooting
The manhunt has been hampered by what Mayor Eric Adams called an apparent "malfunction" with security cameras. None of the cameras that could have caught the shooting were working at the time.
In a pair of inspections from 2018 and 2019 reviewed by CBS News, state officials warned New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority that its subway system's security cameras were at risk of malfunctions. They found that the MTA failed to ensure preventative maintenance and timely repairs on thousands of the cameras.
The MTA said it was taking "aggressive" steps.
Former NYPD commissioner says police have made "great progress"
Subway station at center of shooting reopens
The subway station at the center of Tuesday's shooting reopened to the public Wednesday morning.
Trains were stopping at the 36th Street station in Brooklyn, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority agency that runs the subway system.
Passengers were seen in videos pouring out of a subway car at the station during Tuesday's attack.
NYC mayor's security increased
New York City Mayor Eric Adams' security has been increased, the mayor's spokesperson, Fabien Levy, tweeted Tuesday night. Levy wrote that Frank James has "made past comments" about Adams.
The extra security measures were taken "out of an abundance of caution," Levy added.
Suspect appears to have posted videos online ranting about various topics, including NYC Mayor Eric Adams
Frank James appears to have posted a series of videos online in recent weeks in which he airs a host of grievances, including some directed at New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The man who appears to be James does not seem to threaten Adams, although he does complain about the number of homeless people in New York City and criticizes the mayor's policies.
The man also commented on how easy he felt it would be to commit crimes in the subway system, regardless of an increase in police presence.
Other topics touched on in the videos include Russian President Vladimir Putin, the war in Ukraine and various personal grievances with acquaintances.
Frank James not in custody, Adams spokesman says
A spokesman for New York Mayor Eric Adams said Frank James was not in police custody after he was named a suspect in the shooting Wednesday morning.
"He is NOT in NYPD custody at this time," Adams' press secretary Fabien Levy said on Twitter.
Frank James named a suspect in shooting
The NYPD tweeted: "Frank Robert James fired numerous gun shots inside an 'N' line subway car at 36th St & 4th Ave subway station causing serious injuries to 10 people. Anyone with info about the incident or his whereabouts should contact @NYPDTips or call 1-800-577-TIPS."