NYC On Alert For Maine Mass Shooting Suspect, Officials Say

NEW YORK CITY — New York City won't stand idly by as a gunman wanted in mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, remains on the loose, city officials said.

Nine hundred NYPD officers will be deployed to highly sensitive locations through the city while others will keep a lookout Thursday for Robert Card, 40, the person of interest in the shootings at a restaurant and bowling alley, police officials said.

NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban said the steps are out of an abundance of caution, given the shooter hasn't been caught and Lewiston is a roughly five-hour drive from the city.

"Granted, there was no specific, credible threat to New York City," he said. "But, to me, we could not remain idle."

A man shot and killed at least 16 people Wednesday in Lewiston before fleeing into the night.

A police bulletin identified Card, a firearms instructor believed to be in the U.S. Army Reserve, as a person of interest in the attack. He previously had been committed to a mental health facility in the summer and had said he was "hearing voices and threats to shoot up" a military base, according to a document circulated to law enforcement officials.

The Maine mass shooting and Card don't appear to have a connection to New York City, said Rebecca Weiner, deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism for the NYPD.

But police officials still thought it prudent to beef up security measures.

Caban said detectives traveled to Lewiston to help in the multi-agency investigation and search.

NYPD officers in the city were on the lookout for a car associated with Card, which has since been found in Maine, said NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell.

He said officers will remain deployed and looking for Card, in case he ends up in the city.

"We're going to stay in this posture all day," Chell said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.