Brooklyn Subway Shooting: Frank James Named As Person Of Interest

BROOKLYN, NY — A person of interest has been identified in a Brooklyn subway attack that left 10 people shot and 13 injured, police announced Tuesday night.

Frank R. James, 62, rented a U-Haul truck that authorities believe is connected to the mass shooting in a Sunset Park subway station, authorities said.

Keys to the U-Haul, which was rented in Philadelphia, were found in the N subway car along with a handgun, bullets, smoke grenades, explosives and a hatchet, authorities said.

“We don’t know right now if Mr. James has connection to the subway,” said James Essig, the NYPD’s chief of detectives.

"This is Frank James," NYPD tweeted out around 7 p.m. on Tuesday. "He is a person of interest in the shooting that took place on the N train in Brooklyn Tuesday morning. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call NYPDTips at 1-800-577-TIPS."

James has addresses in both Philadelphia and Wisconsin, Essig said.

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said investigators are also looking at “concerning posts” potentially linked to James that include complaints about homelessness and New York. She said police have increased Mayor Eric Adams’ security as a precaution.

The U-Haul linked to James was located Tuesday afternoon in Gravesend, police said.

NYPD officials provided additional details that captured the attack’s chaos and violence.

The shooter sat in the second car of an N train in a rear corner as it rolled into the 36th Street station in Sunset Park, Essig said. He said the attacker was a dark-skinned, heavyset man wearing an orange-green, nylon-type construction vest, a neon green construction hat, a gray hoodie and a surgical mask.

The man detonated two smoke grenades and threw them across the train’s floor before he opened fire, Essig said. The shooter fired his gun 33 times in the attack, striking at least 10 people, Essig said.

An additional 13 people suffered injuries ranging from smoke inhalation to falling down to a panic attack, he said.

None of the injuries appear to be life-threatening, Sewell said.

“We are truly fortunate that this was not significantly worse than it was,” she said.

Essig said that investigators found a handgun, three extended magazines, two detonated smoke grenades, two non-detonated smoke grenades and a hatchet at the crime scene.

A $50,000 reward is active for people who provide information that leads to a suspect, Essig said.