New York subway shooting suspect arrested: Frank James himself was one of several tipsters

Mr James faces life behind bars for firing 33 shots on a packed subway carriage during the morning rush hour

New York City police officers take Brooklyn subway shooting suspect James Frank into custody. Photo: NYPD

Police in New York arrested Frank James on Wednesday afternoon after a 30-hour manhunt following the mass shooting on a Brooklyn Subway station that left more than a dozen people injured.

"Less than 30 hours later, we're able to say: 'We got him'," New York City's Mayor Eric Adams told reporters.

Mr James was arrested in Manhattan's East Village after police received several tip-off phone calls in the East Village neighbourhood of Manhattan, including one that officers believe was Mr James himself.

Police said that Mr James was one of the tipsters because a caller to a city police hotline identified himself as the suspect, a law enforcement source involved in the investigation told The National.

Mr James will be charged in Brooklyn for committing a terrorist or violent attack on mass transit and faces life behind bars, an official said.

The shooting took place during the Tuesday morning rush hour as a Manhattan-bound train pulled into a station in Brooklyn's Sunset Park area.

The 62-year-old is accused of firing a Glock 9 mm handgun 33 times before it jammed.

Ten passengers were wounded, and 13 others were injured in a panicked crush to exit the smoke-filled carriage.

"We hope this arrest brings some solace to the victims and the people of the city of New York," said Keechant Sewell, the city's police commissioner.

Detectives identified Mr James as a suspect after he left the key for a rental van at the scene of the shooting, which he had hired to travel up to New York.

"We were able to shrink his world quickly. There was nowhere left for him to run," said Ms Sewell.

Police are still trying to establish a motive for the attack, but Mr James posted angry videos of himself on social media angrily discussing New York policies on public safety, homelessness and transport.

A local emergency alert notifying New Yorkers about the police manhunt was sent to people's mobile phones early on Wednesday. A law enforcement source involved in the investigation told The National that sending out multiple photographs of him as soon as possible helped the search.

Mr James has a criminal record stretching back to the early 1990s in New York and New Jersey for everything from trespass to larceny and a criminal sex act, officers said.

The attack was the latest burst of violence that has plagued America's largest city's transit system and posed challenges for the mayor, who seeks to halt declining passenger numbers from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Asked if Mr James acted alone, Mr Adams told Fox News that a preliminary investigation did not turn up an additional person.

Officials say Mr James rented the van in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and parked it on a Brooklyn street near the 36th Street station where the incident unfolded. Police offered rewards totalling $50,000 for information leading to his arrest.

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  Police circulated images of Frank R James, 62, after the mass shooting in Brooklyn, New York. EPA

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  Emergency crews at the entrance to the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn, after the rush-hour shooting on Tuesday. AP

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  Police and fire officials at the scene in New York. EPA

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  Several people were shot, with wounded commuters left bleeding on the platform. EPA

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  At least 13 people were injured. AP

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  Officers with dogs trained to sniff out explosives were among the police at the scene. AP

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  Sniffer dogs at the station. AP

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  Police and fire crews at the scene. EPA

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  The fire department said 13 people were injured, while police said at least five had been shot. AFP

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  Heavily armed police at the cordoned-off station. Getty

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  Onlookers stand behind the cordon. Getty

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  Rush-hour commuters were caught up in the incident. AFP

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  Bomb disposal experts arrive at the station. EPA

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  Emergency services vehicles outside the scene of the shooting. AP

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  Police and rescue workers crowd the street outside the station after the shooting. AFP

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  New York commuters wait for a subway train after the shooting. Reuters

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  A police officer and dog check a subway station in Manhattan after the Brooklyn incident. Reuters

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  Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers carry out checks in Manhattan. Reuters

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  Stations throughout the network were on alert. Reuters

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  Police and security officers on patrol at Manhattan's 42nd Street station. Reuters

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  Heavily armed police at the scene of the shooting in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighbourhood. AFP

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  Emergency workers at the scene of the shooting. EPA

Holly Aguirre contributed to this report