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NYC Commuters Anxious After Subway Shooting, Wary of Copycat Crime

NYC Commuters Anxious After Subway Shooting, Wary of Copycat Crime
A subway conductor watches the platform at a Brooklyn, N.Y., station a day after a man shot numerous people on a Manhattan-bound train in the Sunset Park neighborhood. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

By    |   Thursday, 14 April 2022 07:02 PM EDT

The arrest of a suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting hasn't completely alleviated the fears of New York City train commuters.

On Thursday, a number of passengers confirmed their worries to the New York Post, saying the emotional wounds from Tuesday's attack at the 36th Street subway station remain fresh.

There are also fears of someone committing a "copycat" crime.

"I'm on very high alert," said Damara Hall, 25, who, according to the Post, rides the 2, 4 and 5 lines to work in Manhattan. "I don't feel safer even [after] they caught the [suspect]. I don't think anyone should live in fear, but it's hard not to nowadays."

Hall added: "I think there are more people who are going to try this. You see somebody do that and he was able to get away. Somebody could be watching this and say, 'I can do that.' That worries me."

Peterene Williams, who takes the E train from Brooklyn to Manhattan for work, said: "I think [Tuesday's shooting is] going to set a precedent for others to do the same thing because they realize how long it takes to be caught. [The suspect] got off the train and walked away."

On Tuesday morning, 10 people suffered gunfire wounds while riding the Manhattan-bound subway train, according to the New York Police Department. There were also 19 other injuries reported.

Roughly 30 hours later, after a citywide manhunt, Frank James, 62, was arrested in lower Manhattan and subsequently charged with violently attacking a mass transportation system.

Citing earlier Newsmax reports, James had nine prior arrests in New York, from 1992 to 1998, including on charges of possession of burglary tools and a criminal sex act, and was also arrested three times in nearby New Jersey for trespass, larceny and disorderly conduct, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.

Police also recovered a Glock 17 9 mm handgun, three more ammunition magazines, and a hatchet from the scene of the attack, as well as James' credit card and keys to a van he had rented.

Officials said James bought the gun legally in Ohio.

Tuesday's attack has prompted several commuters to rethink their modes of transportation in the city, according to the Post.

"I sit where they have the three seats that are sideways so I can look in all directions. I can see what's going on. That's my new thing now," said Waleska Menscia, who lives near the 36th Street station. "Now, when I see people with big bags, I worry — what's in there?"

And Linda Moreno, who takes the N and D trains from Brooklyn to work in Manhattan, said Wednesday's arrest has given her some comfort.

But there's still a tense feeling inside the train.

"It does make me feel a little safer, but it doesn't take the edge off because catching one guy doesn't mean we are solving the problem."

© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


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The arrest of a suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting hasn't completely alleviated the fears of New York City train commuters.
nyc, subway shooting, brooklyn, nypd
482
2022-02-14
Thursday, 14 April 2022 07:02 PM
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