By Diana Sanchez
Over the past couple of months, violence in New York City has increased dramatically. These acts of violence range in severity and category—including hate crimes, random assaults, and robberies—with the most recent being a horrific mass shooting in the subway.
The Attack
On the morning of April 12th on a Manhattan-bound N train at around 8:30 am (based on what police reports have stated), a dark-skinned man wearing a construction vest and helmet entered a train car during the morning rush hour. It’s said that as the train approached the 36th Street Station in the Sunset Park neighborhood, the suspect put on a gas mask and tossed two smoke grenades, and began shooting. Reports state that he shot thirty-three times before the train stopped, then he fled the scene. Police said only ten people were hit, five of whom are in critical condition, yet none of the injuries were life-threatening. Additionally, another thirteen people suffered from smoke inhalation, falls, or panic attacks. Surrounding schools and streets were put on lockdown after all this occurred.
Following the halting of the N train, passengers in the car rushed out at 36st Street, and as the doors opened a trail of smoke exited the car. Many of those who escaped the attacked car rushed into the R train sitting across the platform. As they did, injured riders limped out of the train and lay down on the station floor which now had streaks of blood.
The amount of people injured in this shooting has made this the worst gun-related incident on New York City subways. This act of violence only added to the already growing fears of New Yorkers using public transportation. Lately, riders have expressed anxiety whilst riding city trains and buses, and this incident has only made their anxiety escalate.
Another thing that arose from this attack was greater public awareness around the lack of safety at train stations. In fact, it has come to the public’s attention that there was no operating video camera in the station, something which would’ve resulted in a quicker capture of the gunman. Additionally, a policeman that arrived at the scene was unable to call fellow police due to his radio not working so police had to tell riders to call for help. This angered many New Yorkers, especially riders, as the city spends a lot of money on both the police and the transit systems, yet there remains a lack of safety resources at stations.
The Person of Interest
By the late afternoon of the same day, the police announced that they had a person of interest – a man named Frank R. James. He’s a 62-year-old man who has addresses in Wisconsin and Philadelphia.
He was linked to the crime as officials found his credit card at the scene of the crime along with a key to a van James had rented. In the van, they found a Glock 9-millimeter handgun, three ammunition magazines, a hatchet, fireworks, and a liquid that appeared to be gasoline. Later it was revealed that he rented this van in Philadelphia several days before the attack, drove near the N train line, and abandoned it there. There were offers of up to $50,000 for any information that could lead to his arrest.
At the same time, videos of James were discovered where he went on rants about race and violence, often revolving around current events like the Russian-Ukraine War and the policies put in place by New York mayor Eric Adams. The most recent video was posted on March 1 on YouTube where James criticized Adames for his policies regarding homeless people in subways.
The Arrest
On the Wednesday of that same week 21-year-old Syrian immigrant, Zach Tahhan tipped off police regarding the whereabouts of James. Tahhan is a security camera technician who was working at a shop near St. Mark Place and First Avenue in Manhtanna’s East Village. Here he saw Frank R. James through one of the security cameras. He warned others around the area about the dangers he might bring, and waved over the police to arrest James.
James’s arrest led to joy within New York and the hashtag #ThankYouZack trended on social media thanking Zack for his actions.
Police have also stated that other members of the community helped lead to James’ arrest. Franciso Puebla, the man who hired Tahhan to upgrade the store’s security cameras, said he was the one who saw James carrying a backpack on First Avenue. He called the police and informed them about James. A local portrait painter, Lee Vasu, said he also alerted the police. He said he was having lunch when he spotted James, then went to a police car and pointed out James’ location as police arrived at the scene.
In the end, five people split the cash reward offered for any information helping lead to James’ arrest.
Interviews
Below are questions answered by students at MCSM regarding the shooting and those who were interviewed had the option of skipping any questions they didn’t feel comfortable answering. Additionally, they had the choice to remain anonymous so their names will show us as “Person #.”
***
1. Why do you think violence in New York, especially in the subways, has been a recurring issue? Do you criticize anyone for the lack of security on public transportation?
Mayabee: I think violence in the subway has been a recurring issue because people are getting ‘ideas’ or influenced by others who are committing crimes in the subway. For instance, before there were little to no cases of people jumping on the train tracks, but now it’s an every other day occurrence. I think COVID played a major role in increasing crime rates in the subways since these incidents increased after COVID. Probably people lost their mental health state or are just criminals. The government is not taking these incidents in the subway seriously since these crimes keep happening and I still see some stations where there is little to no surveillance and people have no idea if the cameras are even working properly.
Person #1: Violence is, unfortunately, rising in New York. Violence in New York City has been a recurring issue because there are people who have ill intentions towards others, insufficient police presence, and people who have access to weapons. Violence isn’t something that is happening recently it has been around for a long time. Mayor Adams has revealed his plan for crime in NYC and what he plans to do regarding violence and gun crimes. He revealed his plans early in the year of increasing security in subways. I haven’t seen security in subways until lately after the attack that happened in Brooklyn. Mayor Adams has the power to better security in subways. Lack of security in subways has led many to believe they can get away with crimes against subway riders.
Person #2: I think the violence in New York is reflective of a lot of issues that are going on in the city, and I think that a lot of the crime in New York happens on the subways because they’re the most vulnerable place in the city. The subway is most of the time underground and in between stations there’s no service, you can’t call 911, and even just the fact that you are underground makes it harder for the authorities to even get there. If I had to criticize anyone for the lack of security on public transportation, it would have to be the police, they’re the ones that are meant to be protecting the public yet whenever there’s an issue they don’t seem to do any of the work they’re meant to. An example of the police’s incompetence is when the attack happened, they were asking citizens to call 911 since their radios didn’t work, you can argue that it’s the citizen’s job to help out the police (which is true) but at the same time, it shows that the police weren’t prepared and that doesn’t help anyone feel safe.
***
2. Before the attack on the Manhattan-bound N train, were you worried about getting attacked on New York City subways? Were you doing anything to protect yourself or others?
Mayabee: My parents always told me that the subways were dangerous. And I never felt completely safe in the subway because sometimes there were passengers on board the train [saying] things that are nonsensical. Also, there were many incidents of people being assaulted in the train cars so I always had an unsafe feeling in the back of my head.
Person #1: Yes, I was always worried about being attacked on New York City subways even before the attack in Brooklyn. I have witnessed many situations that could have escalated, and put me and those around me in danger. When I wait for the train I always stand back away from the platform before the train arrives. When riding the subway I try to stay aware of my surroundings. I always have my phone out so that if anything occurs around me I could call 911. If something were to happen near me I wouldn’t try to put myself physically into a situation but would get help. There have been incidents that have happened to my family members that make me worried when riding the subway.
Person #2: Of course I was worried about getting attacked on the trains, I think almost every New Yorker has been worried about getting attacked on the trains. I think I was just doing the normal things that everyone else was doing, like being attentive on the train, not getting too close to the train tracks, and just overall trying to look out for everyone and notice when something was off. But it’s not like there’s much that can be done when getting a self-defense weapon like pepper spray is difficult in New York City, and I wouldn’t be able to carry it with me anyway since I’m not 18 years old.
Person #3: Before the most recent attack on the N train, I was already on higher alert because of other news like Asian women being harmed and pushed onto the tracks. It seemed that many women were being targeted on the trains. I took the precautions of making sure I wasn’t on my phone, and was able to hear and see all my surroundings. In addition, I made sure to stand near the wall, or by any poles, to be as far away from the train tracks as possible.
***
3. It’s likely that you were aware of the attack on the subway by the end of the school day. Did you change anything about your commute to go home? Did you do anything to protect yourself that day?
Mayabee: I thought of taking the bus, but it would have been an additional 30 mins longer ride. So I chose to take the subway, and everything worked out fine. I was definitely shocked though by the incident that occurred since I always take the N train to go home. I just went home with a larger group of friends.
Person #1: The attack in Brooklyn happened on the morning of a Tuesday. I wasn’t aware of the attack until my US History teacher shared the news of the incident with my fifth-period class. I was aware of how dangerous the person was, and with the advice of my teacher, I made sure to be more aware of my surroundings. Even if I was tired I kept an eye out for the description that was given of the suspect. As usual, I had my phone out in case anything were to happen.
Person #3: I did not. I didn’t feel there was much I could do. The best I could do was hope I was safe and make sure I was paying attention to where I was going and who was around me.
***
4. Do you think crimes like these may become more common if no action is taken?
Mayabee: Yes I do. This is why I think there needs to be proper surveillance in the subway or else there would be more casualties occurring. During the N train incident, I heard (not sure) that the cameras in the subway weren’t working. This should be a warning call, because so many lives have been harmed.
Person #1: Of course, crimes like these are more likely to [become] common because no action is taken. There are many incidents that happen in subways in which the suspects cannot be identified and are not found. This makes those with ill intentions want to commit crimes. Since there has always been a small amount of police presence in subways, these people know they might not be caught. They later go out to commit these horrendous crimes. If people realize that there is [better] security and officers patrolling subways, they would know not to try to commit crimes.
Person #2: Sadly I do think that crimes like these will be more common if no action is taken. People are going to think that they have the freedom to do these horrible things and they’ll think they can get away with it as well. One of the scariest things about the attack was the fact that the criminal wasn’t caught immediately after. I remember getting on the train the next day and even though people wanted to hide and move on like normal there was still this tension…you could tell that everyone was on edge. The fact that the security cameras at the 36th street station weren’t working was terrifying. And it’s these faults in our security system that are going to give people the courage to do these sorts of acts again; again [making] people feel unsafe.
Person #3: I think these crimes have already become part of our daily lives, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it continues to happen. If no action is taken it could definitely escalate rather quickly.
***
5. Any thoughts, opinions, or questions regarding the attack on the subway earlier this week?
Mayabee: I was thinking why was the perpetrator attacking innocent people? I thought of this incident as unbelievable, but then soon realized that things in the subway are just chaotic.
Person #1: The subway attack was horrendous, and I hope the victims are recovering well. I found it interesting that in many sources the description of the suspect before he was located was way off. He was [first] described to be wearing a green construction vest when he was wearing a long-sleeved neon-orange construction coat. The MTA’s cameras also hadn’t been working except for one. The cameras in NYC subways should be fixed because they can help to record suspects in future crimes.
Person #2: It was so scary seeing how a place that so many of us commute to (and even if we don’t specifically go to that train station, it’s terrifying to see a sight that we’re so used to seeing) turn into a scene from a war movie. No one should be suffering from gunshot wounds just for the simple fact of getting on the train in the morning. And it’s horrifying to think about the fact that anyone [might] get shot just for the simple fact of existing, because the gun violence in America is out of control. My heart goes out to everyone on that train and their friends and family. That was truly something beyond evil that no one deserves to experience, ever.
Conclusion
Overall this attack on the subway has revealed many issues regarding the safety of subways, specifically the lack of safety in low-income and minority areas. New York City needs to place priority on making New Yorkers feel safe on public transportation. This incident put the city in an uncomfortable position where now the spotlight is on local police and government officials.