Five people who provided the New York Police Department with tips that led to the capture of the suspected Brooklyn subway shooter will split a $50,000 reward, officials said.
Frank James, 62, was apprehended on Wednesday after a citywide manhunt.
“Thanks to the help of these five good Samaritans, the NYPD was able to do its job and get a dangerous suspect off the streets just hours after his picture was released,” New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, said in a statement.
The identities of the tipsters remain anonymous.
On Tuesday, Mr James allegedly set off a smoke device and began shooting into a crowded N subway train in Brooklyn. Ten people were wounded in the worst shooting on the train in decades.
He called himself into the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline the following day. Multiple pedestrian bystanders also reported seeing him in Manhattan’s East Village.
“We were able to shrink his world, quickly,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant L Sewell said, following his arrest.
Police said that they were likely to catch the suspected shooter even if he hadn’t called himself in, as they had honed in on the area based on another tip.
Mr James is facing federal terrorism charges which carry a potential life sentence.
Francisco Puebla, who manages a hardware store in the East Village, as well as Zach Tahhan and Mohammed Cheikh, who were installing security cameras at the shop, identified themselves as people who spotted Mr James.
“I saw him and my eyes just went right to his face. Yeah it’s him,” Mr Puebla, a 46-year-old father-of-two, told The Independent.
“I didn’t think twice. I just ran to the police car. I told the police officer what I saw. They said, ‘no problem, we’ll take care of it.’ They went right after him to the next block. That’s how they got him,” Mr Puebla added.
Mr Tahhan has become something of an internet celebrity, after a video of him describe seeing Frank James went viral.
The motive behind the shooting has not been established, however investigators have found hours of hate-filled videos on Mr James’s YouTube channel.
