NEW YORK — A gunman in a gas mask and an orange construction vest tossed smoke bombs into a crowded northbound N train and then opened fire on passengers early Tuesday, shooting five people and injuring eight others, police sources said.
The gunman remained at large.
The mayhem began just before 8:30 a.m. at the 25th Street station in Sunset Park. As the doors closed, the man in the vest threw several smoke bombs into a train car and started firing, NYPD sources said.
When the train reached the 36th Street stop, the doors opened and the wounded commuters collapsed on the platform, terrifying people waiting on the platform.
“Either shots or a bomb went off at 36th Street,” witness Roddy Broke wrote on Twitter. “Scariest moment of my life, man.”
A cellphone video seen by the Daily News shows smoke pouring out of the subway car at the 36th Street station as the train doors opened.
Dozens of people run out of the train car, coughing and gagging from the smoke. A few moments later, at least two people limp out of the smoke-filled train car. At least one falls to the ground, bleeding.
Other witnesses reported seeing wounded people, all adults, coming out of the 36th Street station.
“I was heading into 36th Street Station in Brooklyn when a young guy who was bleeding from the legs said people were injured and bleeding,” witness Conrad Aderer said.
Multiple witnesses called 911 about an explosion, with four people either shot or hit by shrapnel, according to preliminary reports. A fifth person was found shot at 25th St. and Fourth Ave.
One of the victims was unconscious and in critical condition, police said.
The gunman was described as wearing a gas mask and an orange construction vest — possibly an MTA vest. He was also carrying construction tools.
When firefighters arrived at the 36th Street station, they found “multiple people shot” and several undetonated smoke bombs, an FDNY source said.
The bombs were determined to be inert.
“There are NO active explosive devices at this time,” the NYPD said on Twitter.
Cops from all over the city, as well as NYPD Aviation units have been called in to help investigate and secure the area. Fourth Ave. between 25th and 36th Sts. have been shut down.
The MTA shut down D/N/R service through most of Brooklyn and parts of Manhattan, a spokesman said. Major delays on all B/D/F/N/Q/R and W trains were expected throughout Brooklyn as a result.
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