Brooklyn Subway shooter U-haul found abandoned near crime scene with with Arizona license plate & credit card linked to gunman as authorities now seek to identify the gunman.
NYC residents remain on edge following news of the NYPD locating an abandoned U-Haul five miles from the scene of Tuesday morning’s Brooklyn subway mass shooting, while the gunman involved continues to remains at large.
In a release, the NYPD announced finding a U-Haul believed to be rented by the gunman along a Brooklyn street, some hours after Tuesday morning’s mass shooting as a packed Manhattan N train approached 36th Street in Sunset Park.
The incident at latest count led to at least 29 victims in total being treated at hospitals for gunshot wounds, smoke inhalation and other conditions.
To date the identity of the gunman remains unknown with witnesses describing the wanted man as a 5ft’5 black man weighing approximately 170 pounds and wearing an orange vest.
Preliminary indications suggest the gunman rented the U-Haul where he brought along a cache of fireworks and firecrackers and gun magazines, discovered dumped at the crime scene as the gunman fled after letting off a smoke canister inside a packed train and then firing at terrified passengers.
Philadelphia man id as person of interest in Brooklyn Subway shooting linked to U-Haul
Law enforcement has found and is now investigating the U-haul van which they were searching for in connection with the Brooklyn Subway Shooting. Van is located on Kings Highway. They are now able to identify the shooter. https://t.co/Tx956iP20B pic.twitter.com/0B16aZvlQ8
— TrendWatch Australia (@TrendWatchAU) April 12, 2022
JUST IN: Police found the unoccupied U-Haul van belonging to the Brooklyn subway shooter. The shooter remains on the run.
Police are trying to evacuate the area.#NewYork #brooklyn #nypd #SubwayStation #brooklynsubway #SunsetPark #BreakingNews #Arizona #uhaul #fbi #Kingshighway pic.twitter.com/zqdqlHhnDq— NY Actions (@NY_ACTIONS) April 12, 2022
Credit card found along with AZ license plate
The abandoned U-Haul was found bearing an Arizona license plate AL31408 late Tuesday afternoon near Kings Avenue in Brooklyn, with no sign of the suspect.
Cops linked a credit card found at this morning’s crime scene that showed a charge for a rental out of Philadelphia. The van was rented in Philadelphia, with U-Haul now assisting investigators identify the individual(s) who rented the vehicle.
‘Law enforcement has alerted us to its search for a rental van and its possible connection to a suspect in today’s incident in New York City.
‘We are working closely with authorities to ensure they have any and all available information to meet their needs,’ Sebastien Reyes, U-Haul Vice President of Communications, said the dailymail reported.
Come Tuesday afternoon the FBI had joined in the search for the wanted man, with heightened police presence all over the city, particularly on the subway, with some schools in Brooklyn having earlier gone in to lockdown.
Witnesses described how the gunman calmly put on a gas mask on the slow-moving train circa 8.24am before tossing a smoke grenade down a car carriage, amid startled commuters and then opening gunfire.
Terrified commuters rushed to the other end of the train to try to get through to the next car but the door was locked. They were trapped on the train until it reached the next station – 25th st.
#BREAKING: Video reportedly of Brooklyn Subway Shooting. pic.twitter.com/QriD4z62Gk
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) April 12, 2022
Watch: At least 13 people have been injured during a shooting incident at a subway station in the #NewYork City borough of #Brooklyn, authorities say.https://t.co/yjIFkqk4jC pic.twitter.com/U16F84lTRU
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) April 12, 2022
Photograph of suspect obtained
Video shows the moment the doors opened as wounded passengers spilled onto the platform, with plumes of smoke and disorientated and screaming passengers rushing to get out of the train.
Authorities confirm a .380 handgun was found inside the station, along with three extended magazines; one was empty, one was full and a third was jammed in the gun.
Another bag was discovered that contained a batch of Falcon Rising fireworks and Seismic Wave firecrackers. It’s unclear what the wanted man intended to do with them.
The gunman then disappeared from 36th St, where no security cameras were in operation.
He may also have jumped onto one of the other trains at the station, or fled into the subway tunnel, officials speculated.
ABC News reports that police have obtained a photograph of the suspect from a bystander’s phone, but that image has yet to be publicly released.
Commissioner Keechant Sewell during a press conference said that her office had not ruled out terrorism as a motive, while saying Tuesday morning’s events were not being investigated as an act of terrorism.
She admitted that police still had not yet been able to identify who the gunman was, much less find him.
