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New York City

NYC subway shooting: NYPD claim camera malfunctions did not delay manhunt

Three cameras in the network of over 5,000 malfunctioned on the day of the attack

By Peter Aitken Fox News
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NYC subway shooting suspect appears in court Video

NYC subway shooting suspect appears in court

Fox News correspondent Bryan Llenas has more on the trial from Brooklyn, NY.

New York City police insist that malfunctioning cameras did not delay their manhunt for suspect Frank R. James after the subway shooting on Tuesday. 

James, 62, stands accused of injuring 29 people, including 10 who suffered gunshot wounds. At the time of the attack, the camera that could have captured the attack malfunctioned. 

NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY SHOOTING ATTACK TIMELINE

But the NYPD claimed that the malfunction in no way impaired the department’s ability to conduct a manhunt for James, who was arrested Wednesday in Manhattan’s East Village. 

  • Frank James, 62, suspected of opening fire in a crowded New York City subway station has been taken into custody and charged with a terror-related offense, officials announce on Wednesday in New York City, United States on April 12, 2022. ()
    Image 1 of 3

    Frank James, 62, suspected of opening fire in a crowded New York City subway station has been taken into custody and charged with a terror-related offense, officials announce on Wednesday in New York City, United States on April 12, 2022.  (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

  • New York City Police, left, and law enforcement officials lead subway shooting suspect Frank R. James, 62, center, away from a police station, in New York, Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The man accused of shooting multiple people on a Brooklyn subway train was arrested Wednesday and charged with a federal terrorism offense.
    Image 2 of 3

    New York City Police, left, and law enforcement officials lead subway shooting suspect Frank R. James, 62, center, away from a police station, in New York, Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The man accused of shooting multiple people on a Brooklyn subway train was arrested Wednesday and charged with a federal terrorism offense. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

  • Police released these surveillance images showing Frank James entering the Kings HIghway subway station in Gravesend, Brooklyn, shortly before the attack on a Manhattan-bound N train in Sunset Park Tuesday morning.
    Image 3 of 3

    Police released these surveillance images showing Frank James entering the Kings HIghway subway station in Gravesend, Brooklyn, shortly before the attack on a Manhattan-bound N train in Sunset Park Tuesday morning. (NYPD)

"At the time of the attack on Tuesday in Brooklyn, the cameras were out at three stations due to a technical issue," John Miller, Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism with the NYPD, wrote in a statement published Thursday. "Statements that the lack of cameras on the station delayed the manhunt by many hours are unfair and misleading."

The NYPD said that it relied on "witness descriptions of the suspect" and the "distinctive, bright colored clothing he wore during the attack."

BROOKLYN SUBWAY SHOOTING A ‘DOMESTIC TERRORIST ATTACK’: FORMER NYPD COMMISSIONER SAFIR

"As for his face, during the attack and the escape he wore a large black mask obscuring most of his face," Miller added. 

Officers described how they used the rental truck key – a "piece of identification" found at the scene of the attack – to track down video of the suspect from the Pennsylvania rental location as well as James’s photo and name from motor vehicle records. 

NYC man who spotted Brooklyn shooting suspect celebrates arrest Video

The MTA supplies live feeds from 5,100 cameras and an additional 5,000 cameras that record activity throughout the NYC subway system daily. The NYPD stressed that malfunctions occur from time to time, and they work with the MTA to identify and report such issues so that the cameras can be repaired. 

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"The MTA cameras in other parts of the system were essential elements in determining his movements before and after the shootings," Miller said. "Their personnel worked with us around the clock to identify and retrieve images in this case."

The MTA did not respond to a Fox News request for comment. 

Fox News' Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report. 

Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news.