Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Accused subway shooter pleads not guilty on terrorism, weapon charges
By
Gwynne Hogan
and
Michelle Bocanegra
Published May 13, 2022
Modified May 13, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Shutterstock
By
Gwynne Hogan
and
Michelle Bocanegra
Published May 13, 2022
Modified May 13, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Accused subway shooter Frank James pleaded not guilty to federal charges Friday afternoon for his alleged role in a mass shooting on a crowded subway car last month that left 10 shot and another 20 wounded.
James, who appeared in court before federal Judge William Kuntz on Friday afternoon in a khaki jumpsuit, is facing charges of committing a terrorist attack in mass transit and of firing a weapon during a violent attack.
The April 12th mayhem unfolded on a north-bound N train nearing the 36th Street Station in Sunset Park during the morning rush. No one died as a result of the mass shooting but the attack shook the city and touched off a day-long manhunt for the person who’d detonated a smoke bomb and then opened fire.
Eventually, James called an NYPD tip line himself and was taken into custody after apparently wandering around the Lower East Side and the East Village for several hours. Onlookers at a hardware store on First Avenue noticed him and flagged down a nearby police car.
Police said they first connected James to the attack through a 9 mm Glock found at the crime scene which James had legally purchased in 2011 in Ohio. He also left behind a U-haul key investigators tracked back to a truck James had rented in his name, which police found several miles away from the scene of the attack. While surveillance cameras on the subway platform malfunctioned, other cameras captured images, leading up to and after the attack, of someone who looked like James entering and leaving the subway system at nearby stations.
In hours of YouTube videos, James railed about homelessness on the subway, warned of how he could do some sort of random attack and not be found, fantasized about acts of violence and criticized Mayor Eric Adams, while expressing all sorts of racist and homophobic views. He also mentions a mental health diagnosis of PTSD and his federal defenders requested he get a psychiatric evaluation.
Last week a federal grand jury indicted James. He’s been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park for the last month, where his attorneys said FBI agents entered his cell, questioned him and took a DNA swab without showing him a warrant or allowing attorneys to be present. Judge Mann said she’d determine whether that evidence could be used at a later date.
This story has been updated with new information.
Tagged
subway shooting
Gwynne Hogan
Gwynne Hogan is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Michelle Bocanegra
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man found dead, police say, and injured woman is his mother, neighbors say
Police are investigating a related incident in which a 62-year-old woman was found injured beneath the Van Wyck Expressway.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 7:39 p.m. ET
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
News
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
By
Carol Chen
National Grid customers in NYC will see higher gas bills this winter
By
Rosemary Misdary
Bruce Blakeman joins Gov. Hochul in support for expanding NY rape law
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .