October 05, 2023
Frank James, the man who shot 10 people on a crowded New York subway platform in 2022, has been sentenced to life in prison.
James pleaded guilty to federal charges in January, including 10 counts of committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation vehicle. He has been held without bail since he was apprehended over a year ago.
James, 62, had been living in Nicetown for about a month prior to his arrest and rented a U-Haul truck in Philadelphia, which he drove into New York City on the day of the attack. On the morning of April 12, 2022, he boarded a subway train running along the Manhattan-bound N line in Brooklyn. Disguised in a hard hat and reflective orange vest, he waited until the train was in between stops. Then, as it approached 36th Street in Sunset Park, he threw a smoke bomb and opened fire, shooting 10 commuters and injuring 19 others.
All of shooting victims survived, though some say they are still learning to walk again and have faced other health and financial burdens.
After a citywide manhunt that lasted 30 hours, James was arrested after a person spotted him inside a McDonald's in Manhattan's East Village. The U-Haul truck he drove into the city was found abandoned on the side of the highway near the N subway line.
Investigators also recovered a stockpile of ammunition at a storage locker that James had allegedly rented in Hunting Park.
Prior to the mass shooting, James had posted a series of disturbing videos online under the name "Prophet of Doom." Federal prosecutors argued that the attack was the result of years of planning, going back to at least 2017, when James purchased smoke grenades, weapons and his disguise. He had an extensive criminal history, including multiple arrests in New Jersey and New York for theft, sex offenses and other crimes.
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