The man accused of opening fire on a crowded New York subway train reportedly began planning his bloody assault as early as April 6 – and once he escaped the scene of the attack, cops had no idea where he was until he called the police on himself. .
Using information gleaned from court records, surveillance footage, photographs, NYPD officials, witnesses and law enforcement sources, The Post has pieced together a timeline of Frank James’ movements before and after he allegedly opened fire on an N train bound for Manhattan on Tuesday. morning, killing 10 people and injuring 19 others.
The timeline, which begins on April 6, has a gap of about 24 hours after police lost sight of James about an hour after the attack due to camera malfunctions at the 36th Street and 25th Street subway stations .
“Or [was] he? That’s the million dollar question,” a police official told the Post on Wednesday..
“We have the starting point, then we have the finishing point. Now all we have to do is turn back.”
March 28:
James checks into an Airbnb in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he paid to stay for about 15 days.
April 6:
James reserves and prepays for a white Chevrolet Express G2500 U-Haul truck.
April 10:
James was due to leave the Airbnb in Philadelphia, where his belongings were later found abandoned, the New York Times reported.
April 11 at 2:03 p.m.:
James picks up his U-Haul rental from U-Haul Moving & Storage of Allegheny West in Philadelphia, located at 2801 W Hunting Park Ave.
April 11 at 6:17 p.m.:
James takes a Lyft to a warehouse registered in his name in Philadelphia. It is unclear where the U-Haul was at this time. Federal investigators later find a cache of weapons and ammunition inside the storage facility, including 9mm ammunition, a threaded 9mm pistol barrel that allows for the attachment of a silencer or suppressor , targets and .223 caliber ammunition, which is used with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
April 12 at 4:11 a.m.:
NYPD CCTV cameras capture James driving the U-Haul over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and entering Brooklyn after crossing state lines from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and then New York.
April 12 at 5:15 a.m.:
James is captured on surveillance footage walking down the 300 block of Kings Highway, rolling a cart and carrying a bag, CBS 2 News reported.
April 12 at 6:12 a.m.:
Surveillance footage captured at West 7th Street and Kings Highway in Gravesend, Brooklyn appears to show James walking away from the U-Haul. He was captured wearing a yellow hard hat, an orange work jacket with reflective tape, and carrying a backpack in his right hand and dragging a roller bag in his left. The U-Haul is later about two blocks from the Kings Highway N subway station.
April 12, around 8 a.m.:
James boards an N train bound for Manhattan at the Kings Highway subway station and travels eight stops to 36th Street.
April 12, 8:26 a.m.:
James allegedly dropped smoke bombs and opened fire in the second carriage of an N train bound for Manhattan. He reportedly fired 33 rounds, firing 10 and wounding another 19.
April 12, around 8:30 a.m.:
James removes the jacket with reflective tape and abandons it at the 36th Street station amid the pandemonium. Two bags were also recovered from the scene of the shooting. One bag contained several bank cards, a Glock 17 pistol, a plastic canister containing gasoline, a torch and a U-Haul key. The second bag contained fireworks with explosives filled with black powder. A receipt for James’ storage facility is also on the platform.
April 12, around 8:35 a.m.:
James mingles with commuters evacuating the station after the shooting. He crosses the 36th Street platform to board an R train bound for Manhattan and gets off at the next stop on 25th Street.
April 12, around 8:40 a.m.:
James is captured exiting the 25th Street station, where he threw his hard hat into a trash can. He is later captured on surveillance footage walking down 25th Street toward Greenwood Cemetery.
April 12, around 8:45 a.m.:
Evidence indicates James walked to Park Slope where police say he boarded a B67 bus to a tube station.
April 12, around 9:18 a.m.:
James is back on track after pulling into an F station at Seventh Avenue and Ninth Street in Park Slope.
April 12, between 9:18 a.m. and midnight:
NYPD officers are on a “good wild chase” trying to catch James exiting the subway again, a police official said. They can’t find it.
April 13, around 10 a.m.:
James is finally spotted again by a member of the public near Canal and Ludlow streets near an F train stop.
April 13, between approximately 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.:
James goes to a McDonalds on East 6th Street and First Avenue. He spends about two hours at the scene and at one point calls Crime Stoppers and tells the police where he is. When the police arrive, James has already left. During this approximate time period, James is seen sitting in an outdoor dining shed and using a Link NYC hub to charge his phone.
April 13, 1:42 p.m.:
James is taken into custody at St. Mark’s Place and First Avenue.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona, Joe Marino and Craig McCarthy
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