NYC Shooting Suspect Previously Accused Of Making Threats In NJ

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Frank James, a suspect in the New York City subway mass shooting that left 23 people injured earlier this week, was also accused of making “terroristic threats” in Essex County nearly three decades ago, authorities say.

James, 62, was the subject of a massive police search following Tuesday's rush hour mass shooting in a Sunset Park subway.

A gas-masked gunman detonated two smoke grenades before he fired at least 33 gunshots, hitting 10 straphangers, NYPD officials said. A further 13 people suffered injuries ranging from smoke inhalation to falls to panic attacks as the passengers were caught in a bloody scramble to exit an N train, police said. Read More: Brooklyn Subway Shooting Suspect Caught In East Village

James has at least three prior charges in New Jersey, as well as nine arrests in New York, USA Today reported.

James was charged with making terroristic threats during an incident in Fairfield in 1995. He was convicted of a lesser charge of harassment and sentenced to probation for a year, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Patch.

No further details about the Fairfield incident were immediately available.

Read More: Brooklyn Subway Shooting Suspect: What To Know About Frank James

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