Brooklyn Subway Gunman Remains On The Loose Amid Manhunt

Updated 3:53 p.m. with information on cell phone video.

BROOKLYN — A massive manhunt is underway for a masked gunman who shot 10 people in a Brooklyn subway car, but few details about the shooter were available hours afterward.

Subway cameras failed to capture an image of the attacker as he fled a bloodied, smoke-filled Sunset Park subway station Tuesday morning, officials said.

But police described the suspect as a man with a heavy build who stands about 5 feet 5 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt under a construction vest.

NYPD investigators have a cell phone video from an eyewitness that shows the suspect, CNN reported. The footage had not been publicly released as of Tuesday afternoon.

Officers are also searching for a U-Haul with Arizona license plate #AL31408 in connection with the attack, ABC7 reported, among other outlets.

Police officials couldn't confirm this to Patch, and it should be noted that all U-Haul trucks have Arizona license plates. U-Haul did not respond to Patch's request for comment.

The motives of the gunman remain elusive, according to Mayor Eric Adams.

"Once we apprehend the person, we’ll be able to identify what was the purpose behind it," Adams said on WCBS. "But one thing is clear: there was a goal to create terror in our subway system, and that is not acceptable."

Gov. Kathy Hochul said New York City is under an "active-shooter situation" as the suspect remains on the loose.

"Report what you see," she said. "It is likely that someone listening to this is going to help lead us to that individual."

The lack of clear images showing the shooter hours after the attack stood in sharp contrast to heart-stopping scenes shared on social media in its aftermath.

Video showed screaming straphangers fleeing an N train car, with billowing smoke at their backs, as it pulls into the 36th Street station at Fourth Avenue. One passenger limps out with the help of another, while at least one man sits on the ground.

Seventeen people were injured, five critically, according to the FDNY and NYPD.

Another video shows what appears to be the view from an adjacent car, where a person is loudly banging on the door.

Witnesses captured dramatic photographs of straphangers inside the train providing help to at least one injured passenger.

One resident saw two people fleeing the station covered in blood.

"They looked like zombies and were just in shock," the man told Patch. "It's really scary because if it was tomorrow, it could have been me commuting."

Click here for more photographs from the incident and its aftermath.

Problems with communication appeared to hinder responders in the attack's immediate aftermath — an NYPD officer who approached the scene asked passengers to call 911 because his radio was not working, the New York Times reported.

Adams told WCBS there appeared to be a "malfunction" in the subway station's camera system. He said authorities are working with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to see if the problem extended to more than one camera.

The mayor promised to deploy more officers into the subways.

“We’re going to ensure and hold the second platoon of officers to be there with the third platoon, so we can have a double number of officers that are normally there so we can enforce security," he said.

Police sprawled across the Sunset Park area in the attack's aftermath, closing streets and taking up posts on rooftops.

A shelter-in-place order issued for nearby public schools was lifted for most buildings by Tuesday afternoon. It remained in place until dismissal for PS 24, Sunset Park High School; PS 371, Little Brooklyn Pre-K Center (219 25th St); and Little Brooklyn Pre-K Center (173-177 25th Street), school officials said.

"NYPD and School Safety will provide extra support for a safe transition home and principals will be communicating with parents regarding specifics," David Banks, the city's school chancellor, said in a statement. "MTA shuttle buses will also be available for students who need transport to subway stations. The rest of the areas schools will dismiss normally.

"Parents should contact their school leadership for specifics regarding their school’s dismissal method, if they have any questions."

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.