Hudson Valley Transit Under Heightened Security After Brooklyn Attack

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Tuesday's attack on a Brooklyn subway car has put law enforcement agencies across the Hudson Valley on heightened alert.

Train stations and transportation hubs in the region are already seeing a visible increase in police presence. The security response is being coordinated in part through the Joint Terrorist Task Force.

New York State Counterterrorism Zone 3 includes Westchester and Putnam counties. Counterterrorism Zone 4 includes Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties. Both groups have stepped up efforts to maintain high visibility patrols of the train stations and any mass transit facility in the wake of this morning's attack on commuters.

"We treat today’s attack in Brooklyn with complete and urgent seriousness," Westchester County Executive George Latimer said in a statement released shortly after the mass shooting in Brooklyn.

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• 16 Hurt In Brooklyn Subway After Man In Gas Mask Opens Fire

Latimer said officials are closely monitoring the situation in New York City through a presence on several regional law enforcement task forces, including WCPD detectives assigned to NYPD headquarters. He also said the bomb squad is on standby to deal with any suspicious packages or devices.

The gas-masked man behind the mass shooting in a Brooklyn subway car could continue to terrorize New York City, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday afternoon. New Yorkers need to be vigilant and alert that the "dangerous and depraved" gunman is running free, Hochul said.

"This is an active-shooter situation right now in the City of New York," she said.

Firefighters and paramedics from FDNY rushed to 36th Street Sunset Park station to investigate reported smoke at about 8:30 a.m. They found five people who were wounded by bullets and several "undetonated devices," according to officials.

Sixteen commuters were injured after the as-yet-unidentified gunman opened a gas canister in an N train and started shooting, authorities said. Bullets struck 10 people and five are in critical but stable condition, police said.

The gunman, who was last seen running from the station in a gas mask and an orange work vest, is still at large, according to the NYPD.

Twitter images show blood smeared on the platform, a man lying on the platform and screaming commuters fleeing a train while smoke spewed from the open doors. Video footage showed a limping man pulling himself out of the train and then falling to the ground.

Meanwhile, the New York City Unified Victim Identification System (UVIS) has been activated in response to the mass shooting. Anyone concerned about someone who may have been affected by the attack and can't be reached can call 311 or 212-639-9675 from outside of New York City to check on the welfare of loved ones.

Patch's Kayla Levy and Matt Troutman contributed to this report.