The NYPD has arrested a man at the subway station in Times Square with an unloaded semi-automatic rifle, ammunition and a gas mask in his backpack, NBC News reports.
Officials said that the 18-year-old was apprehended Friday afternoon at the mezzanine level near the A/C/E line around 42nd Street. According to the New York Post, a uniformed transit cop spotted the teen sitting down on a bench near the turnstile and charging his cell phone with the weapon out of his bag and placed on the ground next to him in plain sight.
Authorities said that the gun was unloaded but they found a loaded magazine clip in his possession. NYPD officers questioned him and took him into custody at 12:30 p.m. local time.
NBC News reports that the man claimed he was from Ohio, and was not aware that it’s illegal to carry a weapon openly in New York City. He has not yet been charged, but the incident is being investigated by local law enforcement.
This story is being updated.
