An Ohio man was arrested Friday afternoon with an AK-47 assault rifle and a gas mask inside a Times Square subway station, law enforcement sources said.
The 18-year-old, whose identity was not released immediately, was arrested without incident around 12:30 p.m. the sources.
Sources claim the teenager was sitting and charging his cell phone inside the station with the gun next to him in plain sight when traffic uniformed police officers saw him.
Moments earlier, the teen had pulled the gun out of a bag, sources said.
The AK-47 was unloaded, but the teen had a fully loaded magazine in his backpack, along with the gas mask, according to sources.
He told police he believed carrying a rifle unloaded with ammunition stored separately is legal in New York City, a senior police source said.
Authorities took the teen to New York’s traffic district 1, where they were questioning him, sources said.
The Straphangers were stunned by the news that someone was armed with an assault weapon inside the occupied station.
“Oh my God,” said 36-year-old Victoria Campos, a New Jersey train driver. “In New York it’s not safe anymore.”
“Maybe they should put a metal detector here when people walk by,” he added.
Additional reports from Steven Vago