An office worker turned vigilante was arrested at his desk Wednesday, hours after trying to stop a robbery on the New York subway in a hail of bullets.
John Rote, 43, was arrested at his workplace in Manhattan after a tip from a friend who recognized him as the portly gunman who intervened when a woman was attacked in Times Square on Tuesday.
Shocking video shows the gunman reaching into his backpack for a gun after the attacker ignored his warning to “leave her alone.”
He fired an initial shot and then began shouting as he approached the attacker before firing a second time and charging towards the incident.
“I want to be clear: We will not tolerate this type of behavior on NYC Transit, period,” City Transit President Richard Davey said after the arrest.
John Rote, 43, was arrested at his workplace in Manhattan, hours after he was caught on camera opening fire on the New York subway in an attempt to prevent an attempted robbery
Rote was reportedly arrested after a tip from a friend who recognized him as the vigilante filmed by a security camera released at Times Square 42nd Street Station.
“Once again, cameras have captured a perpetrator and we are grateful that the NYPD made an arrest within hours.”
The suspected homeless robber has been identified as Matthew Roesch, 49, and has been charged with attempted robbery.
Officials believe he tried to “forcibly” take the belongings of a 40-year-old woman last night.
That’s when the suspected gunman intervened and fired shots at Roesch, according to officials.
The incident happened at 49th Street N, R and W in the Times Square subway station. Police told DailyMail.com that no injuries had been reported.
The woman has still not been identified by police and has not commented on the incident.
Roesch, who was staying at a homeless shelter at Bellevue Hospital in Kips Bay and was taken to a hospital for evaluation after the incident.
Davey explained that Roesch is allegedly a “swiper,” a person who chases people through MetroCard turnstiles looking for tips and who is known to police.
“I want to be clear: We will not tolerate this type of behavior on NYC Transit, period,” said City Transit President Richard Davey
The woman has still not been identified by police and has not commented on the incident
Rote, who has not previously been arrested, has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, reckless endangerment and menacing
Rote’s target Matthew Roesch has previously been arrested for stealing service at the Times Square-West 42nd Station stop on September 18
New York City Transit President Richard Davey explained that suspected robber Matthew Roesch is reportedly a “swiper,” a person who chases people through MetroCard turnstiles for tips and is known to police
He has previously been arrested for stealing service at the Times Square-West 42nd Station stop on September 18.
Davey said that after watching the surveillance video, he noticed that the shooters were unusually calm.
“It’s, I would say, unusual. He looks quite calm, pulls out a gun, fires two shots, calmly puts the gun back in a bag and walks away.
“I mean, it’s weird. But the thing is, we don’t need that from anyone in the system,” he said.
“Thank God no one was hurt here, but what happened was outrageous, reckless and unacceptable.”
It comes a year after NYC Governor Kathy Hochul said the state passed a law banning concealed carry in “sensitive” locations, including parks, subways, houses of worship and playgrounds.
Under the rule, licensed gun owners are only allowed to carry weapons in Times Square when traveling through the area.
People will be able to carry guns in their cars while driving through Times Square if they don’t stop and the guns will be unloaded and stored in locked containers.
Properly licensed company employees, such as security guards, will also be able to carry weapons within the confines of Times Square.
The law was the result of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down New York State’s century-old restrictions on concealed carry laws in June 2022.
Rote, who has not previously been arrested, has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, reckless endangerment and menacing.