After the subway shooting in Brooklyn, social media found its newest star.
Zack Tahan, 21, was quickly anointed hero on Wednesday after the arrest of Frank R. James, a suspect in the attack that injured 29. But the real story seemed more complicated – and Tahan was not the only hero of the day.
But he certainly caused the greatest furor. In videos that quickly spread on Twitter, Tahan explained that he spotted James on security cameras. “I thought, ‘Oh, hell, this man, let me call the police,'” he said in a video. He soon told his story to a group of reporters at the East Village in Manhattan before leaving in a police car, waving as spectators applauded.
Since then, media reports have confirmed Tahan as a security camera technician from Syria, who arrived in the United States five years ago and speaks five languages. “We took it, thank God,” he told USA Today. “Oh, I’m doing my best.”
Videos of Tahan’s optimistic story received tens of thousands of likes and retweets, and he inspired the hashtag, #ThankYouZack and GoFundMe.
“This is what a character looks like,” a poster tweeted. “Give this man a TV show, please,” added another. “I love that the people who were prevented from entering this country a few years ago are recognized for their heroism,” wrote another Tahan admirer, who said he was in the midst of Ramadan.
Others reminded authorities to give Tahan a $ 50,000 reward promised by police to help capture James. And New York Attorney General Leticia James thanked Tahan for his courage: “All of New York is grateful.
Since Wednesday, however, the reports have portrayed a more complex scene – and featured several other stars of the cast.
A New York City police spokesman told the Guardian that all advice was confidential. But police sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that James had called the police himself. He said they could find him at McDonald’s in the East Village, sources said. But when they got there, he wasn’t there, department head Kenneth Corey told the agency. He was spotted on a street corner and arrested by police.
However, several locals say they have joined the effort. Tahan admits that he helped his cousin Mo Cheikh, telling PIX11 that they both noticed James.
Lee Vasu, an artist and gallery owner, told Artnet that he recognized James while walking with his family in the area. “I told my wife, ‘The subway shooter is right behind us. Hurry up. Push the baby. There is no time for arguments. Go, “he said. After making sure they were safe, he said, he ran back to James and notified a police officer – although others have noticed him so far.
“I looked at it as if I were painting it,” Vasu told the site. “As an artist, you study every facial feature really well. I watched it for a long time and half an hour later I saw it. You can’t run away from an artist in the East Village.
Meanwhile, Francisco Puebla, manager of a nearby hardware store, is also involved in the case, he told the New York Times. Puebla had hired Tahan to work on the security cameras at his store. “He’s on all social media,” Puebla said, “but I’m the one who took action.”
However, speaking to USA Today, he presented it as a team effort. After noticing James, he said, he asked the two people working on the security system – apparently including Tahan – “to confirm with me if this is the same person.” They agreed, “and then we looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s call the police,’ but I said, ‘You called,’ and they said, ‘No, you called.'” They didn’t want the information. the wrong man in trouble, he said.
He finally approached a police car that had stopped nearby with information.
After all, as writer Rachel Handler, who lives on site and shops in the store, told Curbed, “the whole thing was a moment of beautiful teamwork in New York.”
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