23 injured, after a gunman wearing gas mask opens fire at Subway in Brooklyn, NY- Watch Videos

A gunman wearing a gas mask and a construction vest opened fire during a rush-hour subway train in Brooklyn, injuring at least 23 people, according to authorities. Police were searching the city for the gunman when they came across a rental van that could have been linked to the incident.

Frightened commuters bolted from the train while others limped out, creating a terrifying scene. On the platform, at least one cyclist collapsed.

"My metro door slammed shut, causing chaos. Eyewitness Sam Carcamo told radio station 1010 WINS. It was smoke and blood and people shouting." According to him, smoke streamed out of the railway car as the door opened.

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Five people were critically ill, but they survived. At least 29 people were hospitalised with gunshot wounds, smoke inhalation, and other ailments.

The gunshots erupted aboard a train as it approached a station in the Sunset Park neighbourhood, which is roughly a 15-minute train trip from Manhattan and is primarily Hispanic and Asian.

The attack is not being investigated as terrorism, according to Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, but she is "not ruling anything out." The motive of the shooter was unknown.

According to two law enforcement sources, authorities provided cops with a photo of the gunman and the Arizona licence plate number of a U-Haul van to be on the lookout for. According to one of the authorities, police discovered a matching, unoccupied U-Haul van in Brooklyn by early evening.

While lingering for a bomb squad and a highly specialised emergency services unit, police closed a street approximately four miles from the shooting scene and cleared surrounding businesses.

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According to one of the law enforcement sources, investigators discovered a credit card at the location of Tuesday's shooting, which led them to identify a person of interest.

The credit card was used to rent the U-Haul van that police discovered in Brooklyn. The two officials talked to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the inquiry.

Officials said they found a firearm at the scene, as well as various smoke devices and other items that they are examining. The suspect is thought to have possessed at least two extended magazines, according to the police.

Investigators believe the weapon jammed, stopping the suspect from persisting in firing. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has completed an urgent tracing to locate the gun's manufacturer, supplier, and first owner.

The incident alarmed a community already on edge due to rising gun crime and the looming danger of terrorism. It made some New Yorkers fearful of riding the nation's busiest subway system, prompting authorities to beef up security at transportation hubs from Philadelphia to Connecticut.