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Phantom Fireworks helps identify NY subway shooter

YOUNGSTOWN — The gunman who fired three dozen rounds into a Brooklyn subway car, injuring at least 10 people, first tossed two smoke grenades on the floor — fireworks it appears were bought at a Phantom Fireworks showroom in Wisconsin.

Fireworks found at the scene of the Tuesday shooting were matched to a June 21, 2021, purchase at a Phantom Fireworks in Caledonia, Wis., by a customer named Frank James, according to William Weimer, vice president of the Youngstown-based fireworks retailer.

Police on Wednesday arrested Frank R. James, believed to be the perpetrator of the subway attack. James at one point lived in Wisconsin.

Weimer said it was brought to his attention that a national news story included a photo of what was described as a bag of fireworks left at the scene by the gunman.

“So of course when I read the word ‘fireworks’ obviously it piqued my interest,” Weimer said.

Immediately, Weimer recognized one item pictured as Phantom’s proprietary Rising Falcon aerial repeater, a device used to shoot small shells into the air.

Closer inspection of the photo revealed more items exclusive to Phantom Fireworks, including seismic wave firecrackers and canister smoke, Weimer said.

Phantom Fireworks’ IT team performed a search for purchases of the three items, along with green fuse also seen in the photo, beginning with showrooms in eastern Pennsylvania near the New Jersey border, Weimer said.

When no exact matches turned up, IT broadened the search to include Phantom’s more than 80 showrooms nationally — and still they found nothing, because they were searching from January 2022 forward.

A reporter who had previously spoken to Weimer sent him the name of a then-unconfirmed suspect — Frank James — and Phantom Fireworks was able to search by name to find the June purchase, totaling just over $90 and including the four exact items, as well as other smoke products.

Wiemer said the purchase, just before the Fourth of July, was “unremarkable” and “didn’t raise anybody’s eyebrows.”

Weimer said while police already knew James’ name by the time the purchase was found, Phantom Fireworks provided law enforcement with good evidence, should James go to trial.

“We feel an obligation when something like this happens. We do all that we can to assist the authorities,” Weimer said.

This is not the first time Phantom has connected a purchase of its fireworks to an attack. Weimer said Phantom’s fireworks were among those used by Boston Marathon bombers, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, in 2013.

At the time, Phantom was able to track the brothers and discovered video footage of Tamerlan Tsarnaev purchasing fireworks at Phantom’s Seabrook, N.H., showroom shortly before the attack, Weimer said.

There was no video of James because so much time passed since his purchase.

Weimer said that Phantom’s products are safe when used properly. The smoke canisters used in the subway attack are only cleared for outdoor use, he said.

“But obviously a criminal who is going to go out and shoot guns at people is not going to read the warnings,” Weimer said.

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