New York City has an elaborate omni-present surveillance system. So why didn’t it catch the subway shooting?

The city’s mayor has now revealed the surveillance cameras at a Brooklyn subway station weren’t working during the rush hour attack.

Questions have emerged as to how the fugitive gunman managed to escape capture.

New York Mayor Eric Adams confirmed said the MTA cameras suffered “some sort of malfunction” when the shooter opened fire and escaped at the 36th Street and Fourth Avenue station in Sunset Park.

As officers scoured a Brooklyn neighbourhood for a man who opened fire in a subway car, at least one security camera at a nearby station recorded nothing.

The issue is now under investigation.

No CCTV vision

One senior law enforcement official says it appears none were in full operation at the time of the shooting.

The malfunction could now lead to a significant obstacle in the investigation.

Mr. Adams says officials haven’t yet determined the gunman’s motive or whether he is from New York.

The mayor announced the number of transit officers who patrol the system will be doubled.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will undertake a broader revue of the surveillance camera system.

Anonymous NYPD sources claimed the suspect’s escape may have been enabled by a police error, with Rolling Stone reporting that a local duty captain from Brooklyn South patrol reportedly did not freeze all trains in and out of the station.

The NYPD disputed the report, calling it “factually inaccurate” and that “speculation, especially in the middle of a crisis, is not helpful”.