'Hero to all': Zack Tahhan praised for help in capture of Brooklyn subway shooting suspect

PROSPECT PARK — Zack Tahhan, the man who identified the suspected shooter in the recent subway attack in Brooklyn, was hailed Friday for his alertness, courage and quick thinking at an event held in his honor at the borough hall.

Mayor Mohamed Khairullah gave Tahhan a "key to the city" on Friday, and at least 20 more public officials from as far away as Somerset County were there to acknowledge him.

The gold-toned "key" was mounted to a 15-by-21-inch frame.

Tahhan, 21, of Jersey City, was appreciative of the recognition. "I'm here to tell you guys, thank you so much," he said. "Thank you for everything."

And in the style of a true hero, he did not take all of the credit. "If someone is going to see what I see," he added, "they're going to do the same I did."

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The shooting occurred just before 8:30 a.m. on April 12. After a 29-hour manhunt, Frank Robert James was caught in lower Manhattan and arrested for allegedly carrying out the attack. Tahhan helped to end the search when he spotted the suspect and flagged down police.

James, 62, a native of the Bronx, faces life in prison on charges of committing a terrorist attack on a mass-transit system. Twenty nine commuters were hurt in the incident, including 10 by gunfire.

"For hatemongers who like to label people, our humanity is one," said Khairullah. "We believe the same, and we feel pain the same."

Tahhan, the mayor then proclaimed, is an "American first" and a "hero to all of us." He "represents what our humanity is all about," he said.

Friday's event was a joint ceremony between Prospect Park and the Bergen County borough of Montvale – an unlikely partnership, it may seem, but for the fact that the mayors of both hail from the same city in Syria.

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And Tahhan, too — he is from Aleppo. Their common bond was not lost on anyone at the press conference.

"Zack has seen violence – seen war, in Syria," said Montvale Mayor Michael Ghassali. "But he decided if he has a chance to stop that anywhere, he will. And I'm so proud of him."

Tahhan was born in Brooklyn, though his immigrant parents went back to Syria when he was an infant. As an American citizen, he could get a U.S. passport. And he fled the war-torn nation when he turned 18.

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But "had Zack been your average Syrian citizen," Khairullah said, "he wouldn't have had this opportunity. He would not have been in the right place at the right time to make sure that we apprehend a mass shooter."

Besides the "key," Tahhan was given a stack of certificates and citations from the Islamic Center of Passaic County, the Passaic County Board of Commissioners and the Passaic County Sheriff's Office, among other organizations and public agencies.

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Brooklyn subway shooting: Zack Tahhan praised in Prospect Park