Gentrid Hasangjekaj, a 21-year-old employee of Stromboli Pizza, told The Post that he toiled at the restaurant at 83 St. Marks Place on the corner of First Avenue in Manhattan around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, when a man now recognizing himself as James came in – sad, in tears – eyes and asking for help. James allegedly fired smoke grenades and then a barrage of shots at a train in Brooklyn just 18 hours earlier, injuring 29 people, 10 of whom were shot. Stromboli Pizza employee Gentrid Hasangjekaj told The Post that the Brooklyn subway perpetrator, James James, entered his store with tears in his eyes and asked for help in the early morning hours of April 13, 2022. Christopher Sadowski for NY Post “She was crying like a little baby,” Hasangjekaj said. The worker said he did not know at the time that the troubled man was the same figure wanted in connection with the horrific underground attack, but later saw a photo confirming that it was James. “He says, ‘Oh, I lost my family,’ and this, and I felt bad. I thought, ‘Whatever it is, let me help. I did not know who he was. I gave him water. I gave him napkins,’” he said. Hasangjekaj for the suspect. James Arrested in East Village on April 13, 2022.AP Photo / Meredith Goldberg, Archive “I asked him three times, ‘Where are you from?’ “How long have you been lost?” He said nothing. It was as if he did not listen to what I was asking him. “ James did not eat or order food, the clerk said. The suspect left after about 30 minutes, Hasangjekaj said. The worker said that before James got into the pizza, the suspect told four men eating slices outside that he was blind and asked if he could borrow one of their phones. It is not clear if any of the men handed over their phone to James, but the suspect soon entered Stromboli and asked Hasanjekai for his phone, the official said. Hasangjekaj said that James was inside the Stromboli pizza in St. Marks Place for about 30 minutes a day after the mass shooting on the N. Christopher Sadowski train for the NY Post Hasangkai said he gave his phone to James, who then used it to call a number in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which reportedly belonged to a man and a woman. James claimed the woman was his wife, Hasangjekaj said. The number is now disconnected. Police told The Post on Saturday that they were aware of the reported pizza meeting and would attend. “We know the information and the team will investigate,” a police source said. Hasangjekaj said James also tried to contact the woman who called via Facebook messenger. The woman did not respond to any of James’s attempts to reach her while she was at the store, the employee said. Hasangjekaj told The Post that he let James use his phone, which the accused gunman then used to call a number in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which has since been disconnected. Christopher Sadowski for the NY Post James, 62, is charged with the shocking shooting of train N on his way to Manhattan at about 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Police said he entered a Park Slope F train station in Brooklyn about 45 minutes later, setting off a frantic manhunt across the city amid fears he might attack again. The lonely man was obviously hiding in public view. James was an interesting person, but he had not yet been identified as a suspect when he entered the Stromboli pizza in tears. Hasangjekaj said James is about 6 feet tall, much taller than the 5-foot-5 inches attributed to the suspect in the initial reports. James cried when he entered the pizzeria, Hasangjekaj said. Alec Tabak After leaving the pizza, the disturbed man, who has a history of racist hatred, did not report again until 10:30 a.m. Wednesday when a member of the public spotted him near Canal and Ludlow streets, according to police. A photo captured him sitting near an outdoor dining shed at that moment, staring into space. James then headed north back to the pizzeria, but stopped at a McDonald’s on First Avenue and East Sixth Street, police said. The suspect called the Crime Stoppers to surrender shortly before 13:30, but left before the police arrived. Rob Rossi told The Post on Saturday that he was sitting inside the International Bar on First Avenue at East Sixth Street around 1pm on Wednesday when James opened the pub door. James is accused of shooting 10 people on an N train bound for Manhattan. Will B. Wilde via AP, File “He said, ‘Do you have a phone charger?’ said Rossi, 49. “Now it makes sense that he was looking to surrender. One of the guys was out and said, “Look, there’s no phone charger here” and the guy left. That was our meeting with him. “ Rossi also said that James is about 6 feet tall, not the 5-5 of the first reports. Surveillance footage from International shows a man looking like James walking out his front door Wednesday at 12:39 p.m. Police finally located the suspect at 1:42 p.m. on Wednesday, a few steps away from the pizza and caught him. A Stromboli Pizza associate texted Hasangjekaj, saying the desperate man in the pizza was the same person who police say shot the Brooklyn subway train. Hasangjekaj, when he showed a photo of James from The Post, confirmed that he was the same guy. “I’m talking to the guy who shot 10 people. I’m surprised. It’s like, ‘Wow. “It’s crazy,” Hasangjekaj said. Additional report by Melissa Klein
