Brooklyn subway shooter suspect Frank James, was arrested within 30 hours after the incident through a combination of on-the-ground detective work, technology and possibly a tip from the fugitive himself, investigators said. 

"We were able to shrink his world, quickly. There was nowhere left for him to run," New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. 

Officers got their first lead soon after the incident at the crime scene, the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where several eyewitnesses filmed and photographed James.

Police said the suspect also left behind key pieces of evidence that helped them track his movements before and after the incident -- a 9 mm Glock allegedly used in the shooting, his coat, a bag filled with fireworks and James' credit card.

James used the credit card to rent a U-Haul van that was discovered parked five miles southeast of the station, police said. Officers recovered the vehicle later in the evening.