Nutjob spotted in NYC with ‘long rifle’ actually had paintball gun — but he’s still under arrest

The career criminal seen casually carrying what appeared to be a long rifle around a Bronx neighborhood was actually carrying a paintball gun — but he’ll still face criminal charges, police sources said Wednesday.

Rodney Lance, 42, was seen strolling around the Mount Eden area around 12:30 p.m., holding the apparent firearm in his left hand while carrying a backpack, according to cops and a photo obtained by The Post.

The shocking sighting briefly caused a nearby school to be placed on lockdown a day after a madman with an AR-15 style rifle stormed into a Midtown skyscraper and killed four people, cops said.

Lance was arrested about two hours later by the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit inside an apartment building on Nelson Avenue near the Edward L. Grant Highway, cops said.

The weapon – which sources said was an air pistol, specifically some kind of paintball gun – was found in the building after cops executed a search warrant.

Lance was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, menacing and harassment, authorities said.

Law enforcement sources initially said Lance, a known “emotionally disturbed” person, had more than 70 prior arrests on his record – a total that likely includes cases that have since been sealed.

The NYPD officially tallied 40 previous arrests for Lance.

In his most recent prior bust, Lance allegedly tried to burglarize a residential building on Judge Street near Devoe Street in East Williamsburg July 21, cops said.

He broke in through the window, using a screwdriver, but fled empty-handed, authorities said.

The latest scare came just a day after gunman Shane Tamura, 27, stormed a Manhattan building — home to Blackstone and NFL headquarters — and opened fire with a rifle around 6:30 p.m., killing four people before turning the gun on himself.

Among the victims were NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, whose wife is pregnant with their third child; Blackstone executive and mother of two, Wesley LePatner; security guard Aland Etienne; and Julia Hyman, a management associate at building owner Rudin Management.