On Monday afternoon, Sebije Nelovic, a cleaner at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan, started her each day sweep of the glassy high-rise constructing the place she has labored for 27 years.
Two hours into her shift, as she was at work on the Thirty third flooring, got here the sound of gunshots.
In a prolonged assertion shared by the 32BJ Service Workers Worldwide Union on Thursday, 65-year-old Nelovic described coming face-to-face with Shane Devon Tamura, the 27-year-old gunman who authorities say entered the office tower shortly earlier than 6:30 p.m., armed with a high-powered AR-15-style rifle, and killed 4 individuals, together with an off-duty New York Metropolis police officer.
Police and others collect at against the law scene in midtown Manhattan after two individuals, together with a police officer, have been shot within an workplace constructing on July 28, 2025 in New York Metropolis.
Spencer Platt/Getty Pictures
When Nelovic heard the sound of the gunshots on the Thirty third flooring, she stated she left the workplace she was cleansing and turned the nook the place she might see the glass door by the reception desk.
“Immediately, the glass door was shaking. It began falling down – growth. And this man got here in the midst of the door, and pointed his gun at me,” she stated within the assertion. “He began taking pictures round me. I put my palms up and stated, ‘I am a cleansing woman. I am a cleansing woman.'”
Then Nelovic ran, she stated within the assertion. She discovered a closet and locked herself inside.
Cops and emergency autos are seen in a avenue as police reply to a taking pictures incident within the Midtown Manhattan, July 28, 2025.
John Lamparski/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
“I began praying,” she stated, as she heard the taking pictures proceed. “He shot the door to the closet, and I used to be so scared.”
Whereas hiding within the closet, Nelovic stated she texted along with her supervisor, however then, afraid that any noise might give away her place, she powered off her cellphone. For 2 to a few lengthy hours, she stated she sat in silence and prayed.
When the gunfire lastly ceased, Nelovic stated she considered Julia Hyman, the 27-year-old affiliate at Rudin Administration, who she knew was scheduled to be at her desk that night on the Thirty third flooring.
Afterward Monday night time, Nelovic returned to her Queens house, and surrounded by household, she turned on the tv.
“I needed to see what occurred and why,” she stated. “That is how I discovered about Julia.”
Police stated Hyman was the final particular person Kamura shot and killed earlier than taking his personal life.
Investigators say they’re persevering with to search for a motive, however New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams stated it seems Tamura, a former highschool soccer participant, was trying to focus on the headquarters of the Nationwide Soccer League, situated within the 345 Park Ave. constructing however took the flawed elevator and ended up within the Thirty third-floor workplace of Rudin Administration.
In a word present in Tamura’s pocket within the aftermath of the assault, the suspect claimed he suffered from persistent traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a illness linked to repeated hits to the top, usually seen in navy veterans and athletes, together with soccer gamers, hockey gamers and boxers, sources instructed ABC Information. Within the word, Tamura requested that his mind be studied, sources stated.
It stays unknown if Tamura suffered from CTE, which might’t be recognized in a residing particular person with certainty, although docs might suspect it primarily based on signs and a historical past of head trauma.
