Office cleaner describes coming face-to-face with Manhattan shooting suspect

[ad_1] 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 ground, got here the sound of gunshots.

In a prolonged assertion shared by the 32BJ Service Staff 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 workplace tower shortly earlier than 6:30 p.m., armed with a high-powered AR-15-style rifle, and killed 4 folks, together with an off-duty New York Metropolis police officer.

Police and others collect at a criminal offense scene in midtown Manhattan after two folks, together with a police officer, have been shot inside an workplace constructing on July 28, 2025 in New York Metropolis.

Spencer Platt/Getty Photos

When Nelovic heard the sound of the gunshots on the Thirty third ground, she mentioned she left the workplace she was cleansing and turned the nook the place she might see the glass door by the reception desk.

"Instantly, the glass door was shaking. It began falling down – increase. And this man got here in the course of the door, and pointed his gun at me," she mentioned within the assertion. "He began taking pictures round me. I put my fingers up and mentioned, 'I am a cleansing girl. I am a cleansing girl.'"

Then Nelovic ran, she mentioned within the assertion. She discovered a closet and locked herself inside.

Cops and emergency automobiles 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 Photos

"I began praying," she mentioned, 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 mentioned 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 3 lengthy hours, she mentioned she sat in silence and prayed.

When the gunfire lastly ceased, Nelovic mentioned 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 ground.

In a while Monday evening, Nelovic returned to her Queens residence, and surrounded by household, she turned on the tv.

"I needed to see what occurred and why," she mentioned. "That is how I discovered about Julia."

Police mentioned Hyman was the final individual 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 mentioned it seems Tamura, a former highschool soccer participant, was making an attempt to focus on the headquarters of the Nationwide Soccer League, positioned 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 be aware present in Tamura's pocket within the aftermath of the assault, the suspect claimed he suffered from power traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a illness linked to repeated hits to the top, usually seen in army veterans and athletes, together with soccer gamers, hockey gamers and boxers, sources informed ABC Information. Within the be aware, Tamura requested that his mind be studied, sources mentioned.

It stays unknown if Tamura suffered from CTE, which might't be recognized in a dwelling individual with certainty, although docs could suspect it primarily based on signs and a historical past of head trauma.