CHICAGO — A longtime office cleaner has shared a harrowing account of surviving a deadly mass shooting at a Manhattan high-rise earlier this week — describing the moment she came face-to-face with the gunman just before he opened fire on multiple victims.
Gunman Opened Fire with High-Powered Rifle on 33rd Floor
On Monday evening, Sebije Nelovic, a 65-year-old cleaner with 27 years of experience at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, was working her regular shift when she heard the first gunshots on the 33rd floor.
The shooter, Shane Devon Tamura, 27, entered the building just before 6:30 p.m. with an AR-15-style rifle, fatally shooting four people, including an off-duty NYPD officer, before turning the weapon on himself.
In a detailed statement released by the 32BJ Service Employees International Union, Nelovic recounted how she turned a hallway corner and suddenly found herself directly in the gunman’s path.
“He pointed his gun at me. He started shooting around me. I put my hands up and said, ‘I’m a cleaning lady. I’m a cleaning lady,’” Nelovic said in the statement reported by ABC7 Chicago .
Hiding in a Closet as Shots Rang Out
Nelovic fled and locked herself in a nearby closet, where she stayed hidden for nearly three hours. She texted her supervisor at first, then turned off her phone in fear the sound could reveal her location. As the gunfire continued, she sat in silence and prayed.
“He shot the door to the closet, and I was so scared,” she said.
The terrifying ordeal eventually ended when Tamura died by suicide. Nelovic later returned home to Queens and learned from television reports that Julia Hyman, a 27-year-old associate at Rudin Management, was among the victims — and had likely been the final person shot by Tamura.
Search for Motive Continues
Police have not yet confirmed a motive for the attack. New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated that Tamura, a former high school student in the area, did not appear to be targeting random victims but may have had some connection to the building.
Authorities are still investigating Tamura’s background, and details surrounding his entry into the secure high-rise are being reviewed.
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