New York City was shattered this week by the senseless shooting at 345 Park Avenue in Manhattan, and the real estate community was especially impacted by the tragedy.
On Monday evening, a man opened fire at Rudin Management’s property. Ultimately, four people were killed in the incident, as well as the gunman, later identified as Shane Devon Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The motive is unclear, though the perpetrator claimed to suffer from CTE, a neurodegenerative disease linked to head trauma, sometimes brought up in tragic incidents involving former football players; the NFL is headquartered at 345 Park.
One of those killed was a young associate at Rudin, Julia Hyman, who was murdered when the gunman reportedly went to the 33rd floor by mistake, where Rudin is based. She had a stint as a summer intern at Newmark before working at the real estate investment firm Sagehall, according to her LinkedIn profile. She joined Rudin as an associate in November.
Another victim was 43-year-old Wesley LePatner, who was the chief executive officer of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust. She took over that role in January from the retiring Frank Cohen, taking charge of the $55 billion BREIT— among the world’s largest REITs by net asset value, making her one of the most prominent women in the industry.
“Words cannot express the devastation we feel,” Blackstone said in a statement. “Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed. She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond.”
Her death sent shockwaves through the real estate industry, leading to an outpouring from LePatner’s coworkers and colleagues as they took to social media to remember her.
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Gunman dead in Rudin’s Midtown office
Rudin employee killed in shooting identified as Julia Hyman
Blackstone’s Wesley LePatner, 43, killed in Midtown shooting
“She made time for so many of us—especially junior women at Blackstone—always offering guidance, support, and was a powerful example of how to lead with strength and compassion,” Blackstone principal Susan Webster Murphy posted.
Chief executive officer Steven Schwarzman called LePatner “an incredible woman who had an infectious energy and inner light — a light that will shine far brighter than the shadow cast by this senseless tragedy.”
The day after the shooting, heightened security was noticeable across Manhattan office buildings: more suited staffers in the lobbies and police officers stationed near entrances.
RXR, one of the city’s largest commercial property owners, were among the landlords to respond, increasing security patrols and security supervisor visits at its buildings out of an abundance of caution, according to a company spokesperson.
Other notable headlines from the week in New York City real estate:
