NYC skyscraper that turned into tower of terror was fortified with panic rooms, off-duty cops as Manhattan office workers left on edge
The ritzy Park Avenue skyscraper that turned into a tower of terror Monday has panic rooms, off-duty cops and other security features — but it still wasn’t fortified enough to stop a deranged gunman from storming the 44-story building.
White collar workers in other Midtown offices wondered how safe they were at work — and landlords speculated if they needed to dramatically beef up their security — as new details surfaced Tuesday about the safety measures at 345 Park Avenue.
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“The random selection of this target is impossible to predict and really, really difficult to defend against,” said Michael Balboni, former Homeland Security Adviser for New York state.
“Did he know he could come into a Class A building like this and just spray the building? That’s very unlikely, you know, typically,” said Baldoni, referring to crazed gunman Shane Tamura.
The twisted shooter traveled across the country, aiming to target the NFL, which is housed in the 44-story office building, law-enforcement officials said.
“There was very much security in that building. To have a company hire an off-duty police officer — I don’t know how you get more secure than that,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said on CNN, referring to hero cop Didarul Islam, who was on a uniformed security detail when he was killed by Tamura.
The 27-year-old Nevada resident strolled into the office tower with an assault rifle, gunning down Islam in the lobby before shooting dead security guard Aland Etienne — who was unarmed — and Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner.
He then went up to the 33rd floor, after getting on at the wrong elevator bank, where he killed Rudin Management worker Julia Hyman before shooting himself dead,
Mayor Eric Adams credited Rudin Management, which owns the building, and said the preparation the company took potentially prevented a higher death toll against a gunman “determined to do harm.”
The building has bathrooms that double as safe rooms, featuring bulletproof doors that workers can lock themselves into, Adams told Fox News.
How the shooting unfolded
- Reports of the shooting at 345 Park Ave. start coming in around 6:28 p.m.
- Shane Tamura, 27, is seen getting out of a black BMW between 51st and 52nd streets with an M4 rifle.
- He enters the lobby and turns right, where he shoots police officer Didarul Islam, 36, dead.
- Tamura guns down a woman cowering behind a pillar in the lobby, sprays more bullets and walks toward the elevator bank — where he shoots dead a security guard crouching at his desk.
- One more man reports being shot and injured in the lobby. He was in critical but stable condition.
- The gunman allows a woman to walk out of the elevators unharmed before heading up to the 33rd floor, where building owner Rudin Properties’ offices are located, “and begins to walk the floor, firing as he traveled.”
- One woman is shot and killed on that floor before Tamura shoots himself in the chest.
- It’s unclear how long the mayhem lasted. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch posted on X at 7:52 p.m.: “The scene has been contained and the lone shooter has been neutralized.”
“He was determined to do harm, and in a law enforcement approach, that is something extremely challenging,” Adams said on “The Story with Martha MacCallum.”
“The response of our police officers, I believe, saved many lives. And what Rudin management did with the building, they created safe rooms that doubled as bathrooms with bulletproof doors that you can lock yourself in and no one can get inside. They carried out several active shooter drills. And I think that actions save the lives of people because of their proactive approach,” Adams said.
A spokesperson for Rudin Management declined comment on if the company plans on further security enhancements following the tragedy.
“As a policy, we do not publicly disclose our security protocols,” the spokespersons said.
Still, questions were swirling how other buildings might tackle security issues following the shooting.
“People are scared. We have security guards but they don’t have guns,” said a man who works for a commercial building near the mass shooting, adding, “We’re seeing more people asking for extra training on security and the emergency action plan — what they’d do in a situation like what happened yesterday.”
Commercial real estate broker Adelaide Polsinelli said building owners might need to go to greater lengths to ensure worker safety.
“Until our elected officials take meaningful action to restore law and order, building owners may be forced to consider extreme protective measures — such as bulletproof entrances — to ensure the safety of their tenants and staff,” Polsinelli told The Post.
“This is not a sustainable or desirable path, but in the absence of effective enforcement, property owners are left to shoulder the burden of public safety on their own.”
Here is the latest on the NYC mass shooting:
A large commercial office building owner said their company hasn’t received any inquiries about securities from tenants Tuesday.
But the owner made clear, “Everyone is taking stock and can’t believe what happened.”
Another commercial real estate broker cautioned increasing security might not matter.
“The story isn’t about adding security – it’s occasional wackadoos,” said the broker.
— Additional reporting by Vaughn Golden and Haley Brown
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