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SECOND Jewish victim of NYC office shooting named as 27-year-old Julia Hyman
Cornell graduate and Rudin employee killed on 33rd floor as gunman targeted building housing NFL
A second Jewish victim has been named in the deadly Manhattan office shooting that left four people dead on Monday, after 27-year-old Julia Hyman was identified among those killed on the 33rd floor of 345 Park Avenue.
Hyman, a Cornell University graduate and employee at Rudin Management, was shot alongside two colleagues after the attacker – named as 27-year-old Shane Tamura – stormed the skyscraper and opened fire. Moments earlier, he had killed NYPD officer Didarul Islam in the lobby before riding up the lift and fatally targeting office staff. He then turned the gun on himself.
Hyman’s death follows that of fellow Jewish victim Wesley LePatner, 43, a senior executive at Blackstone and board member of the UJA Federation of New York. The two women were among four lives lost in what police have described as a premeditated rampage likely aimed at the NFL, whose offices are based in the same building.
Cornell president Michael I. Kotlikoff said the university was “devastated” by Hyman’s murder, extending condolences to her family and sister Ali, a fellow Cornell alum. “This tragedy affected many Cornellians,” he wrote in an open letter. “I can only imagine the anxiety felt by everyone in the vicinity of this frightening crime scene.”
Kate Walsh, dean of the Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration, described Hyman as “an extraordinary student whose academic achievements and intellectual curiosity made a lasting impression.”
Born and raised in Manhattan, Hyman previously attended Riverdale Country School, where she captained the swimming, football, and lacrosse teams. School head Kari Ostrem said the community was “simply heartbroken by this loss,” remembering Hyman’s “bright smile and infectious laugh” and her “kindness and sense of community”.
Jewish podcast network Living Lchaim called her a “proud young Jewish woman… who carried herself with strength, kindness, and purpose.”
“She was building a career and a future, proud of who she was and where she came from,” they added. “We honour her light, her Jewish pride, and the beautiful life she was creating.”
LePatner, a mother of two, was remembered by Blackstone as “brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected,” while the UJA Federation said it was “devastated by the tragic loss”.
Police are continuing to investigate Tamura’s motive. New York Mayor Eric Adams said the shooter had a “documented mental health history” and left a note referencing CTE – chronic traumatic encephalopathy – commonly linked to head injuries among American football players.
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