Manhattan Office Shooting Survivor Recounts Face-to-Face Encounter with Gunman

Survivor's Account of the Shooting

• 💡 A 65-year-old cleaning lady, Sabia Nolovich, survived a shooting by coming face-to-face with the gunman on the 33rd floor of a Midtown office building.
• 🎯 Nolovich described hearing what she thought were firecrackers, only to see the glass door in front of the reception desk shake and fall.
• 😨 The gunman then entered, pointed his weapon at her, and began shooting around her as she identified herself as a cleaning lady.
• 🏃‍♀️ Realizing the gunman had a machine gun and would shoot regardless, she ran down the hallway, found a closet, and locked herself inside.

Trapped and Praying

• 🔒 While hiding in the closet, Nolovich heard the gunman shooting and the door to her closet being shot.
• 🙏 She spent approximately 2 to 3 hours praying in the closet, turning off her phone to avoid making noise.
• 💬 Her supervisor texted and called, advising her to stay put.

Aftermath and Impact

• 🚓 Police eventually arrived and escorted her home.
• 💔 Nolovich learned that 27-year-old Julia Heyman, a colleague, was shot and killed during the incident.
• 😥 She expressed that she realizes it could have been her and is experiencing increasing stress and fear, even becoming scared to go home on the train after her midnight shift.

Community Response

• 🏢 Mayor Adams attended a roll call at the NYPD's Midtown North precinct.
• 🕊️ A citywide vigil for Detective Islam was scheduled for that evening.