Latest news with #BlackstoneInc.
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
Terror at Blackstone: The Harrowing Hours at 345 Park Avenue
(Bloomberg) -- The alarm reached Jon Gray on the 44th floor, in his C-suite office high above Park Avenue: An active shooter was in the building. In the lobby below, a gunman had opened fire, killing a uniformed police officer and two others who worked in the office tower. Then, the shooter fired at the turnstile, boarded an elevator and headed up. Gray, billionaire president of Blackstone Inc., saw his phone light up again and again and again, as security alerts flashed and he fielded calls from associates trying to process what was happening over the next few hours. Employees hid in bathroom stalls and utility closets, and piled couches, desks and stools into doorways. Photos of the makeshift barricades quickly circulated on social media, illustrating the chaos that had overtaken the normally placid office environment. 'Brutal,' Gray recalled less than 24 hours later, tearing up in an interview. What unfolded Monday inside 345 Park Avenue, in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, has quickly assumed sobering dimensions: It now stands as the worst mass shooting New York City has witnessed in a quarter century. The four people who were killed — a police officer guarding the lobby, a rising star at Blackstone, a private security guard and an associate at a real estate management company — seemed to be drawn from all walks of New York life. Even as office workers hurried past the scene Tuesday — jackets off in the oppressive July heat, the American flag outside at half-mast, shattered glass near the building's entrance — the city's collective shock was palpable. Blackstone, founded in 1985, has grown from a small partnership into one of the world's largest asset managers. It has traversed periods of growth and turmoil, including the global financial crisis of 2008 and the coronavirus pandemic. But in a note to employees Tuesday, Gray and Chief Executive Officer Steve Schwarzman called Monday 'the worst day in the firm's history.' One of Blackstone's brightest stars, Wesley LePatner, was among the dead, shot in the lobby as she was about to meet a colleague for a drink. Like grieving family members and friends of the three other victims, Blackstone employees are still trying to come to grips with what began around 6:30 p.m. and, for many, didn't end until hours later. At the height of the evening rush, a man double-parked his BMW on Park Avenue, calmly strode across a public plaza with an assault-style rifle in his hand, stepped into the lobby and opened fire. Glass shattered in the lobby and bodies lay still. Office workers sprinted out of the building or scrambled for cover. (Police said the gunman, identified as Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, was looking for the headquarters of the NFL professional football league, which is located in the same building; Tamura ended up at Rudin Management on the 33rd floor where he died of a self-inflicted gunshot.) Panic began to spread through 345 Park, located near the gilded Waldorf-Astoria hotel, the new, soaring headquarters of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and up the grand boulevard from the Beaux Arts Grand Central Terminal. Other firms, including consulting firm KPMG and landlord Rudin, also call the building home. Few knew yet if anyone had been hurt or killed. Many Blackstone employees were still at their desks and began calling and texting colleagues to try to find out what was going on. One heard the initial burst of fire from the gunman's assault rifle and promptly alerted colleagues via Microsoft Teams chat to take cover. That saved a lot of lives, one Blackstone employee said. By 7 p.m., a half-hour after Tamura first stepped into the lobby, police officers were shepherding some employees out of 345 Park, workers said. One employee recalled being on a Zoom call and opening the door to discover colleagues with their hands raised over their heads and several police officers with guns drawn. The police hustled the group into the elevator and down to safety. Floor by floor, they were led out into the July evening, leaving their names and phone numbers for police to scribble on paper. Some were too petrified to leave their hiding spots at first. Others would only leave around 10 p.m., as police continued to sweep each floor. By about 11 p.m., when Blackstone's offices were fully cleared out, several had learned that LePatner was dead. Gray was among executives who went to Bellevue Hospital to offer support to LePatner's family. 'The focus now is the loss of Wesley and dealing with the trauma people experienced last night,' Gray said. Just that day, Gray had been in Blackstone's Monday meetings with her. Late Tuesday morning, Gray and Schwarzman addressed Blackstone employees around the world via Zoom. The message: Everyone is hurting and it's normal after such loss. Schwarzman urged employees to support each other. Blackstone is reviewing its security, and many employees praised how their bosses have handled the tragedy. Rudin had already bolstered security in response to crime in the area, and then the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, stationing more guards. Many employees expect tighter security going forward. Blackstone's offices will remain closed this week, and it's unclear when it will reopen. It all happened so fast, many of them said. Several added that they might've just as easily been among those who didn't make it home. --With assistance from David Scheer. More stories like this are available on
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Sport
- Bloomberg
New York Mass Shooting: Inside the Investigation
Police say a lone gunman killed four people then himself on Monday inside 345 Park Avenue in Manhattan. The building houses the offices of private equity behemoth Blackstone Inc., consultant KPMG, building landlord Rudin Management and the National Football League. Police say the gunman, Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old who last resided in Las Vegas, was targeting the NFL. Michael King, former executive officer of the FBI New York Terrorism Task Force, talks about how this investigation will unfold on "Bloomberg Surveillance." (Source: Bloomberg)
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
The Opening Trade 7/29/2025
A gunman killed at least four people and himself at an office tower that houses Blackstone Inc., Rudin Management, the National Football League and KPMG among others, sparking hours of chaos and fear in Midtown Manhattan on Monday evening. The suspected gunman's body was found on the 33rd floor, which is occupied by Rudin, and authorities identified the shooter as 27-year-old Shane Tamura from Nevada. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said a 90-day extension of a trade truce with China was a likely outcome with negotiations between the two countries underway in Stockholm. Lutnick's comments followed the start of a new round of talks between the US and China. The Opening Trade has everything you need to know as markets open across Europe. With analysis you won't find anywhere else, we break down the biggest stories of the day and speak to top guests who have skin in the game. Hosted by Anna Edwards, Guy Johnson and Kriti Gupta. (Source: Bloomberg)
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Gunman's Deadly Spree in Midtown Manhattan Spawns Evening of Fear in NYC
(Bloomberg) -- Work was winding down at 345 Park Avenue on Monday when a man strode across the public plaza just outside the Midtown Manhattan tower with an assault rifle in his hand. Within minutes, at least four people were dead, as well as the gunman, in a mass shooting in the epicenter of American finance. The harrowing scene unfolded in the 44-story, dark-glass tower that houses the offices of private equity giant Blackstone Inc., consultant KPMG, the National Football League and building landlord Rudin Management. Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old who last resided in Las Vegas, shot and killed a uniformed police officer in the lobby and made his way to the 33rd floor before dying of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. The attacker previously worked as a security guard at a Las Vegas casino and held a concealed carry permit for Nevada, according to law enforcement officials. Tamura, who has a documented history of mental-health troubles, drove across the country before entering New York City earlier Monday, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press briefing, adding that officials are still working to figure out his motive. The shooting shut down a large stretch of Midtown Manhattan and drove employees at several nearby firms — including hedge fund Citadel and investment bank Jefferies Financial Group Inc. — to go into lockdown. Park Avenue now houses more major financial firms than actual Wall Street, with JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s massive new headquarters a few blocks south of Blackstone's base. Videos from inside the tower showed people huddled in cramped rooms, some crying in fear, and workers leaving with their hands in the air as police cleared floors. Blackstone employees described sharing and receiving conflicting information on what was happening, while some scrambled to barricade doors and entry points. Workers streamed out of 345 Park Avenue to a chaotic scene of flashing police cars. One was crying and embracing another. Meanwhile, Blackstone sent staff a flurry of texts asking them to confirm they were safe. A Blackstone employee was among those killed, according to a person briefed on the matter. The company is the world's largest private markets firm, with more than $1.2 trillion in assets under management and roughly 5,000 employees. One Blackstone employee shared a photo that showed couches piled close to the ceiling as a barricade. Two of the firm's employees told friends they were hiding in the office pantries, according to people who received the messages. When they got the all-clear sign, some refused to leave spaces where they had barricaded themselves, petrified that they were still in danger. Blackstone declined to comment while awaiting further details on the status of employees. Representatives for the NFL and Rudin, a 100-year old real estate firm that owns major office buildings in the city, had no immediate comment or didn't respond to messages. The slain police officer, Didarul Islam, was an immigrant from Bangladesh who had been on the job for three years, authorities said. 'He was a true blue New Yorker,' Mayor Eric Adams said at the briefing late Monday. 'He was a hero, and we admire him for putting his life on the line.' The attack — fewer than eight months and five blocks from the fatal shooting of a UnitedHealth Group executive on a Midtown Manhattan street — prompted questions about the gunman's motive and his ability to get so far into the building. A surveillance video shows the gunman left a black BMW doubled-parked and entered the building carrying a rifle, Police Commissioner Tisch said. He then opened fire in the lobby, hitting several people including the police officer. A security guard taking cover at a desk near the elevator bank was also shot. The gunman made his way to an elevator, where he let a woman exit. He then rode up to the 33rd floor, which is occupied by Rudin. There, he fired more rounds, killing a woman, authorities said. He then turned the gun on himself. 'The city is in mourning for the innocent lives lost,' Tisch said, adding that one person who was shot in the lobby is being treated. As the chaos subsided, employees who work in Midtown Manhattan wondered about the status of their offices on Tuesday. A text message sent to JPMorgan employees said their campus is expected to operate under normal conditions on Tuesday, but employees should anticipate some disruption in near the Midtown office. At Citadel, two employees said they were locked down for over an hour, with one of them describing how coworkers huddled around, listening to the police scanner while they waited. As of 9 p.m. in New York, one worker said they were still waiting to hear whether they'd be able to work from home the next day. Late on Monday, Blackstone President Jon Gray and Chief Executive Steve Schwarzman sent employees a note describing what occurred as 'unimaginable' and the 'worst day in the firm's history,' according to a person briefed on the matter. They will host a firm-wide Zoom call to address staff in the coming day. Blackstone's office will be closed on Tuesday, and is expected to be shut for the coming week, the person said. --With assistance from Madison Muller, Katia Porzecanski, David Gillen and Ben Bain. More stories like this are available on
Bloomberg
22-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Blackstone Acquires Majority Stake in Network Ops Firm NetBrain
Blackstone Inc. is acquiring a majority stake in NetBrain Technologies Inc. in a fresh bet that artificial intelligence will transform the $30 billion network operations solutions market. Blackstone's growth arm is making a significant growth investment in Burlington, Massachusetts-based NetBrain in a transaction that values the company at $750 million, according to a statement reviewed by Bloomberg News. NetBrain will use the investment to expand its global footprint and scale its AI-powered platform.
