Jewish communal leader Wesley LePatner named as Manhattan shooting victim

By JTA 29 July 2025, 8:00 pm

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Signage for Blackstone is seen as a New York City Police officer stands outside the 345 Park Avenue building, the scene of last night's deadly shootings in Midtown Manhattan in New York on July 29, 2025.(TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

Jewish institutions in New York City are reeling after a prominent and beloved communal leader was among the victims of a mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan a day earlier.

Wesley LePatner, 43, was a board member for UJA-Federation of New York and The Heschel School, where her name is now listed as “z’l” in memoriam. She received UJA’s Alan C. Greenberg Young Leadership Award in 2023.

LePatner and three others were shot and killed by a gunman who opened fire in an office building in Midtown Manhattan, where the NFL and Blackstone are headquartered.

LePatner was the global head of core+ real estate and CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, part of one of the world’s largest investment firms, according to her LinkedIn.

“We are heartbroken to share that our colleague, Wesley LePatner, was among those who lost their lives in the tragic incident at 345 Park Avenue. Words cannot express the devastation we feel,” the company said in a statement.

She was also involved at Manhattan’s Altneu synagogue, according to co-founder Avital Chizik-Goldschmidt. She was married with children.

While a motive has not been officially announced, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said police are investigating a note from the suspected gunman reportedly referring to potential links to the NFL and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease linked to head trauma suffered by many former players.