NYC pauses to remember 9/11 victims 23 years after terror attacks that altered the nation
NEW YORK -- Wednesday marked 23 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks that forever changed New York City and the nation.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed when al Qaeda hijackers crashed four jetliners into the twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in southwest Pennsylvania.
On this day each year, families who lost loved ones in the worst terror attack on American soil make the solemn trek to observe the six moments of silence, hear the reading of the names, and fulfill a sacred promise to never forget.
As years pass, more and more names are being read by children and young adults born after the attacks -- as an older generation passes on the grave responsibility of remembering this day to a new generation.
"Twenty-three years is like 23 seconds. On Sept. 11, my brother disappeared, but this place has become my altar," one man said at the podium. "This ceremony is essential, because that day he disappeared, but if I come here and I speak his name out loud, and you hear his name, he will never, never disappear."
"I have sunflowers every year, not just because they remind me of my uncle Richie, but because in a time of such profound darkness, they always look for the light," one woman said.
You can watch the full ceremony here.
9/11 moments of silence
Wednesday's ceremony honored the 2,983 victims killed in the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, aboard Flight 93, and in the 1993 WTC bombing.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum opened to family members at 8 a.m. before the commemoration began at 8:46 a.m.
A citywide moment of silence was held at 8:46 a.m. to mark the moment hijacked Flight 11 struck the North Tower. A second moment of silence was held at 9:03 a.m. to mark when hijacked Flight 175 struck the South Tower.
Another moment of silence followed at 9:37 a.m., marking when hijacked Flight 77 struck the Pentagon.
A moment of silence was held at 9:59 a.m. to mark when the South Tower fell, then at 10:03 a.m. to mark when hijacked Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and then at 10:28 a.m. to mark when the North Tower fell.
The ceremony wrapped up at around 12:45 p.m.
U.S. leaders vow to "never forget"
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were on hand for the ceremony in Lower Manhattan, along with former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance.
New York leaders, including Sen. Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul and former mayors Bill de Blasio, Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani were also seen in the crowd, as well as New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
Mr. Biden and Harris both released statements beforehand, repeating the calls to "never forget."
"Never forget each of the 2,977 precious lives stolen from us when terrorists attacked our nation," Mr. Biden wrote. "Never forget their families who still bear the grief from that searing September morning. Never forget the heroic citizens and survivors who rushed to help their fellow Americans. And never forget that when faced with evil -- and an enemy that sought to tear us apart -- we endured."
"Today is a day of solemn remembrance as we mourn the souls we lost in a heinous terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. We stand in solidarity with their families and loved ones. We also honor the extraordinary heroism on display that fateful day by ordinary Americans helping their fellow Americans. We will never forget," Harris said in her statement.
The White House said the president and vice president were also to visit the 9/11 sites in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
While remembering the lost, some said it was also a chance to address elected leaders to call for justice following the now-revoked plea deal military prosecutors had reached with the alleged 9/11 mastermind and two other defendants.
"It is outrageous that our government would ever entertain the thought of granting the terrorist a plea deal," one person said.
Remembering 9/11 around Tri-State Area
Other remembrances were held across New York and New Jersey to mark the somber morning.
At sunset, bagpipers and drums led a parade outside the FDNY Ten House with first responders and military marching in formation to honor the fallen.
On Long Island, a ceremony at Point Lookout honored the nearly 500 residents killed on Sept. 11 and the first responders who later died of cancer from the days of recovery and months of cleanup. Leaders noted the crowd for the event never dwindles.
"We've been having this ceremony on this beach, and it gets bigger and bigger every single year. People love to come down here to reflect, to be together and to remember," Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald Clavin said.
"I lost my husband, Ronny, on 9/11. It's tough," said resident Carol Gies. "He was a member of Squad 288 in Maspeth, Queens. His firehouse lost the most men in the entire department."
The Kirchner family of Oceanside supported husband and father Richard through decades of health battles. He spent 600 hours on the pile.
"My husband passed away in 2022 from dementia and lung ailments," widow Dawn Kirchner said.
"I am in awe of him for the rest of my life and proud to be his daughter," Ava Kirchner said.
In Jersey City, a ceremony at the 9/11 memorial along the Hudson River also paid tribute to the 39 residents killed in the attacks. The city's waterfront became a triage center for those fleeing Manhattan by ferries that day, including now-Mayor Steven Fulop, who later joined the Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq.
"The crowd that comes out is smaller every single year and it gets farther and farther from people's mind... Younger people don't have that same close proximity to it, because a lot of the younger people, even some working for the city, weren't alive," Fulop said Wednesday, adding, "it's something that we're going to try to raise up."
In total, more than 700 people from New Jersey were killed on Sept. 11. Dozens of loved ones came to honor the dead Wednesday, many throwing flowers into the river, as the names were read aloud.
"Unreal, just an unreal experience then, and 23 years later, it still feels unreal," said Barbara Smith, whose best friend was killed in the North Tower. "I was working on Water Street and when the first plane hit, none of us really understood what was happening. One woman who had been around for the '93 attack knew right away that it was a terror attack, but most of us really didn't believe that until the second plane."
"It's a painful day, but it's so important to remember all the people who sacrificed their lives for the great country that we live in," said Douglas Mahler of Franklin Lakes.
"I was first hand who was there and I know a lot of people who survived and not survive," Jan Demczur said.
Demczur was a window washer trapped in a North Tower elevator when the first hijacked plane hit the World Trade Center. He said he and several others got out by chipping away at a wall.
"I put my foot inside the hole, start kicking that and there's another wall," Demczur said, "and I see the light."
He said he then took another elevator and ran down 44 flights of stairs.
"Very difficult because so many young people lost lives," Demczur said.
Street closures for 9/11 ceremony
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is located at the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.
Drivers should plan for the following street closures around the area:
- Areas bounded by Barclay Street on the North; Rector Street on the South; Broadway on the East; West Street on the West (All Inclusive)
- Liberty Street between West Street and South End Avenue
- Albany Street between West Street and South End Avenue
- West Thames Street between West Street and South End Avenue
- South End Avenue between Liberty Street and West Thames Street
- Battery Place between West Thames Street and 3rd Place
- 3rd Place between Battery Place and Little West Street
- Little West Street between 3rd Place and Battery Place
This comes the same time as the United Nations General Assembly, which is also causing street closures and delays on Manhattan's East Side.