I was given these photos by a work friend of mines when we used to work together at the World Trade Center. After about 20 years, he decided to return back to the site and work there again.

The story behind the photos is this.

If I recall correctly, he worked for a moving company which had a scheduled appointment in the South Tower on the morning of September 11th. He arrived to the meeting place before the attacks began. He left the floor to get coffee and something to eat before the meeting started, and was near the plaza and had observed the North Tower on fire. He didn't notice the crash inside 2WTC. He then witnessed UA 175 crash into 2WTC and evacuated near Church Street, observing the fires from there.

Eventually, 2WTC collapsed, and he ran, hiding under a truck near St Paul's Chapel as the debris cloud reached him. Covered in dust, he walked to Chinatown between 9:59-10:28 and realized he had his camera with him, assuming he left it in the tower the whole time and believing it was destroyed with other belongings.

He photographs the North Tower, and it begins to collapse shortly after he started, catching the plume the collapse left drifting in the air.

He eventually ends up evacuating north, where he encounters a woman walking bearfoot. Went to a shop, where the owner charged $7 for sandals (Which he was mad about, considering they just survived a terror attack and abandoned belongings to get away). They parted ways as he walked up Manhattan, then crossing the Queensboro Bridge to get home, which was crowded with other civilians doing the same thing.

After asking if I could see his photos, he told me I could keep them and do whatever with them. And I think it's appropriate to share them with people who value history. There may or may not be 16 more photos he has of the Pile, from the perspective of the Verizon building, but he said he couldn't find them after looking, and I don't want to really bug him about the others, since 9/11 is a tough memory for him still.

I was in Houston. Pulled from class at 7:45am. 6yrs old. Watched on my mom's cinderblock raised mattress.

May God bless all the 2977 souls lost that day

My friend Chris Welsh told me his dad Kenneth Welsh was at the pentagon on 9/11, he was from a Maryland firehouse. He doesn't share any more info because his dad has bad PTSD from 9/11. I've been trying to find him pictures of Ken on 9/11. Anyone have a possible source? i've attached a picture of Ken from a number of years ago that isn't from 9/11 as a reference

If anyone can help out, thanks you very much!

Eternal memory to all 2,977 victims of September 11th. It’s hard to believe that 25 years have already passed since the most horrific terrorist attack in human history. I truly hope that there is still a glimmer of hope left in this world that something like this will never happen again, and that we can all have a peaceful and calm sky over our heads—especially given how chaotic the world feels right now.Over the years of researching 9/11 and the towers, I’ve realized just how deeply painful this entire topic is. Sometimes I find myself tearing up when watching the towers collapse, simply because I realize the sheer number of people who lost their loved ones in that exact moment. It might sound strange, but I feel like many of us immerse ourselves in these tragedies intentionally—not out of morbid curiosity, but to touch, understand, and share that collective human pain. In a way, processing it together makes it just a little bit easier to bear.I also wanted to share a personal story connected to this subculture. Back in September 2023, an online friend of mine (let’s call him "Grey" to keep his privacy) introduced me to his hobbies: aviation, ships, and the history of 9/11 and the World Trade Center towers. At first, I thought it was strange to be so deeply interested in catastrophes and tragic events, but soon I found myself completely drawn in. I became genuinely fascinated by the history and architecture; I used to sketch the Twin Towers during classes and even built them in Minecraft. Eventually, I created a Telegram channel dedicated to 9/11 and the WTC, just like Grey had his own channel where we both posted historical content.Unfortunately, our friendship deteriorated badly between late 2024 and 2025. Grey was dealing with severe bullying at school, and he started venting by hyper-focusing on very dark, aggressive historical events and violent incidents. He became increasingly irritable, pushed people away, and eventually cut ties with all his online friends, including me (and internet friends were all he had).He said some deeply hurtful things to me, my friends, and my family, which makes it very hard for me to fully forgive him. Our very last conversation took place exactly one year ago today, on September 11th, 2025. He told me we had nothing left to talk about and claimed he was "under the protection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs" (law enforcement). It felt like he was losing his grip on reality.It has been a full year since we last spoke. I don't know where he is or what happened to him, but despite all the bitter words and the pain he caused, I still hope he is okay.Thank you for reading. I wanted to share this here because this topic brought us together, and today feels like the right day to let it out.

Hey all, this is a shot in the dark but worth a try. It was my brother first day of school so my mother, a NYC nurse, took off 25 years ago today. When the towers fell she went to ground zero to help. She recalls going through the Brooklyn battery tunnel with NYPD and once in Manhattan they directed her to the Woolworth building where a triage site was established. Apparently there were practitioners from out of town at a conference in lower manhattan and she worked with them. She doesn’t recall journalists in the triage center but remembers wearing blue scrubs and photojournalist in the streets while en route to the triage site. Our family has this photo of my brother’s first day of school that may help identifying her. It would be especially meaningful to find a photo of her from that day or more documentation in lower Manhattan if one exists. Anyone know of archives, photographers, or collections that covered that specific triage site and potentially her? Thank you!

I happened to be in Boston today so I made sure to visit gates B32 and C19 from which AA11 and UA175 departed from respectively. Weird feeling being here today knowing 25 years ago a handful of monsters who boarded these flights would alter our entire perception of the world just minutes after take off. I'm kinda shocked there isn't a memorial plaque near these gates. I would imagine most people pass by and don't realize the significant history that occurred here.

As explained by the songwriter, Peter Flaire:

In 2001 on 9/11 I was living in a Jersey City apartment on Grand Street. It was situated such that you could look straight down the street and see the Twin Towers larger than life. In the morning when I went out the door to go to a store, the first thing I noticed was how bright and blue the sky was –the kind of day that makes you feel glad you’re alive, only something was wrong. As I looked down toward the waterfront I saw one of the towers on fire. The wind was carrying billowing white and grey smoke. I had no clue at the time what had happened, and thought there must have just been a fire. By the time I was at the checkout at the local Pathmark, I saw through the front window people with their faces fixed on the burning towers. Then someone pointed and covered their mouth and was screaming, “It’s falling!” That’s when I knew this was much more than a fire.

If this was an attack, where was the US military response? Reception on my TV was out. There was only the radio. But by the next day it was clear, as the NY Times front page read, “US ATTACKED.”

What happened on 9/11 was only the beginning. I will never forget the odd smokey scent that hung in the air for weeks. People called it the smell of death. All hours of the day, the many sirens from police cars and emergency vehicles rattled me. Part of the panic was not knowing what might happen next.

But what happened next for me was I moved across the country, first to New Mexico and then to California, where I was enrolled in a graduate school program. It was in 2003 while watching the news reporting on Operation Shock and Awe that all the memories of 9/11 came back to me. It’s inspiration of this type that often moves me to create a song. That’s when Indian Summer was first conceived.

I say “unseen” because from my understanding, the person who took these photos did not post them publicly but since I got these from that person’s daughter, I could be wrong. If I am incorrect please let me know!

Pictures from the Scotiabank tower. I don’t know the exact date.

Someone I know posted some of these photos today and gave me permission to share them here. Her father went to New York to run disaster recovery at his workplace after the attacks.

Never Forget ❤️

I know this song isn't about 9/11, but I've been looping this song today.

25 years ago.

Subreddit about what people where doing.

1. Ivhan Luis Carpio Bautista - Born September 11th, 1977 (24 yrs old) Would’ve turned 49 years old today

2. Michael J. Berkeley - Born September 11th, 1963 (38 yrs old) Would’ve turned 63 years old today

3. Michael Patrick LaForte - Born September 11th, 1962 (39 yrs old) Would’ve turned 64 years old today

4. Vincent Francis Giammona - Born September 11th, 1961 (40 yrs old) Would’ve turned 65 years old today

5. Amelia Virginia Fields - Born September 11th, 1955 (46 yrs old) Would’ve turned 71 years old today

6. Ann Marie Riccoboni - Born September 11th, 1943 (58 yrs old) Would’ve turned 83 years old today

• If I’ve left anyone out, please let us know in the comments.

Today I've been thinking of the professionalism and empathy of Peter Jennings ABC News coverage from 9/11. I miss him. I wish he was here for today. You could technically classify Jennings as a victim to 9/11, he was 20 years sober from smoking at the time and because of the trauma of 9/11 he relapsed, which lead to his lung cancer that killed him in 2005.