On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda terrorists flew two hijacked planes into New York City’s World Trade Center. Two more planes were hijacked, with one flown into the Pentagon in Washington DC. The other, United flight 93, crashed and killed all on board in a field in Shanksville, PA Passengers and flight crew had heroically attempted to regain control from the hijackers. It was the worst attack on US soild since Pearl Harbour in 1941; a day that left emotional scars many are still recovering from. The death toll in the World Trade Center was over 2,600. In total, 2,977 people would die on 9/11, with many more thousands injured. From HWY61, this is Spotlight: 9/11, a four-part series telling the personal narratives of those who survived and witnessed the World Trade Center terror attacks. These are their stories.
From across the Hudson River in New Jersey, residents witnessed the events of 9/11 as they were on the school run or morning commute. For Karina Vigo and her fellow students from Kearny High School in Kearny, NJ, they saw it unfold from their classroom window before teachers intervened and pulled down the blinds. Reliving the day, she reveals a loss of innocence from 9/11 as students didn't understand what was happening in the city just across the water where they would visit when cutting school. This is her story, told in her words.
As Rob Snyder commuted his usual journey from Manhattan to Rutgers University in New Jersey on 11 September 2001, he was caught in the fall out of the World Trade Center attacks. As he emerged from New York City's subway system, the towers would fall on him, leaving Rob to battle his way to survival and back home on the Upper Eastside. This is Rob's story, told in his words.
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