25 years later: families gather at Ground Zero to remember those they lost
25 years later: families gather at Ground Zero to remember those they lost
A quarter-century after 9/11, families of those killed return to Ground Zero, sharing memories and honoring loved ones.
NEW YORK, N.Y. — Clutched photographs and quiet moments of reflection filled the streets of Lower Manhattan during a solemn morning ceremony. The bustling financial district stood completely still as mourners gathered shoulder to shoulder around the memorial pools and steel barricades. Finding shared strength in the exact footprint of the fallen World Trade Center. Families paused with tear-filled eyes to share memories and find comfort in one another.
For those left behind, the passage of 25 years magnified the absence of the 2,977 victims killed that day.
“He was a good guy, and that’s what I try to be,” said Jimmy Jimenez, who brought his two children to Ground Zero while holding a photograph of his late brother, Luis Jimenez. “With that spirit, with that vibe, the world will be a better place.”
Luis worked for Marsh McLennan on the 98th floor of the North Tower. He was 25 years old. His story was one of thousands echoing as grieving families gathered to honor the lives cut short.
Sam Rosenbaum lost his mother during the attacks when he was just 17 months old. She was an accountant for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 105th floor of the North Tower.
“She loved what she did,” Rosenbaum recalled. “She tried to quit the year before so she could spend more time with me and my sister, but they didn’t let her because she was too valuable.”
Many young adults stood in vigil to honor parents they barely had the opportunity to know, while others wept for their loved ones who never came home.
Charee Crisci, who lost her father-in-law, noted that she had a responsibility to carry on his legacy. Even though she never met him.
“He taught my husband a lot on how to be a good husband,” Crisci said. “I’m very honored to be part of the family because of him.”
While the attacks occurred in New York City, the devastating shockwaves reverberated across the globe. London native David Cameron returned to Ground Zero to remember his girlfriend, Elisa Farina, who perished in the tragedy.
“She was the funniest, craziest, most insane person I’ve ever met in my life,” Cameron said. “I adored her, and I wish she was still here.”
Beyond the immediate victims of the attacks, thousands more suffered from illnesses caused by exposure to toxic dust during the countless rescue efforts.
Retired emergency medicine physician assistant Joe DeJesus rushed to Ground Zero on his day off. His objective: to help the victims after the second tower collapsed.
“At that time, we didn’t even have masks. It was just total chaos, just going at it,” DeJesus said. “I spent probably until 2 in the morning [digging in the pile] and then I walked home because there was no way really to get home.”
Several hours later, a few steps away from the memorial pools, the spirit of unity extended beyond the morning remembrance ceremonies. City leadership joined together in a powerful display of interfaith solidarity.
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, the only house of worship destroyed in the 9/11 attacks, brought together New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the highest-ranking religious leaders from across the city. Representing all five New York City boroughs.
The Archbishop of New York, Ronald Hicks, was among the leaders who spoke at the ceremony. He said this was a crucial step toward unity and healing.
“I’ve been touched. I’ve been moved,” Hicks said. “It’s been a very powerful time to come together in a sense of real unity as we continue to pray for peace.”
Mamdani praised the extraordinary compassion of first responders and everyday citizens who risked their lives for total strangers.
“We remember how many people helped,” Mamdani said. “But not here, not at St. Nicholas. Here, memory is never far away, and here, we feel the resilience that defined our city not as an abstract concept, but as something material, as something tangible, as something as physical as the walls that rise around us and the pews in which we sit.”
As families departed Ground Zero, the pain of loss remained as raw as ever. But the bonds forged in shared grief proved unbreakable. In every ribbon worn and every whispered prayer, the memory of the lost rallied on as the beating heart of New York City. A reminder that 25 years later, the promise to never forget remains unbroken.
is a Digital Producer for The NewsHouse. Jack also serves on the NewsHouse staff as a multimedia journalist, writing News stories.