MSNBC.com's 9/11 Report: Twin Towers Collapse Eyewitness Account
On September 11, 2001, a cover story by MSNBC.com journalist Paul Herman detailed the collapse of the World Trade Center. Witnesses recounted individuals leaping from the towers, debris raining down, and ash-covered residents of New York fleeing across bridges. Businessman Gabriel Ioan witnessed his office's destruction, while producer Steve Johnson, located six blocks away, described seeing people fall before a tower crumbled. In Brooklyn, producer Michelle Preli remarked on the turmoil at the bridges, prompting the arrival of medical teams. Meanwhile, Columbia University staff member Andras Szanto noted an unsettling stillness uptown. Five hours after the collapse, crowds continued to cross the Manhattan Bridge. The following day, September 12, Times Square was almost empty, with a lingering odor of char.
Key facts
- MSNBC.com ran a real-time cover story on September 11, 2001, updated as the World Trade Center towers collapsed.
- The report included eyewitness accounts from businessman Gabriel Ioan, MSNBC.com producers Steve Johnson and Michelle Preli, and Columbia University staff member Andras Szanto.
- Steve Johnson, about six blocks from the towers, saw six people fall or jump before the top of a tower shattered and walls peeled away.
- Michelle Preli reported chaos in Brooklyn, with ash-covered people on the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges and a strong smell of char.
- Andras Szanto observed an eerie calm on the Upper West Side, where strangers gathered around radios and a Starbucks closed due to the terrorist attack.
- Five hours after the collapse, people were still walking across all levels of the Manhattan Bridge.
- On September 12, 2001, Times Square was nearly deserted at noon, with giant video screens playing to empty streets.
- Victor Tahiri, 31, in his Mr. Softee ice cream van, commented that the city does sleep; the stench of char lasted for months.
Entities
Artists
- Paul Herman
- Gabriel Ioan
- Steve Johnson
- Michelle Preli
- Andras Szanto
- Victor Tahiri
Institutions
- MSNBC.com
- Columbia University
- Starbucks
- Mr. Softee
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Manhattan
- Brooklyn
- World Trade Center
- City Hall
- East River
- Manhattan Bridge
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Upper West Side
- Hudson River
- Times Square