Sister of famous 9/11 Falling Man shares truth behind controversial image 25 years after tragedy

The photographer had already responded to the criticism that the image had garnered.

Note: Some readers may find this article’s discussion of suicide upsetting.

Twenty-five years after one of the most eerie pictures of 9/11 was taken, the sister of the man who is thought to be in the picture has talked about the suffering and the faith that have helped her family get through it.

Richard Drew, an Associated Press photographer, captured the image of a man falling head-first from the World Trade Center at 9:41 a.m. and 15 seconds on September 11, 2001. The man seemed to be at peace during his last moments.

It became known as “Falling Man,” an image so contentious that it was removed from circulation within days of its publication by numerous publications, including the New York Times, after readers complained that it was too painful to look at.

The Chief Medical Examiner of New York classified all reported deaths as homicides, and no official list of individuals who leaped from the towers that day was ever compiled.

Over a 90-minute period, estimates of the number of people who jumped range from about 50 to over 200, and there is hardly any photographic documentation of their identities.

The man in the “Falling Man” picture is who?

For years, the man’s identity was sought after.

After his sister identified the attire, a Canadian journalist initially connected the picture to Norberto Hernandez, a pastry cook at the Windows on the World restaurant.

Hernandez’s devoted Catholic family, however, disagreed with the premise and maintained that he would never have leaped.

Tom Junod, a journalist for Esquire, reopened the research and found that Drew’s camera had indeed recorded a series of frames.

Hernandez was ruled out because he didn’t have an orange T-shirt, which was revealed after the man’s shirt blew open in subsequent pictures.

Instead, Junod determined that Jonathan Briley, a 43-year-old sound engineer at Windows on the World, was the most likely match. Briley was 6 feet 5 inches tall, wore black high-top shoes, and was known to wear an orange T-shirt underneath his work uniform.Their ghosts were apprehended.

It has never been feasible to verify what Briley wore that morning because his widow packed up his clothing shortly after his passing.

Gwen Briley-Strand, Briley’s 72-year-old sister, continues to watch the anniversary coverage each year.She told the Daily Mail, “There are moments when it feels like 25 years, but there are other times when it feels like yesterday.” “It’s a grieving wave. Certain years are superior to others.

Briley-Strand stated that her asthmatic brother had grown up playing gospel piano and had been ordained a deacon just six months before to his passing.

The last time she saw him, he had joined her and her husband on a last-minute vacation in Florida the week before 9/11.

She rejected the notion held by certain religious families that it amounted to suicide and stated that she does not think faith condemns those who jumped.It was the final moments of his life.I think everyone that leaped was apprehended.

She said that she believes her brother is a representative of the approximately 3,000 individuals who perished that day. “Their spirits were caught,” she claimed.

Alex Briley, one of Briley’s five siblings, was a founding member of Village People.

Drew said to CBS News in 2021 on the photo: “I didn’t take the picture. The image of the man falling was captured by the camera.

When these individuals started to fall, I would press the camera’s trigger with my finger, hold it up, and take pictures of them as they descended. The camera would then open and close to capture the images.

I believe I have eight or nine shots of this man falling, and the camera just so happened to cycle during the moment when he was perfectly upright. It wasn’t until I returned to the workplace and began browsing my laptop that I truly saw the photo. I failed to notice it.

The photographer responded to criticism of the image in a 2023 interview with Quill.However, it wasn’t his demise. “It was his final moments,” Drew remarked. “I document people’s lives as a photojournalist.

The man’s life included this. I believe that because the picture appeared so… calm, people were upset. We had grown immune to genuine violence by that point, so it didn’t depict it.”

According to reports, the picture is currently in Sir Elton John’s private collection. John has referred to it as “one of the most perfect photographs ever taken.”

Trump’s immediate ‘evil’ response to 9/11 in phone call resurfaces almost 25 years after tragedy

On the day of 9/11, Donald Trump called a live TV news channel.

Donald Trump discussed on live television, just hours after the 9/11 disaster, how his own building had become the tallest in Manhattan following the collapse of the Twin Towers.

On Wednesday, September 9, it will be 25 years since the terrorist attack that paralyzed the United States and the rest of the globe.

On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists took control of four passenger flights, resulting in the deaths of 2,977 persons.

Two of those planes crashed into the New York Twin Towers, a third struck the Pentagon in Virginia, and a fourth crashed into a Pennsylvanian field as its occupants tried to resist the hijackers.

Following what is considered to be the deadliest terrorist assault in modern history, Trump, who was employed in New York at the time, spoke with WWOR/UPN 9 News.

The now-president talked about witnessing a “huge explosion” following the passenger planes’ collision with the famous New York structure.

The TV channel then questioned Trump about whether Trump Tower, one of the most famous structures in New York City, had increased security in the wake of the terrorist assault.

In an odd response, the businessman at the time said, “We’ve always had very strong security but there’s very little you can do about planes crashing into a building.”

Trump shifted the subject to the fact that his 71-story building, 40 Wall Street, had become Manhattan’s highest structure following the collapse of the Twin Towers, which somehow made the discourse even more dubious.It’s the tallest now.

Trump described his building, which was located a few blocks from the site of the attacks, as “the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and it was actually, before the World Trade Center, was the tallest—and then,

when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second-tallest.”It’s the tallest presently,” he remarked.It’s astounding to hear

It’s safe to say that the majority of the internet is not happy with the unearthed video of Trump’s comments from almost 25 years ago on 9/11.

A YouTube user wrote, “This interview is astonishing to hear,” while another X user called Trump’s initial remark “evil.”

“Even at that point he had to point out that his building was then the tallest building in NY…” remarked a third interviewee.

The president will not be attending the commemorative ceremony being held in New York this week to mark the 25th anniversary of the terrible attacks.

According to the New York Times, Trump withdrew from the event when his administration was made aware of the established rule prohibiting public people from speaking to crowds.

“As a proud New Yorker, President Trump has spoken about his own experiences watching the horrific events of September 11, 2001,” the White House said in response, without citing the allegations.

The President will pay respect to the courageous first responders who risked their lives to save their fellow citizens, commemorate those who perished at the hands of despicable terrorists, and honor their loved ones on the 25th anniversary of this terrible day.”

Instead, Trump will give a speech about 9/11 at the Pentagon.