New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani were among the public officials who gathered Friday at the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The annual ceremony brought together families of victims, first responders, survivors and public officials at Ground Zero, where the names of those killed on September 11, 2001 were read aloud.
The commemoration began with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., marking the moment American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Additional moments of silence followed to mark the second plane striking the South Tower, the attack on the Pentagon, the collapse of both towers and the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.
A total of 2,977 people were killed in the September 11 attacks, including hundreds of firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel who responded that morning.
This year’s ceremony carried particular significance because it marked a full quarter century since the attacks. For many families, the anniversary remains deeply personal, while for a younger generation of Americans, September 11 has increasingly become part of history rather than a lived memory.
For New Jersey, the anniversary has special weight. Hundreds of New Jersey residents were among those killed, and communities across the state continue to hold local memorials each year. Many first responders and recovery workers from New Jersey also participated in rescue and recovery operations in New York in the days and months that followed.
Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, attended the ceremony as New Jersey’s governor. Her presence reflected the close connection between New Jersey and New York in the history of September 11, particularly through the thousands of residents who commuted daily across the Hudson River and the families across the state who lost loved ones.
Mamdani, who became New York City’s first Muslim mayor, also attended the ceremony at Ground Zero. His presence was notable on a day that has shaped American political, social and security debates for 25 years, including the way Muslim communities in the United States have been viewed in the decades since the attacks.
Still, the ceremony itself remained centered on remembrance rather than politics.
Families continued the longstanding tradition of reading the names of victims one by one, often adding short personal messages about parents, children, spouses, siblings and friends who were lost.
The memorial also honored those who died years later from illnesses linked to toxic exposure at Ground Zero. Thousands of rescue, recovery and cleanup workers have developed serious health conditions associated with their work at the site after the attacks.
The September 11 attacks changed the United States in ways that continue to shape the country today — from foreign policy and national security to air travel, surveillance and public life.
But at Ground Zero, the focus remains on the people whose lives were lost.
Twenty-five years later, the names are still read aloud.
Sources: Reuters; Associated Press.
By NJ RADAR Team