Related articles and links |  1 of 6

Rivera was among the many Christian leaders who were unaware of the roles they were about to play in the aftermath of the horrific suicidal attacks by terrorists, in which more than 6,000 people are presumed to have died, the World Trade Center's towers collapsed, a Pentagon wing was devastated, and a passenger jet crashed in Pennsylvania.

Down the street from Primitive Christian, Nelson Santiago, who works as Rivera's clerical associate, was at home ironing clothes in his living room, where he has a clear view of the towers. As he mentally reviewed his to-do list for the day, he didn't notice the burning skyscraper.

On the street, Rivera's secretary knew something terrible had happened. Running into the church, she burst through the doors and shouted, "The trade tower is on fire!" Rivera thought she was joking, until he caught a glimpse of the dark smoke filtering down into the streets. They were still unaware that a Boeing 767 had crashed.

Meanwhile, Rivera's son, Matthew, 15, was on the 10th floor of the High School for Leadership and Public Service on Trinity Place. He smelled something unusual, what seemed like burning ink, which soon began to permeate the school. Santiago's son Phillip, 14, was on the floor below. Anxious family members arrived downstairs, clamoring for their children to be evacuated.

Only minutes later, at 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 hit the south tower between the 87th and 93rd floors. A red-orange fireball erupted from the building. Shards of window glass fell hundreds of feet, killing pedestrians on impact.

At street level, people began to flee, many leaving the infirm and injured behind. Hours later, a man sobbed as he shared his experience with CT: "I don't feel victorious. I saw people I couldn't help—the old, elderly people who were left in wheelchairs. Some were crying in every direction for someone to help them."

Mychal Judge, a New York City Fire Department chaplain since 1992 and a Roman Catholic priest for 40 years, was among the first to arrive on the scene. Judge began to administer last rites to a severely injured firefighter. As Judge, 68, removed his helmet, he was killed by debris falling from the airliners and the towers.

Terrified, Phillip Santiago looked up at the two towers. "I saw people drifting down, down like snowflakes," he said. "At first I thought they were debris. One guy jumped out and hit his leg on the building and started spinning like spokes on a bicycle."

next page... |  1 of 6

September (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45