Three 9/11 victims have been identified almost 24 years later

Almost 24 years on from the catastrophic 9/11 attacks, officials have revealed they’ve finally identified three more victims of the September 2001 tragedy.

The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) announced on Thursday (7 August) that Ryan Fitzgerald, 26, of Floral Park, New York, and Barbara Keating, 72, of Palm Springs, California, have become the 1,651st and 1,652nd victims of the coordinated September 11 attacks to be positively identified through DNA analysis.

Fitzgerald had reportedly just found his own place in Manhattan before the terrorist attack, according to News 12. His remains were recovered in 2002, OMCE stated.

The outlet also claimed that Keating, who had survived cancer twice, was killed while flying from Logan International Airport in Boston to New York City on American Airlines Flight 11.

Two of the three 9/11 victims to be recently identified have been named (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The plane she and 91 others were travelling on deliberately crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre on the morning of 11 September, 2011, killing everyone aboard the flight, causing the deaths of hundreds more.

Another adult woman, whose name is being withheld at the request of her family, has become the 1,653rd positively identified victim, the OCME said in the announcement.

ABC News reported that Fitzgerald, Keating and the unnamed woman’s identifications are the result of ‘ongoing outreach to families for DNA reference samples’.

It’s understood that OCME has used advanced DNA technology to render the latest results possible.

The office has now identified a total of 25 people who lost their lives in 9/11, including the three that were announced on Thursday.

9/11 is considered the deadliest terrorist attack in history (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)

The newly identified remains bring the total of unidentified victims who were killed in the World Trade Centre attack down to 1,099 of 2,753.

In a statement, Chief Medical Examiner Dr Jason Graham said: “Nearly 25 years after the disaster at the World Trade Centre, our commitment to identify the missing and return them to their loved ones stands as strong as ever.

“Each new identification testifies to the promise of science and sustained outreach to families despite the passage of time. We continue this work as our way of honouring the lost.”

New York Mayor Eric Adams added: “The pain of losing a loved one in the September 11th terror attacks echoes across the decades, but with these three new identifications, we take a step forward in comforting the family members still aching from that day.

The New York Mayor and Chief Medical Examiner have since released statements (ADAM GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)

“As a former law enforcement officer who served our city on 9/11, I understand deeply the feeling of loss so many families have experienced.

“We hope the families receiving answers from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner can take solace in the city’s tireless dedication to this mission.”

Prior to the three victims identified on Thursday, John Ballantine Niven, 44, of Oyster Bay, New York, was the most recent person to be identified by the OCME.

His identification was announced in January 2024 by the office, with his remains being recovered in 2001.