Sister of 9/11 ‘Falling Man’ speaks out on haunting photo that became symbol of the tragic day
Today marks 25 years since the devastating 9/11 attacks, and some photographs of the fateful day are still etched into people’s minds.
Almost 3,000 people died on 11 September 2001, when planes hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists purposely crashed into New York City’s World Trade Centre Twin Towers.
One of the most widely shared and haunting images shows a man falling through the air past hundreds of stories in the Twin Towers.
Known as the ‘Falling Man,’ the photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew went on to represent the horror that unfolded that day and the lives that were lost.
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It was published in newspapers across the world, as attempts to discover the man’s identity back.
Years after the attack, it was reported by Esquire Magazine’s Tom Junod that the ‘Falling Man’ was believed to be 43-year-old Jonathan Briley, a sound engineer who worked in the North Tower.
He worked at the Windows of the World restaurant on the 106th and 107th floors of the building - his height and build matched the man in the photo, and another shot showed his shirt blowing open to reveal a distinctive orange T-shirt.
25 years on, Jonathan’s sister, Gwen Briley-Strand, 72, told the Daily Mail that she watches the anniversary coverage of 9/11 every year.
However, although she has seen the ‘Falling Man’ photograph, she chooses not to look at it anymore.
Gwen told the publication: “The photograph brought so much pain to so many people when they were trying to figure out who this person was.
“I remember hearing about a family who were deeply religious and, with Catholicism, this man that jumped, that's suicide, and that's the unforgivable sin.”
She continued: “I don't believe in an unforgivable sin. God is too benevolent. He's too wonderful. I think the only unforgivable sin is not to believe in Him.”
She said she had been 'very hurt' by the photograph but has never 'fixated' on who it was.
Gwen added: "It gave some comfort to other families that felt, if it was their loved one, they were damned and there was no hope. It helped them to think it was someone else. Truth be told, it did look like him."
She added: “I believe that all those individuals that jumped were caught. Their spirits were caught.”
Jonathan’s sister recalled how he had asthma and would have been quickly affected by the smoke.
As reported by Metro, she previously told Esquire that he would have done ‘anything’ to breathe and escape the smoke and heat,
In the end, she explained that the identity of the ‘Falling Man didn’t really matter and ‘he was a representative of all of those almost 3,000 people that had to go through that horrific day of September 11’.
The subject of the photograph has never been officially confirmed, and other names have also cropped up over the years.
“There are times when it feels like 25 years but, then again, there are times when it feels like yesterday,' she told the outlet. “It's a wave of grief. Some years are better than others.”
Madison Burgess