Fernando R. DeLeon ’01 was at a red light on the West Side Highway only a few hundred yards from the north tower when he saw the first plane approaching just seconds before it struck. He said that cars were bumping into each other as drivers took their eyes from the road, and only moments later a police officer had cordoned off the area, trapping cars in the process.

As Robbason ran to the 20th floor roof of his office building, he remembered joking once to his coworkers at BuzzMetrics that if anyone tried to blow up the towers, their office would be crushed. Now he could clearly see the gaping hole where the plane had entered the building.

“I wasn’t expecting anything more to happen,” he said.

Robbason was struck by the reems of copier paper blowing around and countless rolls of toilet paper falling like streamers. He saw what he thought were pieces of a building dropping to the ground but then realized they were people. One person trying to climb from one room into another was clinging onto the building before he lost his grip and fell.

“It didn’t seem real,” he said. “Only the people made it real.”

DeLeon also saw the dozens of bodies flying from the building. Unfortunately, he said, one hit the ground in clear view.

“It was by far the most grusome image of my life,” he said.