For many witnesses, shocked and confused by the scene in front of them, seeing the second plane flying toward the south tower clarified the situation—this was no accident.

“At that point I realized that it was a terrorist act,” Carr said. “It was crazy. It was like being under attack. I didn’t know when it would stop, how many more planes were in the air.”

On The Run

After the second plane crashed, Robbason left the building and headed east for safer ground. Four blocks from the towers, he saw a scattering of bricks and the remnants of what appeared to be an engine that had separated from the fusilage of one plane and hit a building at the corner of Church St. and Warren St.

He and a few friends feared seeking refuge in midtown, concerned that the Empire State Building would be the next target. At that point they had heard rumors that other planes were airborne.

Eventually, they walked to 90th Street, almost 110 blocks away.

DeLeon was on crutches from surgery only a week before and tried to shield himself from the masses that were escaping down city streets.

“I was scared that people would run over me,” he said. “Everyone was looking up at the buildings.”