PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Port St. Lucie Police Chief Leo Niemczyk was a Queens, New York, police officer when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Twenty-five years later, he is opening up about his experience until recently.
Niemczyk sat down with WPTV anchor Mike Trim at Port St. Lucie Police headquarters to share his story.
Watch report from Mike Trim
"I was assigned to the Queen South Auto larceny unit and my job at that point in my career was essentially catching car thieves," Niemczyk said.
"The morning of Sept. 11, I was completing a night shift, and I ended up responding to the Trade Center," Niemczyk said.
In the direct aftermath of the attacks, Niemczyk worked sometimes seven days a week, 12-hour shifts sifting through wreckage for survivors. But speaking publicly about that experience is something he avoided for decades.
"I spent probably 20 or so years hiding from Sept. 11. I made sure I wasn't working. I didn't turn on a television. I didn't look at a newspaper. I just pretended to stick my head in the sand. I coped that way for a long time," Niemczyk said.
Among those he was searching for was a childhood friend, New York City transit district police officer named Mark. Mark's family asked Niemczyk to relay any news from the attack site.
"I knew right away. Because what I knew about the site and what I was looking at when I was there, and if anybody wasn't already reaching out and saying, 'Hey, I'm OK,' you knew," Niemczyk said.
Niemczyk said he now feels it is important to speak openly about his work at the site, to honor all lives lost — including those who later developed health conditions from working in the aftermath.
"You're a cop and you don't think about your own well-being first. You think about the people you're trying to save and protect, right?" Niemczyk said.
Port St. Lucie has 2 World Trade Center beams on display — one at Tradition Field and one outside the MidFlorida Event Center.
