Watch Echoes of September: A 9/11 Special TONIGHT at 7 p.m.
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, the people who lived through that morning as first responders, survivors and witnesses told WPTV the memories remain as vivid as ever.
From the rubble of Ground Zero to classrooms in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, the weight of that day continues to shape lives, careers, and communities.
Former NYPD detective: 'I did not see a Democrat. I didn't see a Republican. I saw Americans.'
Sal Van Casteren told WPTV's Kayla McDermott he was a New York City Police Department detective on September 11. His office was in 6 World Trade Center. A twist of fate kept him away from the building that morning — and he has spent the years since grappling with why.
Sept. 11, 2001, was Election Day in New York City — a detail Van Casteren said many people have forgotten.
"People forget that it was election day in New York. It was a big election," Van Casteren said.
Because of election duty, Van Casteren was assigned to Queens that morning instead of his office at 6 World Trade Center.
"That morning, instead of going to the World Trade Center, I had to go into Queens for election duty," Van Casteren said.
He first learned something was wrong when he heard a report over the police radio.
"In the early morning, when the first airplane hit, I recall hearing it over the radio," Van Casteren said. "We didn't know what was going on."
The second plane changed that.
"And then the second plane hit, and that's when we all knew something different, something bad, was going on. And that's when I made that decision — considering my office was 6 World Trade Center — that I needed to get downtown immediately," Van Casteren said. "Like so many other first responders, we went towards the situation."
When Van Casteren arrived downtown, the scale of the disaster came into focus.
"I was very concerned with who was in the building, who got out of the building, how bad is this? A lot of unknowns," he said. "Didn't realize how bad things were until I actually got downtown."
One image from that day has never left him.
"One of the lasting visions I have is the firefighters and the NYPD and Port Authority emergency service workers putting on their Scott air packs, getting all their equipment together, and going into those burning buildings," Van Casteren said. "I said to myself, that was the most amazing act of bravery I ever saw in my entire career."
He described the scene after the towers fell as unlike anything he had ever experienced.
"'Apocalyptic' is the perfect word. I've used that word myself many times. Once that second building came down and you were down there, you had absolutely no idea which end was up, which was north, which was south," Van Casteren said. "People were still constantly running. People were in a complete daze."
His office at 6 World Trade Center was destroyed when the North Tower fell.
Working at Ground Zero took devastating toll
Van Casteren was assigned to Ground Zero in the days and weeks that followed.
"We were assigned to be down there every day, and I did that willingly and graciously," he said. "I was there five, six days a week, 12 hours a day. And it didn't bother me in the least."
The work was relentless — and devastating.
"For the hours, the days, the weeks that we were searching and searching and searching, we couldn't find survivors," Van Casteren said. "Every few minutes, people were being located but they had passed on. Everybody would take a step back, be quiet, give a moment of silence while these people were removed from the rubble."
The experience took a toll he didn't fully recognize at the time. A colleague later reminded him of a moment he had no memory of it at all.
"One of my other detectives said to me, 'So, Sal, remember when we met in front of the church and we were looking for my sister for hours, and we eventually found her,'" Van Casteren said. "And I was like, 'I have absolutely no recollection.'"
He came home covered in soot every day.
"It got to a point where you felt you could never get it off you. You can't be clean anymore," Van Casteren said. "Half the time, she just threw out the clothes I came home with. Behind every strong first responder, there's a strong spouse. Without my wife, I would never have gotten through this."
Why these memories matter now
Van Casteren lost friends and colleagues on September 11 — and in the years since.
"A lot of friends, co-workers. Since then, more people have lost their lives than on that day," he said.
Five of his colleagues from ATF also died.
"Guys who I stood shoulder to shoulder with every day there, and they were young," Van Casteren said. "It was just never ending. Just saying to myself: Why?"
That question has stayed with Van Casteren.
"To this day, you still wonder why. Why were you spared? Why was I spared? Why were your parents spared?" he said. "I struggle with it. I've been told it's called survivor's guilt."
His faith has helped him find an answer.
"I go back to my faith, and I say to myself, 'God had a different plan.' Maybe one of the things in His plan is for me to be here talking to you, letting other people know we can never forget what took place that day. We can never forget the sacrifice these first responders made," Van Casteren said. "It's still very emotional. I still have those pictures vividly, constantly. They'll never pass, and they shouldn't pass."
Van Casteren said one of the things he holds onto from those weeks at Ground Zero is what he saw among the people working alongside him.
"In those days and weeks after, when I was on that pile, I did not see a Democrat. I didn't see a Republican. I didn't see an Independent," he said. "I didn't see white people, Black people. I saw Americans. We were all together. We pulled together."
The gratitude from the public was also something he said he will never forget.
"I don't think I paid for a cup of coffee or a breakfast for quite some time, and it was overwhelming, and it was very, very gratifying, and I'll never forget that either," Van Casteren said. "This was an event of epic proportion. This was the greatest example of how we live up to our oath — to do whatever we can to help and protect the people we serve."
After the attacks, Van Casteren visited his daughter's school to speak with fourth and fifth graders. He brought them a piece of the World Trade Center. The children responded with cards, posters and letters.
"I had to do everything I could not to break down," Van Casteren said.
One letter stood out above all the awards, coins, and plaques he has received over the years.
"There was one in here that struck me, because it was a little boy," Van Casteren said. "He wrote, 'Mr. Van Casteren, thank you so much. My friend Tommy's dad passed away, and he still sad every day about it.' With all these awards and coins and plaques, this is my most precious memory."
He said he hopes the memory of September 11 can serve as a reminder of what Americans are capable of when they come together.
"If there's one message I'd like to pass on today, it's this: If we could just try to get back to decency — maybe use this as a remembrance. And hopefully, we can get to some place where it's better than it is now," he said.
Retired Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief: 'Seems like yesterday'
A retired Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief is reflecting on his deployment to New York City in the hours after the attacks.
Dave Downey told WPTV's Zitlali Solache that he was working as a captain for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue when the attacks unfolded. He watched the second plane strike the World Trade Center live on television.
"Like everybody else, we were just watching it, and then you saw the second plane out of nowhere," Downey said. "You know hit the other building, and we both looked at each other. We said, 'We're under attack.'"
Within hours, Downey and Florida Task Force 1 headed north — a caravan of 14 trucks and 80,000 pounds of equipment. He was one of 80 members with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue who were deployed to NYC.
"Every year, you get a little bit farther and farther away from the incident, and but as it comes closer, you know those memories and everything comes back," Downey said.
Nothing could prepare the team for what they would find when they arrived.
"The first thing that really hit me, besides the just overall mass of it was there was nothing there but paper, there was no desks, there were no computers, there was nothing," Downey said. "And I'm like, this this was an office building, where's everything at?"
For two weeks, the team worked through the rubble, using K-9s, specialized cameras and tunneling beneath the piles, searching for signs of life. But in the middle of the searching, Downey said there was silence.
"Any time you recovered a firefighter or a police officer, everything stopped at the site," Downey said. "They would have the priests there. They would have the basket with the flag. It was amazing, because you could hear a pin drop."
The team also worked to bring closure to the families of those lost.
"Everybody in public service has a passion to help people," Downey said.
When asked what stays with him when he looks back at images from that day, Downey reflected on the weight of an ordinary morning that became anything but.
"I think of the tragedy of that day. I think all those people that got up and went to work like a regular day, and how everything changed in everybody's world that day," Downey said.
Now retired and living in Davie, Downey said those memories remain vivid.
"Twenty-five years seems like a long time, but in in some ways, it seems like yesterday," he said.
Each September, he takes time to remember.
"I'm still going to reflect on my friends that were lost," Downey said. "I'm still going to think about their families."
And through it all, he holds onto what came after.
"Think about how much stronger we are and we have done better coming out of this," Downey said.
Former NYPD officer: 'Everybody says time heals all — we're still waiting'
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, Frank Frangella still carries the memories of what he witnessed at Ground Zero.
The Martin County School District's chief of safety security was a New York City Police Department officer when terrorists struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
"It's always there and there are always little things that remind you of what happened," Frangella said from his office, surrounded by photos, statues and a book of memories honoring those lost in the attacks.
Frangella told WPTV's Ashley Glass that he was asleep after working the midnight shift when his wife woke him with news that would change his life forever.
"I was actually asleep when the first plane hit and my wife woke me up and she goes, a plane just hit the World Trade Center," Frangella said. "There was a big hole in that building and I knew right away what that was, so I just started dressing."
The weather that morning remains etched in his memory.
"The one thing I remember from that day, soon as I walked out of the house, it was the most beautiful day in the world," Frangella said. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and I'm thinking to myself driving to where I was going, how can this happen on such a beautiful day."
Initially assigned to help intake victims at a Staten Island triage area, Frangella waited for hours as no injured survivors arrived.
"No one. No injured. Nothing at all," Frangella said. "It was like what's happening, you know. We're not getting any information."
With communication systems failing, Frangella and fellow officers decided to take a boat directly to Ground Zero. What they found defied comprehension.
"By that time, both buildings were down. And I mean it looked like a war zone," Frangella said. "It was literally a pile, and it was huge."
The scale of destruction was unlike anything Frangella had ever seen.
"You figure two of the largest buildings in Manhattan, you didn't see a desk. A phone. A wire. Nothing that resembled an office building," he said. "Everything was pulverized."
What began as a rescue mission quickly became a recovery operation.
Remembering 9/11
Former NYPD officer who worked Ground Zero leads Martin County school safety
"Everybody that was down there was doing it, because they wanted to save lives," Frangella said. "And then we found out pretty quickly on that there was no lives to save, and it was a recovery mission more than anything else."
Despite their efforts, Frangella's team did not find any survivors. The emotional toll of those days followed Frangella home.
"A few weeks later, I remember sitting home and it all hit," he said. "I just started crying and I don't even know why I was crying."
The dust-covered uniforms from Ground Zero created an unexpected memorial in the Frangella household.
"We had a washing machine in the basement that she was washing all my clothing with and how many souls were in that wash," Frangella said. "So, it was almost like a shrine in my house. We never used it again after 9/11 because it was like, it just felt wrong to use it."
Today, Frangella applies his experience from that day to his role protecting Martin County's school children. He often shares his story with students, creating powerful moments of connection.
"This little girl about this big walks over to me and she says, 'Can I hug you?' When that little girl came over, there wasn't a dry eye in the house," Frangella said. "I mean everybody started crying and she just said thank you. It was the most amazing thing in the world."
Despite his role in the response efforts, Frangella has never visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
"I was there when it happened. I don't need to relive it again," he said.
Twenty-five years later, Frangella honors not just his own experience, but that of every person who responded that day.
"There are thousands upon thousands of stories. This is just mine," he said. "Everybody said that time heals all, and I know for me and everybody who was down there -- we're still waiting."
Volunteer responder now living with cancer: 'You can work through it'
Craig Sotkovsky told WPTV's Michael Hoffman he was living in downtown Jersey City, New Jersey, on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. He watched from his stoop as one of the World Trade Center towers caught fire, then walked to the Hudson River as the chaos unfolded around him.
"We walked down to the Hudson River, because we were in downtown Jersey City, and during like the pandemonium and chaos, that's when one of the towers fell," he said.
With a background in construction, Sotkovsky said he felt compelled to go to Ground Zero to help.
"I needed to get there. I was in construction my whole life, and I knew it would be better for me to be there than like regular people, because I knew my way around construction sites," he said.
The next morning, he suited up and made his way to the site.
"The next day, I got my Tyvek suit, my respirator, went down to the river," Sotkovsky said.
He spent two days working on the bucket brigade and operating heavy equipment at the site.
"I was there for two days on the bucket brigade, and I was running a Bobcat, cleaning up piles of just dust and papers," Sotkovsky said.
He described the bucket brigade as a line of volunteers passing containers filled with whatever debris they could collect — including human remains.
"There were lines of guys and girls lined up, and people would just pass a bucket and fill in whatever you could in the bucket, pass it back, and you kept moving up in a line. And then eventually it was your turn," Sotkovsky said. "It horrified me for a long time."
In the years that followed, Sotkovsky's health deteriorated. He developed pneumonia and suffered a collapsed lung. In 2017, he was diagnosed with a tumor in his lung.
Today, he lives with lung cancer, Barrett's esophagus, GERD, sleep apnea and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Despite being eligible for the World Trade Center Health Program, the federal program created to provide free medical care to 9/11 responders and survivors, Sotkovsky said the associated costs remain out of reach.
Palm Beach County
9/11 volunteer with cancer shares story 25 years later
"I'm in Mexico, because I can't afford the free health care from the World Trade Center Health Program," he told WPTV.
Sotkovsky said his situation is far from unique.
"I'm one of tens of thousands that are sick and dying," he said.
Still, Sotkovsky said he tries to stay focused on more than his illness.
"I don't concentrate on the sick part," he said.
He is now working on a documentary called "Growing Through Pain," which he describes as a cancer and mental health awareness tour.
"It took a lot of work, man, a lot of deep, dark work into who I am and who I was and the person that I've become," Sotkovsky said.
For others still struggling with the physical and emotional toll of that day, Sotkovsky had a message.
"You have devastating days, yes, you have devastating months, even years. But I'm telling you, you can work through it," Sotkovsky said. "I've been very blessed to have people in my corner helping me, and you just got to keep moving forward, man."
Boynton Beach captain honors cousin killed in the attacks
Capt. Paul Deale is the most senior officer at the Boynton Beach Police Department, with 29 years on the force. But it was only 3 and a half years into his career, in 2001, that his family's life turned upside down.
On September 11, Deale's cousin, Pamela Boyce, died inside the World Trade Center North Tower. Boyce worked for Carr Futures on the 92nd floor. American Airlines Flight 11 struck the 93rd through 99th floors.
"Because of the plane hitting and debris falling and jet fuel, stuff like that, the escape exits were blocked and she was stuck there," Deale said.
Deale told WPTV's Mike Trim, he learned of his cousin's death two weeks later.
"It was like sadness, devastation, you lose a family member. It was like, you're cold you don't know how to react. It's like you're frozen," he said.
The two grew up together in Brooklyn, where family was everything.
"We lived in Brooklyn. Everybody lived on the same street in Brooklyn," Deale said. "Family reunions, like Christmas, Thanksgiving. Her favorite holiday was Thanksgiving because you know, family."
Born and raised in New York, Deale felt compelled to return to the city after the attacks — even though, as a law enforcement officer in South Florida, he was not authorized to respond.
"I just felt that I wanted to help the people. You know what I'm saying? I'm law enforcement," he said. "For me I wasn't allowed to but I still felt in my heart that it was a good feeling to actually go up there and attempt."
Remembering 9/11
Boynton Beach captain honors cousin killed in 9/11 attacks
It was not the last time he would make the trip. Now, every year, Deale returns to the memorial with his wife and sons.
"We make a pilgrimage every year and we go to the World Trade Center. Every time we visit New York, we go right down to the memorial site," he said. "I always look for her name, I know exactly where it is and my kids put a flower in it."
The street where Deale and Boyce grew up in Brooklyn now bears her name. This summer, Deale brought a basketball team from the Boynton Beach Police Athletic League to a tournament in New York City and took them to the memorial.
For Deale, keeping Boyce's memory alive is a legacy he wants to pass down — especially to his son.
"Eventually when he gets older and he has kids he can bring them there and say, this is my dad's cousin who's a relative of mine as well and we're memorializing her name forever," Deale said. "That's the legacy I want."
'United States is way more prepared'
Political science professor Dr. Robert Rabil at Florida Atlantic University told WPTV Chief Investigative Reporter Jamie Ostroff that he was in Washington, D.C., when the attacks unfolded.
"I was sitting in my office, and then I received a call from my brother, William. William called me, and he told me, Robert, you would never know what happened," Rabil said.
Rabil said the scale and coordination of the attacks was unlike anything the country had faced.
"How big it was, how sophisticated it was really, and how they did it, and how they pulled it off," Rabil said.
He told WPTV the attacks prompted sweeping changes to how law enforcement agencies share information and work together.
"They had embedded local and state police with the FBI to work together. Of course, they had the PATRIOT Act, which allowed search warrants, which allowed again to share information easily," Rabil said. "So today, the United States is way more prepared to protect its the homeland. Now, there is no such things as 100%, but today United States is way better than before."
He said the changes extended beyond security agencies to everyday life.
"It changed somehow the daily life of us, the citizen," Rabil said. "If you want to go to the airport now you have to go through procedures."
Remembering 9/11
Port St. Lucie teacher keeps 9/11 memory alive for new generations
Teaching a generation born after 9/11
For Ayleen Charles, a teacher at Sunlight Christian Academy, the challenge is helping students understand a world they never knew.
"They're shocked when I tell them we used to be able to go to the airport, pass what would be TSA now, and actually see the airplanes take off," she said. "They don't know what it's like to be in a world that was not shaped by 9/11."
Charles said she works to make the history feel real for her students.
"I let them read firsthand accounts of voicemails that were left from people on the airplane," she said. "I want students to remember the realness of what I taught them. I want them to remember that this is not just something printed in a history book."
For Charles, the mission is personal and urgent.
"People deserved to be remembered. The people that lost their lives, because of an act of hatred," she said. "They deserved to be remembered. Their legacy deserves to be carried on."
