21: 68th Floor

21 years ago today (on September 11, 2001) 22 year old John Cerqueira and his boss, Michael Benfante, went from the 81^st Floor down to the 68^th Floor of the North Towers of the World Trade Center after the planes hit the Towers.

(John Cerqueira on the left and Michael Benfante on the right shortly after leaving the World Trade Center carrying a Tina Hansen in a wheelchair from the 68th Floor and handing her over to the Paramedics. Moments later the Towers fell.)

On the 68^th Floor they came across a woman, Tina Hansen, in a mechanized wheelchair who needed help evacuating since the elevators weren’t working.

The 2 men transferred Tina from her mechanized wheelchair to a nearby evacuation wheelchair and started carrying her down from the 68^th Floor. It took an hour for the 2 men to carry the wheelchair and the Tina from the 68^th Floor to the outside (through thick smoke, fires and lots of people.)

They had made it down 20 Floors when the South Towers Collapsed rocking the North Towers. They quickened their pace and it down to the outside where a News Reporter took their picture (right after they handled Tina Hansen to Paramedics and moments before the North Tower fell.)

A year later John Cerueira was at Michael Benfante’s Wedding as was Tina Hansen, in her new wheelchair.