Peter Bitwinski

Peter Bitwinski is a survivor of both the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

On 9/11, Bitwinski worked on the 69th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Having arrived at his office at around 8:15 AM, Bitwinski recalls it being a beautiful morning. He recalls being at his desk when he felt the plane hit from behind him. From the impact of the hit, the building was violently swaying back and forth, inhibiting Bitwinski from taking immediate action. It took about two minutes for the swaying to stop – and he recalls it being the longest two minutes of his life.

Ready to evacuate, Bitwinski made his way over to his colleague, John Abruzzo, who is handicapped, determined to help him evacuate. After the 1993 bombing, one of the improvements and accommodations that the World Trade Center made was providing evacuation chairs to those who may need one. Bitwinski asked Abruzzo where his evacuation chair was and he and other colleagues assisted in evacuating not only themselves, but Abruzzo as well.

As Bitwinski and his colleagues began descending down the staircase and reaching the floors in the 30s, they began to encounter firefighters and building operators ascending the staircase. Seeing how difficult it was for them to embark on something that he was sure they had never experienced before as firefighters, Bitwinski recalls how much appreciation and respect he gained for all first responders that day.

Upon reaching the 21st floor, they were asked to exit the staircase to allow the firefighters to bring equipment up the stairs. They were there for about five minutes when the building began to shake profusely – again. They later learned that the shaking was from the collapse of the South Tower. Unbeknownst to Bitwinski, the South Tower had been hit by a plane before it collapsed. When he and his colleagues reached the 10th floor, he recalls hearing screams from above them that they needed to get moving, with the thought that if the South Tower was down, the North Tower would be next.

At around 10:15 AM, about an hour-and-a-half after the first plane hit, Bitwinski and his colleagues finally reached the lobby of the building and evacuated to the street. Bitwinski recalls how shocked he was to find that there was nobody around. He compared it to his evacuation in 1993 as he recalled many emergency vehicles and first responders around. At this time, he still had not known that the South Tower had collapsed, which was the reason for the lack of people. Bitwinski recalls seeing a lot of smoke and haze, as well as what he thought was debris falling. However, he quickly realized that it was not debris, it was people deciding their own fates and jumping from the higher floors of the North Tower. It was a very impactful moment for Bitwinski when he realized that those people were just like him; workers who went to work that day.

Bitwinski recalls moving forward on West Street with his colleagues when about five minutes later, the ground began to shake. He looked up to see a giant dust cloud approaching them. Desperate to get themselves and Abruzzo to safety, they entered a school building and closed the doors behind them. He recalls looking through the window of the door, watching as the surroundings became greyer and greyer, until finally everything outside went black. They later learned that the dust cloud was from the collapse of their tower, the North Tower. In less than two hours, the events unfolded and nearly 3000 people were gone.

In the years following, Bitwinski spent time reflecting on his experiences during both the 1993 bombing and on 9/11. He wondered why he was still alive when so many families were left without husbands, wives, sons, and daughters. He realizes how fortunate he is. “Never Forget” is practically his motto. He believes it is important to never forget what occurred on September 11, 2001 because there are many families, friends, and others who are living without their loved ones. They deserve to be remembered. The tragedy did not end on 9/11, there are still people suffering and dying with 9/11-related illnesses. The world should remember all of them.