Jersey City Fire Department, New Jersey • Line of Duty Death: December 25, 2014

Veteran firefighter James Woods II, passed away suddenly on Christmas Day 2014 after running several calls on the overnight shift on December 24-25, 2014.

Woods, a Jersey City firefighter for more than a decade, was 44 years old.

He left behind his wife, Maryann, and his three children, Maegan MacKenzie, James III, and Jenna.

Woods spent hours at Ground Zero after the September 11th terrorist attack.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation paid off the family’s mortgage in July 2021 in honor of Independence Day.

Knowing that as a widow to three children, my family and I do not have to worry about ever experiencing the loss of the one constant, happy, loving, memory-filled place that keeps us connected with the life we built as a happy family with my husband, Capt. James Woods brings us such infinite peace and safety. My family and I will forever feel grateful and appreciative for this enormous and generous gift that the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has awarded us. To say how honored and humbled we are, to on top of it all, know that our mortgage has been paid off in honor of the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, on Independence day, is what feels to be a MIRACLE,” said Maryann Woods.