Sept. 11 attacks: 16 years after, region's grief endures

Communities across North Jersey on Monday commemorated the 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. 

Ceremonies were held throughout the day as remembrances and tributes were paid to loved ones lost.

Journalists from NorthJersey.com and The Record were in the field Monday, covering ceremonies across Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Morris Counties. In addition, our staff covered services on Sunday.

Rutherford

In a ceremony called "Rutherford Remembers," residents did just that Monday evening in Lincoln Park.

Dozens took time to reflect and pay tribute to six borough residents, Ronald Breitweiser, John Crowe, Timothy Finnerty, John Griffin, Port Authority Officer Maurice Barry and Port Authority Officer Paul Laszczynski, all of whom died in the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Because they were "part of our family," Mayor Joe DeSalvo read Individual messages about each of the six residents, noting their involvement in the community as well as their accomplishments.

The multi-denominational service also featured religious figures from Mt. Ararat Baptist Church, St. Mary's Church and the First Presbyterian Church of Rutherford.

Reverend Peter Wilkinson offered hope that terrorism and cruelty would be conquered with mercy, forgiveness and love.

Rev. Michael Kreder told those in attendance to "rely on the help the Lord can give"  

"It is not a matter of forgetting, but rather being grateful for the memory of those that gave their lives in the tragic event and to understand each other as neighbors do," Rev. Ray Frazier said.

– Katie Sobko, @katesobko

Montvale

More than 200 people gathered on Memorial Drive in Montvale Monday evening to remember the lives of those that perished as a result of terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and to honor the heroes that ran toward danger on that horrific day, putting the lives of others before their own. 

Montvale first responders and governing body members were joined by Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal, Assemblyman Bob Auth, R–Old Tappan, and Freeholder Tom Sullivan for the ceremony, which took place surrounding a piece of World Trade Center steel that the borough acquired this year. 

“Let this piece of steel be a daily reminder to take nothing for granted, to appreciate our freedom, to count our blessings and to strive to help fellow humans everywhere,” Mayor Mike Ghassali said. “Let it be a reminder of the American spirit which burns in all of us – that way of life that makes this the greatest nation on earth.”

Gianna Cortazzo and her family were distinguished guests at the ceremony, which honored her father, John Cortazzo, a Port Authority police officer that became ill with blood cancer in 2005, a result of spending countless hours at Ground Zero on 9/11 and the weeks and months that followed. After a long battle, he died in 2009.

Cortazzo described her father as the strongest man she’s ever known – an active community member in Montvale with a great sense of humor that never left the house or went to bed without telling his family members that he loved them. 

“I often find myself wondering, what if the terrorist attacks never happened 16 years ago?” she said. “What if all of this has been a bad dream? Then thousands of families like mine wouldn’t be in the grieving process of someone taken away too soon. But unfortunately, it’s something we have to face every day.”

Montvale Police officers Jeff Hanna and Jason Pierri, who were New York Police Department officers on Sept. 11, 2001, were also honored during the ceremony.
Prosecutor Grewal said despite the years that have passed, it’s impossible to find adequate words of remembrance or reflection for those lost, or to express appreciation to the heroes of that day. 

“Words are not enough, but there are actions we can take,” he said. “We must continue to value and cherish the freedoms that make this country the beacon of hope that it is for so many. We must remain united and not succumb to fear and suspicion. And we must remain resilient and vigilant always.”

– Sarah Nolan, @sarnolan

Maywood

At the Ecumenical Service of Remembrance at First Presbyterian Church in Maywood, remembering 9/11 and those lost crossed generational lines.

Members of Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops raised flags and led the church in the pledge of allegiance. Others, like Mayor Adrian Febre and Assemblyman Tim Eustace, who were old enough to remember where they were when they witnessed the attacks, looked on as the new generation paid their respects.

Febre recalled that day as the day he lost his best friend, Jon Perconti, 32.

“Most of what I remember about the days following the attack is all blurred together,” said Febre. “But not the day of. I can close my eyes right now and go straight to the sights of the day. The sounds. The smells. The fear. The disbelief.”

Febre said he grew up with Perconti in Lodi, living in the same apartment building. They were college roommates for a while, Febre said. Perconti was even Febre’s best man.

“I remember that tightness I had in my stomach knowing that my best friend was trapped in a burning building 103 stories up and probably not getting out alive,” Febre said.

That day, it seemed, was a confluence of time and tragedy. Perconti was set to leave his job at the World Trade Center three days later. His wife, Tammy, was pregnant with their first child, Julia. He would never meet her.

To Eustace, who is a former town mayor, the day brought fear and uncertainty. When he heard of the attacks, he immediately thought to get his children, to brace for what was to come.

“We went and we got them and we hunkered down,” said Eustace. “Because we thought we were going to die. And we wanted to do it together.”

That fear gave way to solidarity, recalled Eustace, as neighbors came together in the days that followed.

“The days after that, everyone said ‘Hello, how are you?’ ” said Eustace. “’Hello, how are you?’ on Pleasant Avenue.”

The prevailing theme of the service was to remember and to continue to be resilient, as events such as Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma batter the country.

“Every single day is that same day,” said Eustace. “We have prevailed whenever insanity has come upon us. Tomorrow morning you have to see how people are doing in Florida. Going to Georgia. Seeing how they are in Houston.”

For Febre, the day and every anniversary since has been about preserving the memories of those lost by telling the stories to children. It was also about learning the lessons the day unearthed.

“Let us share those memories with our children so they can share them with their children,” said Febre. “And let us also share the lessons that we learned from the days following the attacks. For a few precious months, we came together and became the nation that the founders had envisioned. We were one country. One people. Americans united by a shared tragedy and by a shared faith that we would preserve, no matter what it took.”

– Rodrigo Torrejon, @rod_torrejon

Carlstadt

A crowd of nearly 100 spectators gathered at Village Green Park, the site of the Sept. 11 memorial, as Carlstadt elected officials, firefighters, EMTs and police officers paid tribute to Mychal Judge, Joseph Pycior and Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas – three individuals who died during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 

"There are observances all across the country, but I doubt there's a more fitting place than right here as you cast your eyes to the south and east, looking at the lights illuminating the sky where the Twin Towers once stood," said Reverend Donald Pitches of Carlstadt's First Presbyterian Church. "Remember where you were and how it felt like the world stop spinning for a day. We lost our sense of security and comfort but we gained strength together."

The observance is about bringing together all faiths and no faiths, Pitches said, adding that communities came together quickly in support of the families of individuals who died in all three locations.

Joseph Pycior was a 39-year-old aviation systems operator working at the Pentagon for the United States Navy. Father Mychal Judge was the Franciscan Friar who died after being struck by falling debris a the World Trade Center. He was a chaplain for the New York City Fire Department and previously led St. Joseph's Church, serving families of Carlstadt and East Rutherford. Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas was on United Flight 93 on her way back to California after attending her grandmother's funeral in Carlstadt, where she had deep ties. 

Former Carlstadt Mayor Will Roseman said he recalled the day that thousands came to Carlstadt to look over the hills at the destruction in New York City. "Carlstadt has the sad distinction of losing one individual at each location," Roseman said. "It's a constant reminder of the loss but gives us reflection on the price we pay for freedom, preserving life and liberty here and abroad."

– Kelly Nicholaides, @rovingwriter

Bergen County

Lora Rosenthal observes every anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in front of the two granite towers of Bergen County’s World Trade Center Memorial in Overpeck Park.

This year, on the 16th anniversary of the death of her husband, Robert Rosenthal, she helped read the names of the 146 other county victims for the first time.

“My comfort zone is here,” she said.

Her husband’s name came last, after words of remembrance by religious leaders and county officials.

“My high school sweetheart and husband of close to 24 years and father of my two amazing sons,” Rosenthal began.

Her sister-in-law Audrey Model finished: “No matter how much time has passed, we still feel your love and have no doubt it will ever fade.”

The ceremony, marked with wreaths and carnations for the dead, is a comforting reminder that people will never forget, Rosenthal said.

But it’s a formal acknowledgement of a loss she feels in her heart every day, she said.

The Rosenthals were high school sweethearts. Robert Rosenthal loved football and gardening and cherished spending time with his family.

He had been working as an accountant for Cantor-Fitzgerald in the North Tower for just five months when a plane struck between the 93rd and 99th floors.

His office was two floors above.

Rosenthal said she didn’t learn of her husband’s fate until she received his charred ID badge in the mail two months later. It took another four months for authorities to find and identify his remains.

Since then, Rosenthal said, she’s found strength in her community, both in her hometown of Fair Lawn and beyond.

“It warms my heart that everyone remembers,” she said. “For me, it means everything.”

— Svetlana Shkolnikova, @svetashko 

Teaneck

Angelae Wilkerson remembers the struggle to explain to her young children that two of their classmates’ parents had lost their lives in the terrorist attacks in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.

“Trying to explain to a kindergartner and a fourth-grader what happened that day was a challenge,” she said.

Wilkerson is a member of the township’s Patriotic Observance Advisory Board, and on Monday she read aloud the names of the eight Teaneck residents who lost their lives that day: Daniel Bergstein, Gregory Clark, Fanny Espinoza, George Ferguson, Jennifer Louise Fialko, Lillian Frederick, Edward Lichtschein and Mark Louis Rosenberg.

“I find some comfort in looking around and seeing that although our lives changed forever, these people have not been forgotten," she said.

About 100 township residents, firefighters and police officers gathered in front of the township municipal building early Monday to remember those who were lost on 9/11.

Marty Singer was working in downtown Manhattan on 9/11. He remembers seeing the planes hit and the towers fall from just a block away.

“It’s still so fresh in my memory,” he said. “Standing there and watching it, you couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Still, to this day, it is so emotional to me.”

Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin urged residents to honor the memory of the victims of the attacks through dedicating themselves to helping others.

“In remembrance of that day, I recommit myself to my community, to my neighbors and to my family and I ask you all to do the same,” he said “That is how we will honor the people who lost their lives that day.”

— Megan Burrow, @MegBurrow

Little Falls

Members of the Little Falls Police Department, Little Falls EMS and Township Council placed three wreaths at the 9/11 Memorial at Wilmore Road Park to honor those who were lost on that horrific day 16 years ago.

Township residents Linda Rosenbaum and Robert Cordice, an FDNY firefighter, died that day when two airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers.

Little Falls Township has held a memorial service event each year to remember those who died.

"Today is a day of reflection," said Little Falls Fire Chief Jack Sweezy.

Sweezy and other members of the fire department participated in the memorial service.

A fourth wreath was put in front of the firefighters’ monument at Wilmore Road Park Monday evening to honor Cordice.

Cordice was one of 343 firefighters who died in 9/11.

"As we go about our business tomorrow, don't forget about today," Sweezy said, urging everyone in attendance to continue working hard.

The ceremony was held at Wilmore Road Park. Members of Boy Scouts Troop 14 and local Girl Scouts participated.

Five students from Little Falls Schools No. 1 and No. 2 read poems to honor those who died.

The Passaic Valley High School Marching Band and Little Falls School No. 1 played and sang patriotic songs including God Bless the USA and America the Beautiful.

– Lindsey Kelleher, @LindseyKelleher

Englewood

As nearly 50 residents, officials and first responders gathered in front of the city's memorial to the victims of Sept. 11, 2001, they were urged to keep the memory of that day alive. 

"This is a day that cannot be erased from our memory," Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck, said during her remarks in front of the city's memorial, which features a piece of steel that points toward the site of the World Trade Center. 

While the crowds at memorials are not what they were in years past and public displays of remembrance are fewer, those who remember the attacks must teach those who don't, Mayor Frank Huttle said. 

"It remains our responsibility, particularly those with gray hair, to teach our young, those who were born after Sept. 11, to remember," he said. 

During the ceremony, Claudia Castano, whose brother, Alejandro Castano, was killed in the attacks, read the names of the city's victims alongside Shelley Kane, wife of Howard Kane, another victim of the attacks. 

While all must remember the terrorist attacks, Huttle said, that day and other large-scale tragedies, such as the hurricanes that struck Texas and Florida in the last few weeks, showed the unity of the country. 

"When there's a challenge, we all come together," Huttle said. 

— Michael W. Curley, Jr., @mwcurleyjr

Glen Rock

Glen Rock residents gathered for a candle light vigil in Veteran’s Park at the 9/11 memorial, which includes a steel beam from the north tower of the World Trade Center and ash from ground zero. The beam was gifted to the borough due to the community’s significant loss on that day, 11 residents in all.

Rev. Mark Collins of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, who was inspired to join the priesthood after experiencing the attack first hand, spoke during the memorial recalling the events of that morning.

Collins said that when his PATH train arrived at the World Trade Center, “The train’s conductor did not say, ‘walk calmly to exit. Instead, he said, ‘Run.’ ”

“I did,” Collins said. “With time, the worst of our memories fade,” he added, offering advice to attendees. “Today, we remember the best of people we lost on that day. Be swift to love, and make haste to be kind.”

As dusk settled over the sleepy commuter town, and residents poured out of NJ Transit trains pulling into the Main Line station across from the park, where Mayor Bruce Packer said he arrived home 16 years before, greeted by local police and EMTs offering water to those who had left the city after the second plane struck the Twin Towers.

He commended the city’s first responders, who resident and chair of the local 9/11 memorial committee Jon Cole had said, “Run in, when the rest of us are running out.”

Rita Wiley of Riverdale who lost her brother Daniel in the attacks, attends memorials in New York and Glen Rock each year along with her brother Paul Van Laere, who still lives in their family home in the borough.

“It’s very difficult, but we feel like we have to be here,” said Wiley, adding that she stops by the memorial year round.

”Every year you experience something different,” Van Laere said.

– Nicholas Katzban

Clifton

Standing in front of the city's 9/11 monument, which was crafted with steel from the World Trade Center towers, Fire Department Chaplain the Rev. Alan Savitt had a message of hope and unity for the dozens in attendance. 

"Out of the ashes of that clear September morning arose what the terrorists could never destroy: hope for a better future, faith in our common humanity, and pride in our country's freedoms and ideals," Savitt said.

After his short talk under a sunny, clear blue sky reminiscent of the day of the attacks in 2001, the city's fire and police chiefs took turns calling out the names of the nine residents killed that day at the World Trade Center. Each name was read and followed by the ringing of the Fire Department's bell. The small polished brass bell was struck three more times for all victims of the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Somerset County, Pennsylvania, attacks.  

"We may bend, but we will not break. We may stumble, but we will get back up. Our resilience was so strong because our defiance was so fierce," said Savitt. 

Robin Yuhas sat on the black metal bench in front of the monument with her small dog, as she has for each of the city's 9/11 ceremonies. She attends to reflect and remember her co-worker and good friend John Skala, a Port Authority officer who was killed running into one of the towers to give aid, Yuhas said. She said Skala, who was 32 when he was killed, "never got to be a husband or a father." She said he was the type of man who "helped everybody."

She said he was out and safe, but grabbed his medical bag and ran into the towers to help and was killed.

A button with Skala's photo was pinned on her shirt as she helped place flowers on the stone that bears his etched name. 

The other eight marble stones are etched with the names of the others killed that day: Francis Joseph Trombino, Ehtesham Raja, Zuhtu Ibis, Kyung “Casey” Cho, Tim Graziozo, John Grazioso, Edgar H. Emery Jr. and Edward C. Murphy. 

— Albina Sportelli, @AlbinaSportelli

Lyndhurst 

The Lilore and Calvi families stood in Lyndhurst's Town Hall Park near the 9/11 memorial, as they have every year since they lost sons in the 2001 World Trade Center attacks.

Over 100 residents and officials surrounded them as two high school students, Hailey Mayewski and Joseph Castighetti, played a somber rendition of Taps and police Capt. John Valente and assistant Fire Chief Joseph Abruscato placed a wreath for the fallen.

Lyndhurst lost residents Kenneth Grouzalis, Myoung Lee, Craig Lilore and Gino Calvi 16 years ago.

"I am so proud of this town. The community came to help my daughter-in-law and my grandson, who was only 3 months old, in the days and weeks after. I love it," said Marianne Lilore, mother of Craig.

High school band and choir students, with no memory of the events 16 years ago, provided music throughout the morning.

The students learned the importance of the ceremony before their performance.

"We took the time for reflection. I went through what I experienced and the ramifications it had on the area and overall," band director Nick Dellosa said.

Twenty-two year resident Emma Calvi, who lost her son Gino in the World Trade Center, still feels the support of the community.

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. told those assembled that he keeps two documents with him at all times: a copy of the Constitution and a list of all of the people in his district who lost their lives on Sept. 11.

"These things bind us together regardless of religion, gender or race," Pascrell said. "These people, they are the stories today."

— Katie Sobko, @katesobko

Passaic

The world has changed in 16 years, but the message delivered by Passaic's leaders during the ceremony in front of City Hall remains the same. 

Mayor Hector Lora spoke of this as "a difficult time for America," as it was then, in the days after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the crash of a hijacked plane in western Pennsylvania that left nearly 3,000 people dead. Yet it was the spirit of unity that was born of the tragedy when people put aside their differences of race, religion, ethnicity and gender that must live on, he said. 

"This is the spirit that we must honor," Lora said to about 200 people gathered on the City Hall plaza. "That we are there for each other ... we are united, and we are one, and that is the very best of us." 

Standing with the mayor were two people who were at the World Trade Center on 9/11, City Council President Gary Schaer and former Councilman Ken Lucianin. Also on hand was Sandra Grazioso, who lost two sons, Timothy and John, in the towers. 

Grazioso, who is now in her 80s, did not speak at the ceremony and bore silent witness.

Lucianin, a former Port Authority employee who was on the 62nd floor of the tower that was hit by the first plane, exhorted the crowd to "get off the sidelines" and live in the spirit of love and sacrifice that honors those who perished on 9/11. 

"Stand up and give back," Lucianin said. "That's the true spirit of 9/11." 

Schaer was not in either tower on 9/11, but was in a building nearby and escaped the carnage. One could have watched the towers fall from the second floor of City Hall, but now, 16 years later, Schaer stood on the plaza facing east and asked the crowd to embrace the moment. 

"It seems to me that that the question is not 'where were you' but 'who are you,' Schaer said. 

— Richard Cowen, @RichardCowen123

Leonia

On a sunny morning not unlike the one 16 years ago, American Legion Post 1 rang a bell 3,000 times to commemorate the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. 

A small group came to the American Legion Hall on Broad Avenue to remember that morning as Post Commander Richard Palka spoke about the shock and horror he felt as the Twin Towers fell. 

"I find it hard to think about all that I saw," he said, recalling the gray smoke and ash that flowed down the New York City streets and news coverage showing people jumping from the towers. "The horror of the towers collapsing and the large hole made by the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania and the large hole in the Pentagon will be with me forever." 

He likened the day to the Pearl Harbor attack, calling it another day in the nation's history that will live in infamy. 

He recalled the surge in patriotism after the attacks, and the American flags that were seen in the aftermath flying everywhere — but then asked where those flags were today. 

While there has been some closure and justice since the attacks, Palka said, there has not been enough, and he urged all to remember the victims of the attacks, including Leonia resident Andrew Kim, who worked in the North Tower, and to remain vigilant against any future attacks. 

"Don't let this happen again," he said.

— Michael W. Curley, Jr., @mwcurleyjr

Morris County

PARSIPPANY TWP. — New York City Firefighter and Boonton native John Fila has never forgotten the 15 "brothers" — his name for the heroes in his fire company — who all were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and whose faces he still sees on a memorial wall in his firehouse.

Fila has candidly struggled with depression over the losses and survivor's guilt at having switched shifts that day with fellow firefighter Chris Santora. Knowing how firefighters and police risk their lives each day and go to the aid of strangers, Fila said he is angered by people whose first thoughts are to film horrific events instead of stepping in to help.

Sorrow, loss and disbelief:After 16 years, Mahwah man shows collection of Ground Zero photos

N.Y.C. ceremony:Crowds thin, but 9/11 ceremony draws families to Ground Zero

Steel survives:Sixteen years after 9/11, pieces of World Trade Center live worldwide

Fila, who now lives in Greenwood Lake, N.Y., was the keynote speaker Sunday at Morris County Remembers 9/11, the 16th anniversary ceremony of the terrorist attacks that killed 3,000 people, 64 of them Morris County residents. The remembrance was held at the county's 9/11 memorial by the Morris County Public Safety Academy, and plaques bearing the 64 names of the local residents who were killed are affixed to the wall surrounding the centerpiece of three steel beams from the Twin Towers.

Now in his 19th year with the Fire Department of New York, Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9, Fila was among friends at the ceremony. He grew up with Morris County Administrator John Bonanni and county Sheriff James M. Gannon and served on the Boonton Fire Department with state Assemblyman Anthony Bucco.

Fila said the anniversary is as much a time as remembering the human losses as it is an opportunity to appreciate firefighters and emergency response workers, of which there were dozens in dress uniform at the ceremony. Fila said he often wonders what "grand plans" his deceased brothers had for their lives had Sept. 11th not happened.

Sixteen years later, Fila said, his emotions still run like a roller-coaster at times.

"I also consider myself lucky to see my daughters grow up. I am lucky to have not had to put my parents through the pain of losing a child. Every day I'm reminded of the persons that were killed that day and I try to understand what the other survivors feel. The anguish of not having them come home. Of not being able to be there for birthdays, for graduations, for weddings," he said.

— Peggy Wright, @PeggyWrightDR

Bloomfield

Around 50 local residents turned out for an annual 9/11 remembrance on the Town Green in Bloomfield Monday.

First responders laid wreaths at a memorial bearing the names of the local victims: Cesar A. Alviar, Catherine A. Nardella and Daniel Rosetti.

Bloomfield resident Christine Jinesta, was engaged to marry Rosetti, 32, who was killed while working a carpentry project on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center’s second tower.

“He was there Monday, and Tuesday was his last day,” Jinesta said. “He was just filling in for a friend who needed the time off.”

The brief ceremony included a presentation by the Bloomfield Police Department Color Guard, the singing of the “Star Spangled Banner” by the Combined Choirs of Sacred Heart Church and a speech from Mayor Michael Venezia.

Michael Sceurman, director of the Bloomfield Recreation Department, which organizes the annual observance, noted that while some parts of the remembrance have changed through the years, the turnout has remained strong.

“While we are getting bigger and bigger, we are still a very close knit community,” Sceurman said. “When one hurts we all hurt. It’s important as a community and governing body to support and give them some peace and comfort.”

– Matt Kadosh, @MattKadosh

Verona

The Verona Police Department alerted residents that blasting would take place on Sept. 11 at a neighboring North Caldwell development. The department asked citizens not be alarmed.

The focus on reducing worries demonstrates life in America after Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists crashed commercial airliners into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and, not reaching its intended target, crashed Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

“I find it hard to believe that 16 years have passed since this horrible event took place, and most of you out there had not even been born,” Mayor Kevin Ryan said Monday during the 9/11 ceremony at the Verona Civic Center.

“Sadly, the War on Terror is still being fought, and the consequences are still with us,” Ryan said. “Many young people today can’t remember a time when you didn’t have to go through a metal detector to travel, when you could go to a ballgame or concert without being searched, nor remember a time when the American military was not engaged in a conflict.”

Ryan memorialized residents William Erwin and Stephen Roach, who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. “We can only hope that by doing this ceremony, Verona has given their families and friends some degree of comfort, but we can never compensate their lost,” the mayor said.

“If the intention of the terrorists was to break the American spirit and resolve, they soon discovered that were sadly mistaken,” said Ryan, noting the bravery of the first responders, along with the passengers and crew of Flight 93.

“We will ultimately prevail if we stick to our core beliefs in democracy, tolerance, and the respect for the rights and beliefs of others,” the Verona mayor said. “Many have sacrificed their lives in defense of these core values and are continuing to do so.”

— Owen Proctor, @OwenProctor1

Harrington Park

On a somber morning on the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Mayor Paul Hoelscher, the Rev. Diane Rhodes of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and one resident gathered to remember residents who died during the incident.

Four people from Harrington Park died in the attacks — James A. O'Grady, Nancy Y. Ngo, Michael J. Simon and Christopher J. Vialonga. Their names are listed on a memorial at Highland Field on Tappan Road. Rhodes arrived with a prepared speech in the morning.

"We remember what happened in 2001. It is an important part of our history," Hoelscher said. "Most of us pledged to never forget."

As of 9:15 a.m., the formal ceremony was replaced by a moment of silence. A bigger ceremony will take place in 2021, the 20th anniversary, Hoelscher said.

— Marc Lightdale, @MarcLightdale

Glen Ridge

Thomas and Sheila Bowden walked slowly toward the black stone 9/11 memorial located near the entrance of the Glen Ridge Police Department.

Thomas Bowden placed a rose on top of the memorial for his son, Thomas Jr., who, along with six other Glen Ridge residents, died on Sept. 11, 2001. their names engraved on the memorial.

The Bowdens were among the small group who came out Monday morning for the dedication ceremony for this new 9/11 memorial. Glen Ridge’s other 9/11 memorial is at the Ridgewood Avenue Train Station.

The memorial, which also includes a piece of steel from one of the World Trade Center buildings and a waterfall, was built over a two-month period and was installed at its current location last Friday. The initials of the New York City Police Department, the New York City Fire Department and the Port Authority Police Department are also engraved on the memorial.

After the ceremony, Sheila Bowden said the new memorial is a fitting tribute to her son and the other Glen Ridge 9/11 victims: Bryan Bennett, John Candela, Robert Coll, Michael Laforte, Craig Montano, and Leah Oliver.

“This memorial is one of the most beautiful ones I’ve seen,” Sheila Bowden said. “It’s so beautifully done, and covers all the senses. And it’s so inviting.”

— Ricardo Kaulessar, @RicardoKaul

Belleville

New York City’s police commissioner during the Sept. 11 terror attacks delivered a message about emergency preparedness to about 100 people gathered for a remembrance ceremony in Belleville on Monday.

Bernard Kerik, a native of Paterson and Newark, recalled that when the second plane struck, he and others were showered with debris, and then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani emphasized the gravity of the situation.

“He grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘We’re in uncharted territory,’ ” Kerik said. “I thought he was talking about the size of the building, the magnitude of the damage.”

But Kerik said he soon realized Giuliani was referring to the terrorist nature of the attack. In the days that followed, the city’s emergency provisions were put into place, he recalled.

“Did we plan for an event like Sept. 11? No, we didn’t,” noted Kerik. “But we planned for everything else under the sun, so when it was time to respond to the towers, all those protocols and plans we had went into place.”

Officials at the Monday ceremony paid homage to the three Belleville residents killed in the attacks: Antoinette Duger, Harry Ramos and Harvey J. Gardener III.

Assemblyman Ralph R. Caputo, state Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz and Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin were among the dignitaries in attendance at the 11 a.m. ceremony, during which singers from Belleville High School performed "The Star-Spangled Banner."

On Monday, Kerik noted terrorist attacks in Orlando, Florida; San Bernardino, California; Nice, France; Brussels; Amsterdam; and London, and told the crowd the threat continues today.

“They’ll come in smaller ways, but the focus is the same: Death and destruction to anything and anyone that doesn’t believe what they believe.”

— Matt Kadosh, @MattKadosh

Nutley

The 16th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is as important as the first anniversary.

That was the sentiment expressed at Nutley’s 9/11 ceremony, which was held within the timeframe of the airliners hitting the World Trade Center.

“It seems as time passes, people tend to forget, but we’ll never forget in Nutley,” promised Public Safety Commissioner Alphonse Petracco.

“It was havoc in Nutley. We could see the smoke,” the commissioner reflected. “We can’t forget moments like that. We can all remember looking at that New York skyline.”

For Petracco, the anniversary reminds him of the sacrifices of those responding to the attacks, as well those now serving as police, EMTs and firefighters.

In the aftermath of 9/11, citizens at the Nutley Park ShopRite let first responders go first in line and thanked them for their service, Petraccorecalled.

He remembered the first responders at Ground Zero covered in dust and their health problems that followed.

“These are the guys that run into these situations when everybody is running out,” the commissioner said. “The barometer has changed. Police departments are now vilified all across the country.”

“Please, talk good about these guys and make them feel welcome,” Petracco advised.

“They get paid for not only what they do, but what they might have to do.”

— Owen Proctor, @OwenProctor1

Wanaque

John and Fran Bulaga waited patiently at Wanaque's 9/11 Memorial Park for the start of the Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony near the First Aid Squad Building. Fran had just returned from from the 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York City an hour earlier with family members.

"I go every year," she said. "It gets easier each year. I think everybody should go to New York. It's peace for me."

Sixteen years ago the Bulaga's lost their son, John "Johnny" Bulaga Jr. in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Johnny died in the north tower of the World Trade Center, where he was an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald. He worked on the 103rd floor and was 35 years old when he died. He left behind a wife, Michelle, and two daughters, Rhiannon, who was 15, and Alannah, who was 10 at the time. 

Fran places an In Memoriam with The Record and Northjersey.com every year.

"I miss him every day," she said. "The world is missing a wonderful, caring human being. People say we should be mad at the Muslims. No, we can't be mad because we can't judge those 19 people for the whole rest of the world, and he was that way too. He would defend anybody."

She said he never saw color, or race in people and that he was loved by everybody.

Fran was wearing a t-shirt with a description of "Who was Johnny?" on the back. Below the title was a description that said, among other things, "Johnny was a twinkle in an eye...a good friend to many...he was without prejudice...he had a passion for reading and enjoyed going to the movies...he was a Trekkie from the beginning, a little geekie at times and a deadhead to the end...on November 7, 1965, he became the loving son of Fran and John...on September 11, 2001 he would become known to millions..."

"He was special," she said, adding of those who died that day, "They all are special." 

The screensaver for Fran's iPhone is a photograph of Johnny standing atop tower one of the World Trade Center with the city down below him in the background. The photograph was taken on May 1, 2001, just four months before the 9/11 attacks.

"He was on top of the world," Fran said. "He always wanted to work in the city. And he said he wanted to work on top of the world."

She recalled that it was a Saturday when he sent the photograph.

"And when he sent it, he said, 'this is for people who don't believe I work on top of the world,'" Fran said. "He loved it. He loved it."

Johnny went in to work early that fateful day because he was closing on his first house that Friday, Fran recalled.

Fran and her husband John lit a candle for their son Monday along with local first responders in a moving remembrance ceremony. Fran's sister Shirley Meyers sat with the Bulagas. Local police, firefighters, and EMTs attended, along with clergymen and elected officials.

New York Police Detective Stephen Rienta, who lost friends and colleagues, gave an emotionally charged keynote address.

In a moving scene after the event, a dozen or so police officers gathered around the 9/11 memorial area for a group prayer.

"We're very grateful to the town," Fran said. The couple also attended a ceremony held Sunday at the 9/11 Memorial Park in the Haskell section of the borough.

She said the town took up a donation after 9/11 to help Johnny's wife get through, and into the house, something the family has not forgotten.

Michelle remained in the area, never remarried, and chose to raise the children, Fran said.

Rhiannon is a senior in college and will graduate in May and Alannah is a junior in high school. 

Fran said that when some of Johnny's remains were found, Michelle had them cremated and she took them to Key West, Fla., "which they loved, and she went on a boat and she dropped his ashes in the ocean with a six-pack of Samual Adams, because that's what he liked."
— Jai Agnish @JaiAgnish