Video Camera Captured Critical Moments of 9/11

In summer 2001, brothers Gedeon and Jules Naudet were creating a documentary film about FDNY Ladder Company 1, which shares its quarters in lower Manhattan with Engine Company 7 and Battalion 1.

On 9/11, Jules was shadowing Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer and other firefighters on a routine call near the World Trade Center while Gedeon remained in the firehouse. After hearing a loud noise – the sound of Flight 11 roaring toward the North Tower – Jules captured what became rare footage of the aircraft hitting the building. He began filming people on the street as they stared at the fire in shock and horror.

Concerned about his brother, Gedeon hitched a ride to the World Trade Center. He was inside the North Tower when the South Tower collapsed, subsequently taking refuge inside a nearby fire truck.

When he ventured outside, Gedeon used the light on his camera to navigate through the thick dust. He assisted an injured man and then made his way back to the firehouse to await news of his brother, fearing that Jules had died. But two and a half hours later, the brothers were reunited.

Jules and Gedeon Naudet donated the video camera used on that day to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and Jules' camera is in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Their footage became part of a documentary titled “9/11,” which aired on CBS in 2002. A commemorative DVD by the filmmakers is on sale in the Museum store.

By Deena Farrell, 9/11 Memorial Communications Intern