The Falling Man

Associated Press
Company type	News agency
Industry	News media, Photography
Founded	1846
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Key people	Richard Drew (photographer)
Products	News photography, news reports
Website	apnews.com

The Falling Man is a striking photograph captured by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew, depicting an unidentified individual descending from the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks in New York City. This man was trapped on the upper floors of the North Tower. It remains uncertain whether his fall was accidental or a deliberate leap to evade fire and smoke. The image was taken precisely at 9:41:15 A.M.

When published on September 12, 2001, the photograph sparked significant controversy worldwide, with many viewers labeling it as unsettling and morbid. Nonetheless, as time passed, the image has been acknowledged for its poignant portrayal of human tragedy. Elton John, who added the photograph to his private collection, referred to it as "the most beautiful image of something so tragic."

A 2016 retrospective by Time highlighted that although the man's identity has never been confirmed, he is thought to have been employed at the Windows on the World restaurant located at the top of the North Tower. The photo’s importance lies more in its symbolic value as an emblematic Unknown Soldier of a complex conflict rather than in identifying the individual, securing its place in history.

Background

On September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes. Two of these planes—American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175—were deliberately flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. This attack resulted in over 1,300 people being killed or trapped above the 91st floor of the North Tower and more than 600 above the 76th floor of the South Tower.

That morning, witnesses observed approximately 200 individuals falling from the upper stories of the burning towers, predominantly from the North Tower where more occupants were confined within fewer floors. The majority of these falls were intentional acts to escape smoke, flames, and temperatures exceeding 2,000°F. A smaller portion fell accidentally or while attempting to reach lower levels. Due to hazardous ground conditions prior to the towers’ collapse, recovery or identification of remains was not possible. The New York City medical examiner classified all fatalities related to 9/11 as homicide, clarifying that those who fell were forced out by smoke and fire rather than by choice.

Photographer Richard Drew was assigned by the Associated Press when he received news of the attacks. He proceeded to a subway station near the World Trade Center and took a series of images known collectively as The Falling Man at West and Vesey Streets. Drew captured eight consecutive frames after hearing sounds consistent with people hitting the ground and documented multiple sequences before departing due to the South Tower’s collapse.

The individual depicted fell from the south side of the North Tower’s west face. In the photograph, the North Tower appears on the left while the South Tower is visible on the right. Although he seems to be falling straight down in this image, a sequence of photos reveals that he was actually tumbling through midair.

Publication history

The photograph made its debut worldwide in newspapers on September 12, 2001, including appearing on page seven of The New York Times, accompanied by a caption describing a person falling headfirst from the North Tower following the plane impact. After receiving criticism, The New York Times published it only once initially. More than five years later, it resurfaced prominently on page one of The New York Times Book Review dated May 27, 2007.

Identification

The true identity of the individual remains uncertain due to the numerous people trapped during the event, despite multiple efforts to establish who he was.

Norberto Hernandez

Peter Cheney, a Canadian reporter for The Globe and Mail, proposed that the man could be Norberto Hernandez, a pastry chef employed at Windows on the World located on the North Tower’s 106th floor. Initially, Hernandez’s sister concurred and invited Cheney to attend the funeral. However, Hernandez’s daughters firmly rejected this identification and opposed Cheney's inquiry. Although family members expressed objections—partly influenced by Catholic perspectives on suicide—Cheney proceeded to publish his article, which caused distress to Hernandez’s widow and daughters.

Subsequently, American journalist Tom Junod examined a series of twelve photographs taken by Richard Drew, which had not been reviewed by Cheney. Junod observed that the man depicted had darker skin and wore casual attire that did not match Hernandez’s clothing. After presenting these images to Hernandez’s relatives, they confidently dismissed the possibility that he was the individual pictured, noting discrepancies in attire compared to what Hernandez had worn that morning.

Jonathan Briley

Responding to a plea from Hernandez’s widow to “clear [her] husband’s name,” Junod authored an article entitled "The Falling Man," published in Esquire in September 2003. This article, later adapted into a documentary, identified the falling figure as Jonathan Briley, a 43-year-old sound engineer employed at Windows on the World. Briley, who suffered from asthma, would have been aware of the peril as smoke engulfed the restaurant. His brother Timothy was among the first to recognize him, and Michael Lomonaco, the restaurant’s executive chef, supported this identification based on Briley’s build and clothing. One photograph revealed the man’s jacket partially open to show an orange t-shirt resembling one Briley frequently wore. His sister Gwendolyn also believed the man was Jonathan, noting a strong resemblance. Briley’s remains were recovered shortly after 9/11. He was also the sibling of Alex Briley, a member of the band Village People.

Other uses

9/11: The Falling Man is a 2006 documentary directed by American filmmaker Henry Singer with cinematography by Richard Numeroff. It draws inspiration from Junod’s Esquire article and photographs by Lyle Owerko. The film debuted on British Channel 4 in March 2006 and has been broadcast in over 30 countries, including North American premieres on Canada’s CBC Newsworld and the U.S. Discovery Times Channel.

Don DeLillo’s novel Falling Man revolves around the events of September 11. The “falling man” in the story is a performance artist who imitates the pose seen in the photograph; interestingly, DeLillo was unaware of the photo’s title when naming his book.

In July 2022, GameStop generated controversy by listing an NFT titled Falling Man on its platform. The digital artwork depicted an astronaut descending in a pose reminiscent of Drew’s photograph and included a description referring to the 1997 Spektr satellite crash. This NFT was later removed from sale.

The joint album When No Birds Sang by Nothing and Full of Hell takes partial creative influence from The Falling Man.

External links

NPR interview with Esquire writer Tom Junod, August 21, 2003