The remains of three of the victims who perished in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City have been identified, nearly 24 years after the attacks that brought down the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, officials announced today (Thursday).
The victims were identified as Ryan Fitzgerald, a resident of Floral Park, and California resident Barbara Keating. The family of the third victim did not wish for her name to be publicized. They are the 1,651st, 1,652nd, and 1,653rd victims to be positively identified.
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner stated that advanced new DNA techniques were used in the identification process, allowing the latest victims to be identified after nearly a quarter century.
Newsday reported that Fitzgerald, who was 26, worked for Fiduciary Trust International in the south tower of the World Trade Center, a job he had recently started. After the first plane struck the north tower, he called his family to tell them he was fine and was leaving his office. He was killed when the second plane struck his tower, leading to its complete collapse. His remains were found in 2002 and identified 23 years later.
Keating, who was 72, was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane that was hijacked that morning. She and all other passengers on board were killed instantly when the aircraft struck the north tower. Her remains were found in 2011 and identified 14 years later.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement: “The pain of losing a loved one in the September 11th terror attacks echoes across the decades, but with these three new identifications, we take a step forward in comforting the family members still aching from that day."