When he got a job that required him to ride in both of those, his family never stopped teasing him. She’s an American hero.” 3 Officer Kenneth TietjenĪs a boy, Officer Tietjen was scared of two things: police cars and fire trucks. She had an incredible desire to help people. Mayor Rudy Guiliani said of Captain Mazza: “She was a trailblazer with a career that was truly unique. Mazza was last seen with Lt Robert Cirri, carrying a woman down the steps, when the tower collapsed. Mazza drew her weapon and shot out the glass, allowing many people to escape the building. Mazza saw a bottleneck of people trying to escape through the revolving doors at the north tower and noticed they were unable to do so because of the hysteria. And just like so many others, Captain Mazza and her collegues responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Then it collapsed.Ĭaptain Mazza was the first female commanding officer at the Port Authority Police Academy. The last anyone saw of Perry was as he ran into the south tower. Before running into the building, Officer Perry helped a woman who fainted. After hearing about the attacks, Perry ran several blocks to the World Trade Center.
On the morning of September 11th, Officer Perry was filing his retirement papers at the precinct so that he could become a medical malpractice lawyer. He also ran in marathons and was an extra in Woody Allen films. He was fluent in four different languages and was learning a fifth. Officer Perry was not your typical Police officer. During the 2001 attack, Nelson was killed while evacuating people from the 27th floor after refusing to leave the building and the people who were still trapped inside. Nelson enrolled in the Port Authority Police academy in 1984, and was part of the rescue efforts in the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. Officer Nelson liked to say, “When I go out of this world, I want to know I made a difference.” On the morning of September 11th, he did just that. After the picture was taken Officer Suarez raced back into the second tower, which then collapsed. Officer Suarez’s photo was later published in a paper that showed him outside the World Trade Center rescuing a distraught woman. On the morning of September 11th, he heard the calls for help and responded by commadeering a taxi and racing to the scene. Officer Suarez was a physical fitness guru who also coached his daughter’s elementary track team. Tapes that recorded his voice were later found, revealing that Leahy’s last words to his partner were that there were more people upstairs and he was going to help them. Even though Leahy did not have to be there that day, he was seen carrying oxygen tanks into the building. At 9:35 that morning, Leahy’s wife recieved a voicemail from him saying that he was ok and in the building.
James married and had children, coaching their football team and never missing a little league game. Leahy had a tough upbringing his father was murdered when he was just 13 years old, leaving him the head of the family.
James was a member of the New York Police Department on the day the towers were hit. Our deepest condolelences go out to the not only the officers on this list, but to the families of all the officers who gave their lives that day. After researching the officers who died that day, we assembled this list of officers whose selfless acts saved lives that fateful day, and reminded us all what a hero truly is. It is difficult to select just ten Police officers who performed extreme acts of heroism and bravery when our nation was attacked on September 11th.