Pasquale Buzzeli is the only known person on 9/11 to survive the North Tower collapse while being above the 16th floor.
His survival remains one of the most incredible stories from that tragic day. Buzzeli was working on the 64th floor of the North Tower when the plane struck. Like thousands of others, he started the long walk down the stairwell. By the time he reached the 22nd floor, the entire tower collapsed.
Buzzeli was thrown into the chaos of falling steel and concrete but, almost unbelievably, he was not crushed. He lost consciousness and later woke up lying on a slab of concrete on top of the debris pile — injured but alive. Rescuers soon found him, shocked that anyone had survived such a fall.
Many have called his survival a miracle. After being pulled from the rubble, Buzzeli was rushed to the hospital. He had a broken foot, a sprained ankle, and many cuts and bruises, but he escaped the deadly injuries that claimed so many lives.
In the years following 9/11, Buzzeli struggled with survivor’s guilt and post-traumatic stress, often waking from nightmares and reliving the collapse. He has spoken about how hard it was to understand why he survived when so many others didn’t.
Despite these struggles, he rebuilt his life. Buzzeli returned to his career as a structural engineer and became a voice for remembrance and resilience. Just weeks after the attacks, he and his wife Louise welcomed a daughter, something he says gave him strength and purpose during his recovery.
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