Wow, what's key in this footage is the first 5 seconds, showing the north tower after an explosion but before a larger explosion that created the big hole that we know from the news reports.
I got off the subway at Union Square just after 9 that morning just as people were pausing to look at the initial explosion. There was a comparatively modest hole with some white smoke billowing out. It was modest enough that none of us were shrieking "OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL WE'RE UNDER ATTACK." I asked a gentlemen if he knew what happened, and he said he didn't know but assumed "some idiot" had flown into the building with a Cesna or helicopter. I watched for a couple of minutes and then headed towards my job on 5th Ave, walking up 15th St.
My view of the towers was obscured for that block, but about halfway to the corner, I heard a loud boom from downtown and people at the corners screaming. I ran the rest of the way to 5th Ave. and saw the large flaming hole with billowing black smoke that we're all familiar with.
There are versions of the Naudet Bros. film of the north tower that shows the explosion without the plane, but only embedded within larger videos about 9-11. If I can find a link to one, I"ll come back and post it here.
Wow, what's key in this footage is the first 5 seconds, showing the north tower after an explosion but before a larger explosion that created the big hole that we know from the news reports.
I got off the subway at Union Square just after 9 that morning just as people were pausing to look at the initial explosion. There was a comparatively modest hole with some white smoke billowing out. It was modest enough that none of us were shrieking "OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL WE'RE UNDER ATTACK." I asked a gentlemen if he knew what happened, and he said he didn't know but assumed "some idiot" had flown into the building with a Cesna or helicopter. I watched for a couple of minutes and then headed towards my job on 5th Ave, walking up 15th St.
My view of the towers was obscured for that block, but about halfway to the corner, I heard a loud boom from downtown and people at the corners screaming. I ran the rest of the way to 5th Ave. and saw the large flaming hole with billowing black smoke that we're all familiar with.
There are versions of the Naudet Bros. film of the north tower that shows the explosion without the plane, but only embedded within larger videos about 9-11. If I can find a link to one, I"ll come back and post it here.