How a squeegee saved six men trapped on an elevator on 9/11: new docuseries
When al-Qaeda terrorists struck the World Trade Center on 9/11, six strangers found themselves trapped in an elevator in a desperate fight for survival.As the express elevator climbed to its first stop on the 67th floor, American Airlines Flight 11 plowed into the North Tower at 8:46 am, causing the elevator to shudder and free-fall down the shaft.One of the passengers pushed an emergency button, but the elevator had already plummeted 15 stories before stopping near the 50th floor.As a choking cloud of thick white smoke that smelled like chemicals began pouring into the cabin, panic wasn’t an option — it was a death sentence.So the six men — including a window cleaner and two Port Authority officials — calmly pooled their brains and their brawn.First, they worked together to open the stuck automatic metal doors with their hands.But there was no exit on the other end — just a solid wall with the number “50” stenciled on it.Then, a burst of MacGyver-level ingenuity from someone always on the outside looking in at the WTC.Window cleaner and Polish immigrant Jan Demczur quickly whipped out the brass squeegee from the bucket by his feet and began frantically pecking at layers of drywall in a circular motion.Some of the others worked in tandem, punching and kicking the drywall until there was a hole large enough for everyone to crawl out.They landed in a men’s bathroom, where they met firefighters imploring them to leave.So they rushed down 50 flights of stairs and bolted out of the North Tower at 10:23 AM.Five minutes later, the tower collapsed.Demczur reunited with two of the men — John Paczkowski and George Phoenix — as part of National Geographic’s new docuseries, “9/11 Reunited,” which premieres Aug.
21 at 8 p.m.The three-part series can also be streamed in its entirety the following day on Disney+ and Hulu.Both Paczkowski and Phoenix are filmed warmly embracing Demczur in a meet-up at a Manhattan bar, thanking him for helping save t...