A retired police detective gave the sole-scorched boots she wore while working amid the smoking wreckage of the twin towers. It means something to somebody. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); Years later, a museum curator interested in the photo connected . Join Facebook to connect with Joanne Vasquez and others you may know. The fateful day has since been known as the worst domestic attack America has ever experienced. ', Now, 20 years on, Capestro said the horrific experience has given her 'courage and resilience to put my best foot forward every day' and 'wake up with a genuine smile on my face', For Capestro, the memorial at Ground Zero is now a positive place which she goes to spend time in around six times a year. Catalog; For You; Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland) . She was there on that fateful morning when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into her office building. Capestro said she took refuge inside a car, where she fainted again from the trauma. }); "', She added:'I felt hopeless. She is also a team leader at American Cancer Society and does real estate property management on the side 'as a hobby because I like finding people apartments'. All rights reserved. "That's the only good thing that came out of it, I think for me develop this bond. Capestro told DailyMail.com September 11 began like any other day in the city as she commuted to work at the May Davis Group offices on the 87th floor of the North Tower. Privacy Policy. The institution trod a difficult path to opening, facing delays and controversy. But this meeting wasnt the last time that the photographer and Capestro would see each other. "When we met, he came into my office and just looked at me and I looked at him and just started crying," Capestro shared referring to the first moment that they met. For Capestro,the memorial at Ground Zero is now a positive place which she goes to spend time in around five or six times a year. }); ga('ads.send', { Discover short videos related to joanne capestro on TikTok. Six weeks ago, Penman became the photographer at Joanne's wedding. Capestro arrived to work in Lower Manhattan that day feeling under the weather, but prepared to work as an executive assistant on the 87th floor of the North Tower. She explained that she didnt recall Penman at the scene and didnt know he took that photo of her until three years ago when she was connected with the photographer by staff members at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. But the phone rang and he answered, then the plane hit five or six floors above us. To his surprise, staff there immediately recognized Capestro in his image and united Penman with her three years ago. 'It started offas a beautiful day and I took a train with my girlfriend Anna and got off at Cortlandt Street and went up to the building,' she said. "The power of a still image, you don't think about it when you're a photographer," Penman said. 9. And in that regard, it may not be incorrect to say, theyve moved on from the wake of the 9/11 tragedy quite well. Then we proceeded to go down the steps and I have to be honest with you, there was nobody coming from upstairs to go. Now. The September 11th terrorist attacks left 2,996 people dead and more than 6,000 others injured in the United States. Living with survivor's guilt was not easy. 'I've accomplished a lot in the last 20 years and I'm still going strong. Joanne Capestro told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview that she 'saw my life flash in front of me three times' in the 102 minutes on September 11 2001 between the moment the first hijacked plane struck a few floors above her office in the North Tower and when the two towers had collapsed. May 27, 2019 - Joanne Capestro escaped from the Twin Towers and was captured in an iconic photo. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Capestro put it best when she said: Phil was with me on the best day of my life and the worst day of my life.. The pair pictured at Capestro's wedding. As detailed in a blog post by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Capestro rushed downstairs after she felt a jolt at 8:46 a.m., just as the first tower was hit. 27.4m members in the pics community. "That was a regular day for me when I woke up in the morning I didnt feel well, but I still went to work. Previously, JoAnne was a Case Management Coordinator at Center For Read More Contact JoAnne Capestro's Phone Number and Email Last Update 11/23/2022 7:36 PM Email j***@opco.com Engage via Email Contact Number (212) ***-**** Engage via Phone Mobile Number (***) ***-**** As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts. We are one of the worlds fastest growing 'When I got to the stairwell no one was coming down from above and we were like "Where is everybody? eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), "All of a sudden, you just start seeing like, the emergence of people kind of walking towards you," Penman said. On September 11, 2001, Capestro was working as an assistant secretary on the 87th floor of the North Tower when the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into it. Market data provided by Factset. I had survivors' guilt and felt like "why didnt God take me? hitType: 'event', The horrific 9/11 attacks left an estimated 2,996 people dead and more than 6,000 others injured. }); Capestro's story is featured in the new documentary, "Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11," a co-production of NBC News Studios and Yard 44. gads_event = event; When she eventually made it outside the building and to ground level, she ran into a friend, and the two made a dash to leave Ground Zero, just as the South Tower collapsed. Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it. Three years ago she and Penman met for the first time and stayed in contact; he volunteered to take photographs for Capestro's wedding day on August 11, 2018 She told DailyMail.com: 'Phil was. Six weeks ago he was the photographer at my wedding. },false) ", Capestro added, "I love the fact that I could call somebody up that went through what I went through, and he understands, and he's always there for me. They're just sitting here, and they depress me to look at," the now-retired detective asked herself. She told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview that she 'saw my life flash in front of me three times' that day. Joanne Capestro tells how she escaped from the Towers, walking down the right-hand side of the dark staircases as firemen climbed up the left-hand sides. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Required fields are marked *, At the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy, a few friendships were forged rather uniquely. Capestro with Phil Penman on her wedding day (right). She explained those who could escape were running for their lives. She is also a. Capestro said she 'can't believe it's been 20 years already' as she said she hopes people will remember how the city and the nation was in the days after 9/11 when people came together to help each other in their darkest hours, 'Life is short and people don't realize how short it is. "But once I went in there, and I saw, I said, 'My clothes belong there.' "It was bittersweet," Capestro said, "but it makes me feel good. Joanne Capestro (on left with a coworker) is photographed by Phil Penman on 9/11 covered head to toe in thick dust and debris seconds after the South Tower fell as she fled from the World Trade Center, Capestro, now 59, returned to the same spot two decades on to be photographed by Penman - who is now a close friend - to mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Capestro in 2021 the same area on Park Row where she was captured in the harrowing photo (left). Joanne Vasquez. (Phil Penman). "Phil was with me on the best day of my life and the worst day of my life," Capestro said. "The impact was so strong and the building was shaking until all of a sudden it stopped," she continued. You can find more of his work on his website and Instagram. Pictured above is an image Penman captured of the Twin Towers moments after the two hijacked planes hit both buildings, Capestro said it took her exactly 22 minutes to escape from the North Tower where she scrambled down the 87 flights of stairs. 'I would sit at the site and watch them dig the rubble - thats how traumatized I was,' she told DailyMail.com. "I feel like I'm giving back. 'I would love to meet with him but I can't remember his name,' she said. September 11, 2001 began as any other day for Joanne Jojo Capestro. Daily Mail Interestingly, the very same man who'd taken her photo back then captured her once again on the lens. Address:***** Ainslie St, Brooklyn, NY. "When we're gone, it needs to be somewhere where it can be seen, where it will be safe," Fajardo said. Afterward, she donated everything she had on that day, including the heels, to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which History Channel says it is helping to support. When we met, he came into my office and just looked at me and I looked at him and just started crying, she said. Capestro, then 39,was photographed that day covered head to toe in thick dust and debris as she fled from the World Trade Center with a coworker. Woman seen in iconic 9/11 photo gets the same photographer to shoot her wedding 17 years later. She is marking the 20th anniversary by joining fellow survivors and family members of victims at the memorial ceremony. We had no clue what was going on.'. The fateful day has since been known as the worst domestic attack America has ever experienced. Phil was with me on the best day of my life, she said, and the worst day of my life., 10 Street Photographers Who Are Immortalizing Our Modern World, Interview: Dynamic Street Shots Document the Quirky Everyday Scenes of New York City, Street Photographer Captures Candid Photos of New York From 1969 to 2006. hitType: 'event', and our "That's how it all started and we stayed in touch for all of these years. During some point when she was trying to escape the scene, she was unknowingly captured on camera along with one of her co-workers. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. eventAction: 'load' 'I saw my life in front of me three times that day.