Episode Details

A week before 9/11, photojournalist Eric OConnell arrived in NYC as a commercial photographer—and when the first plane hit, he didn’t hesitate. Racing toward Ground Zero, he captured harrowing moments: debris raining down, people falling from the towers, and the terrifying collapse of the South Tower—where he curled up in a corner using childhood tornado survival instincts. He emerged to photograph a lone police officer amid rubble, then chose to document the aftermath from a safer distance, rejecting the dangerous war-zone style he admired. His images eventually found homes at CNN and 60 Minutes, even helping rebuild St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. Though haunted by PTSD and never returning to the site, he says his life was irrevocably changed that day—and he still carries the weight of what he witnessed.

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