NYC pauses to remember 9/11 victims 23 years after terror attacks that altered the nation

NEW YORK — Today marks 23 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks that forever changed New York City and the nation. 

Nearly 3,000 people were killed when al Qaida hijackers crashed four jetliners into the twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in southwest Pennsylvania. 

On this day every morning for the past 23 years, families who lost loved ones in the worst terror attack on American soil make the solemn trek to observe the six moments of silence, hear the reading of the names, and fulfill a sacred promise to never forget. 

As years pass, more and more names are being read by children and young adults born after the attacks – as an older generation passes on the grave responsibility of remembering this day to a new generation. 

Watch the solemn remembrance at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum streaming live on CBS News New York starting at 8:25 a.m. 

9/11 moments of silence

Wednesday’s ceremony honors the 2,983 victims killed in the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, aboard Flight 93 and in the 1993 WTC bombing. 

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum opens to family members at 8:00 a.m. before the commemoration begins at 8:46 a.m.

A citywide moment of silence will be held at 8:46 a.m. to mark the moment hijacked Flight 11 struck the North Tower. A second moment of silence will be held at 9:03 a.m. to mark when hijacked Flight 175 struck the South Tower. 

Another moment of silence follows at 9:37 a.m., marking when hijacked Flight 77 struck the Pentagon.

A moment of silence will be held at 9:59 a.m. to mark when the South Tower fell, then at 10:03 a.m. to mark when hijacked Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and then at 10:28 a.m. to mark when the North Tower fell. 

The ceremony typically concludes around 12:30 p.m.

U.S. leaders expected to attend

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to be on hand for the ceremony in Lower Manhattan. Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance is also in the city to mark 9/11.

Mr. Biden and Harris both released statements, repeating the call to “never forget.”

“Never forget each of the 2,977 precious lives stolen from us when terrorists attacked our nation,” Mr. Biden wrote. “Never forget their families who still bear the grief from that searing September morning. Never forget the heroic citizens and survivors who rushed to help their fellow Americans. And never forget that when faced with evil-and an enemy that sought to tear us apart-we endured.”

“Today is a day of solemn remembrance as we mourn the souls we lost in a heinous terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. We stand in solidarity with their families and loved ones. We also honor the extraordinary heroism on display that fateful day by ordinary Americans helping their fellow Americans. We will never forget,” Harris said in her statement.

The White House says the president and vice president will also appear at the 9/11 sites in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. 

Street closures for 9/11 ceremony

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is located at the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. 

Drivers should plan for the following street closures around the area:

• Areas bounded by Barclay Street on the North; Rector Street on the South; Broadway on the East; West Street on the West (All Inclusive)
• Liberty Street between West Street and South End Avenue
• Albany Street between West Street and South End Avenue
• West Thames Street between West Street and South End Avenue
• South End Avenue between Liberty Street and West Thames Street
• Battery Place between West Thames Street and 3rd Place
• 3rd Place between Battery Place and Little West Street
• Little West Street between 3rd Place and Battery Place

This comes the same time as the United Nations General Assembly, which is also causing street closures and delays on Manhattan’s East Side. 

Christina Fan

Christina Fan joined CBS News New York as a general assignment reporter in spring of 2019.