Window cleaner trapped inside 9/11 tower used astonishing method to escape and save two men's lives
A window cleaner who was trapped inside an elevator during the 9/11 attacks has been reunited with two of the men whose lives he saved, 25 years later.
Jan Demczur, John Paczkowski and George Pheonix, reunited 25 years after sharing a harrowing experience of being trapped in an elevator during the 9/11 attacks together, in the National Geographic documentary, 9/11 Reunited.
In the documentary, survivors John and George who worked on the 67th and 74th floor of the North Tower, in New York, recalled meeting each other in an elevator, which at first, seemed like a normal fall day. As the doors were closing, window cleaner Jan rushed in, with a bucket and squeegee - which later, would save the mens lives.
The men then got to the 65th floor, where their lives would change forever. At this moment, they heard a bang, and the elevators started to fall. Unbeknownst to them at that moment, it was a plane hitting the tower.
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Outside, people were running for their lives, but inside, the men were trapped.
"Everything was pretty calm initially, but then smoke started to come into the elevator," George said.
There were no openings, but the men managed to pry the door open, where they saw nothing but a wall, with the number 50 chalked on. It was here that they realized they had fallen 15 floors down.
As everyone started to panic, window cleaner Jan took the squeegee out of his pocket, removed the blade and 'began frantically pecking at the wall'.
"It was a dangerous proposition because you didn't know if the elevator was going to stay where it was," John said. "We felt the impact on the South Tower while we were in the elevator, it shook the North Tower enough."
The men, who were 'freaking out' continued to take turns to try and break down the wall, and were making progress, until devastatingly, the blade fell through a gap, causing their 'hearts to sink'.
Luckily, Jan realized he still had the handle, and was determined to break free.
"We just stood there, astonished," George said.
"It was remarkable," John added. "This gentleman who I would see on a daily basis, his demener was the calmest out of most of us, although I'm sure he was just as frightened as we were," John added.
Then, Jan managed to make a hole, leaving the men, who could feel air coming through, 'ecstatic'.
George began to kick, and the men managed to break the wall - quickly realizing they were in the men's room on the 50th floor.
They then found firefighters at the stairwell, and that's when they found out planes had crashed into the World Trade Centre.
"One of the things that still sticks in my mind is the concern on the firefighters faces as they walked past us," John said. "I'm sure that many of them who passed us didn't make it out. Their faces haunt me quite a bit."
It's been 25 years since the men, who escaped the North Tower five minutes before it collapsed, have seen each other. Now, they've reunited for the documentary.
"Without Jan, we wouldn't be talking right now," George said. "Three seconds could have changed everything."
Towards the end of the first episode, the three shared an emotional embrace as they reunited, with John telling Jan they 'wouldn't be here' if it wasn't for him.
Kiesha Dosanjh