Man captured footage of the World Trade Center on 9/11 after mistaking the attacks for a parade
Chelsea Connor
Featured Image Credit: X/@Morbidful
Footage shows a man mistaking the 9/11 attacks for a 'parade' before seeing the collapsing World Trade Centre.
On September 11, 2001, four planes were hijacked by terrorists who flew two into the Twin Towers in New York and one into the Pentagon - killing almost 3,000 people and injuring thousands.
With the world left in shock, there were plenty videos made as people learnt about the attacks as they happened - like this classroom going from laughing to ending up in complete silence or passengers on a plane being informed by the pilot.
However, one video shows one New York resident waking up to the horrific scene outside his window - which he initially mistaking it for a 'parade'. You can see his reaction here:
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In home video footage, which was shared on X, composer Jay Alan Zimmerman films himself as he describes what he is seeing.
"I woke up this morning and i heard a huge explosion and i thought it was thunder or something." he says.
He continued: "Then i saw all this paper flying through the air, and i thought it was a parade or something. But then i turned and i seen this.."
Zimmerman then points the camera across from his balcony and sees the World Trade Centre ablaze.
"The world trade centre is on f****g fire." he says.
His exposure to the attacks left a lasting impact on Zimmerman, as he believed they might have been a possible explanation for his hearing loss.
In a 2019 newsletter from the NYC Health Registry, the musician said: "I believe it’s related to my exposure to the 9/11 disaster, but I really don’t know.”
According to NYC Health, many survivors experienced health-related issues, such as cognitive impairment and autoimmune diseases, due to 'physical exposure' at the World Trade Center.
Zimmerman said he 'was in denial' when he gradually started losing his hearing but soon began to realise that his ears 'were only a channel that we hear through'.
"The actual listening — to the rhythm, harmony and patterns — happens in the brain." he said.
"The memory of 9/11 is fresh, even now, almost two decades later. I’m glad that something positive came out of my experience. I have a new approach to my art. No matter what happens, there will always be music."
Zimmerman's reaction - along with several others - was first shown in a 2021 ITV documentary, 9/11: Life under Attack.
Kyra and Anthony Pari were at their apartment with their newborn baby six blocks from Ground Zero when the Twin Towers were hit.
"There's dust and smoke all over the building. There's no way we can leave right now….' Anthony can be heard saying.
While another New Yorker, Andrew Einhorn, who was filming from ground, videoed the twin towers billowing with smoke, could be heard saying in the footage:
" 'I don't know what to do, where to go. The scary thing is that you just don't know if it's over… What else is going to start getting blown up?"