"Not many people went through what we went through and survived. But the phone rang and he answered, then the plane hit five or six floors above us. That was a regular day for me, when I woke up in the morning I didnt feel well, but I still went to work, Capestro said. 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. Jesper arrived in style! When Capestro married her fianc Robert Vasquez last month, she asked Penman to be her wedding photographer. She said she now puts 'my best foot forward every day now because we can't let terrorists win', 'I felt like I needed to be there. }); She was there on that fateful morning when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into her office building at 8:46 a.m between floors 93 and 99. Even though she wasn't feeling her best that day, she had decided to go to work anyway. It was the photographer's first day off in a long time after he had spent months working nonstop. Want to advertise with us? Facebook. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. We didnt get to exit off the 87th floor until the second plane went into the other building, she recalled. ", Still, it was strangely hard to let go of her piece of Sept. 11 history, she says. On a sunny September morning in New York City 20 years ago, Phil Penman was getting ready to relax. And I was standing at my desk with one of my co-workers because we were going to go downstairs. 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. When she came around, she tried to leave the area and a police officer spotted her in distress and struggling to run in her high heels - which she had to put back on because of the broken glass and debris everywhere. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. On 9/11 she ran down 84 floors in the North Tower to safety, defeating all odds as others died around her. and our TikTok Introduces 60-Minute Daily Time Limit, Havana Syndrome: The Mysterious Illness Afflicting Diplomats and Intelligence Officers. "The morning of Sept. 11, I woke up, I wasn't feeling well. } catch(err) {}, 9/11 Museum Collection Grows: Survivors and victims' families donate their cherished mementos, Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance. For more information, please see our MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. Capestro told how she has 'worked on myself', read a lot of self-help books and met with a lot of other survivors over the years. The comments below have been moderated in advance. Phil Penman's iconic 9/11 photo of Joanne Capestro. or redistributed. The two have remained in touch ever since Joanne, who was 39 then, managed to escape from the 87th floor of the WTCs North Tower. Joanne Edge is on Facebook. But the family held off until visiting the museum. Joanne Vasquez. pg.acq.push(function() { "My girlfriend yells, 'Joey, Joey,' and I turned around and I saw her and I was like, 'Oh my God, what are we going to do now?'". Street photographer Phil Penman was on the ground during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Dolphins Bring Gifts to Humans After Missing Them During the Early Pandemic, Dutch Woman Breaks Track and Field Record That Had Been Unbeaten in 41 Years, Mystery of Garfield Phones Washing Up on a French Beach for 30 Years Is Finally Solved, Study Suggests Body Odor Can Reveal if a Man Is Single or Not, Man Who Was Illiterate at 18 Is Now Youngest Black Professor at Cambridge University at 37, 8-Year-Old Helps Raise Money for His Favorite Waffle House Worker To Buy a Family Car, Santa Fe High School Shooting Survivor Pays Tribute to Fallen Classmates During American Idol Audition, 11 Trailblazing Female Scientists That You Need to Know, Students Raise $270K for 80-Year-Old Custodian Who Came Out of Retirement After His Rent Went Up, Functionally Illiterate Man Teaches Himself To Read and Has BookTok Cheering Him On, Bindi Irwin Honors What Would Have Been Her Late Father Steve Irwins 61st Birthday, Heinz Wants To Buy a New Boat for a Man Who Survived a Month at Sea by Eating Ketchup, Ukrainian Wedding Planner Opens Up About Adapting to War and Still Finding Joy in Life, Dad Takes Toddler Son for a Mani-Pedi After Teacher Says Nail Polish Is Only for Girls, Mom and Son Graduate College Together After Making the Promise Almost 20 Years Ago. She is also a. Now here we are today and six weeks ago, on August 11th, he was the photographer at my wedding. 'I got down the steps to the concourse level and couldn't believe what was going on,' she said. History Channel highlights the story of Joanne Capestro, a survivor of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, who managed to escape a collapsing tower and walk all the way home with her high heels in tact. Phil is someone I'll be friends with for the rest of my life.". eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 'I would love to meet with him but I can't remember his name,' she said. gads_event = event; They proceeded to rush to a third stairwell exit which was completely empty. Friends," Penman said. It was then that he knew a plane had hit one of the twin towers. See Photos. 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. When Capestro married her fianc Robert Vasquez on August 11, she asked Penman to be her photographer. Living with survivor's guilt was not easy. 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'm happily married, have a great husband and thank God every day for him. 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 said. }); May 27, 2019 - Joanne Capestro escaped from the Twin Towers and was captured in an iconic photo. Phil Penman's iconic 9/11 photo of Joanne Capestro. Phil Penman, the photographer who captured this iconic photo of Joanne "JoJo" Capestro in 2001, took Capestro's wedding photos 17 years later. I wanted to share it with people. Capestro, who now lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, is happily married, has nine grandchildren through marriage and is still working on Wall Street in a job she finds 'very rewarding'. PressReader. 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. Six weeks ago, Penman became the photographer at Joanne's wedding. Others weren't ready earlier to part with the artifacts or wanted to view the museum before entrusting it with cherished, if wrenching, mementoes. Penman agreed with Capestro on the bond and friendship that developed between them. She felt ill but still decided to go to into work from her home in Brooklyn. 11M views, 130K likes, 60K loves, 4.5K comments, 58K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from HISTORY: On Sept. 11, 2001, Joanne Capestro arrived to her job at the May Davis Group on the 87th floor of the. Then, minutes later at 9.03am, the South Tower was struck by the second hijacked plane. The impact was so strong and the building was shaking until all of a sudden it stopped.. "You start reevaluating everything in life, what's important to you. Once there, he started capturing what was unfolding. During some point when she was trying to escape the scene, she was unknowingly captured on camera along with one of her co-workers. The pair later formally met back in 2015 at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, where Penmans photo of Capestro was on display. "I wasn't even outside 30 seconds and building tower two started to fall down on me," she said before she reunited with a co-worker, who had also managed to leave. eventAction: 'load' Penman was nearby and captured Capestro and her co-worker, Dominique Davis, as they escaped the World Trade Center. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Zebediah Smith Dr. Robert Lahita, New York City Dr. Robert Lahita traveled to Ground Zero with two paramedics. Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanityfrom the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening. She was captured in the image above on the left by photographer Phil Penman who took dozens of gripping and poignant images of the scene around the Twin Towers, Three years ago, Penman and Capestro were reunited and kept in touch and six weeks ago he served as the photographer at her dream wedding to her husband, Robert Vasquez (pictured together right). Pictured above are people covered in dust and debris fleeing the horrific scene in lower Manhattan in an image captured by Penman, Lavrov claims Russia 'trying to stop' war 'launched by Ukraine', British man arrested in Colombia with 23 kilos of cocaine in suitcase, Russian troops pound access routes to Ukraine's besieged Bakhmut, Oakeshott: 'I am not getting into a slanging match with Matt Hancock', Ukrainian city of Bakhmut 'practically encircled', says Wagner Chief, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visits Russian soldiers in Ukraine, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Judge makes damning comments before sentencing Murdaugh for life, California moves closer to paying reparations to black people, Police makes statement after shooting Utah law student dead, Stephen Bear poses for selfies as he arrives at court for sentencing, Mark Gordon arrives at Crawley Police Station after remains found. "That's how it all started and we stayed in touch for all of these years. She explained those who could escape were running for their lives. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Thats how it all started and we stayed in touch for all of these years. 'The memorial was so well-made. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Probably, nothing can ever get worse than that. Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of. That's when photographer Phil Penman captured the iconic photograph of Capestro and her friend, who are seen covered in debris, ash and dirt. She fled down 87 flights of stairsand was only just outside the building when it began to collapse. Others have added to the wallets, helmets, and other personal effects in a collection that looks at the terrorist attacks through the lens of individual lives. ga('ads.send', { At some point while trying to escape from the horrific scene, Capestro was unknowingly captured in a photo with one of her co-workers covered in dust and debris by Penman. She stored them carefully and showed them to me before donating them to the new National September 11 Memorial Museum. Three men walk past an entrance to a subway station which has a poster advertising the September 21 release of Denzel Washington's blockbuster hit movie Training Day, The heart-wrenching image above captured by Penman shows emergency personnel and civilians working alongside each other to help the injured near Ground Zero. Photographer who captured iconic image of woman on 9/11 returns to shoot her wedding. 'In the last 20 years, I have gone down to the site on around 14 of the anniversaries and I go down quite a bit all year round to be by the pools of water. The consoler in chief: Rare and candid collection of images September 11 attacks: How 9/11 will be remembered around the Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' }) The pair pictured at Capestro's wedding. She added that it was an amazing experience to have him present when she married the love of her life, Robert Vasquez. 27.4m members in the pics community. He eventually donated his picture of Joanne tothe National September 11 Memorial & Museum. "Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11" will air on MSNBC on Saturday and Sunday at 10 p.m. Legal Statement. It's a bond that can't be broken," she added. "Phil was with me on the best day of my life and the worst day of my life," Joanne Capestro told the Daily Mirror. Dark smoke pours from the North Tower while St. Paul's chapel stands in the foreground. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { Capestro said it has taken time for her to deal with the trauma of her escape from the 87th floor, running out of the tower to see 'all the jumpers, the blood all over, the dead people' before the South Tower then crashed down around her, New Yorkers stare up at the Twin Towers from the corner of West Broadway and Canal Street on 9/11 after two hijacked planes flew into the World Trade Center in New York City, 'I woke up andthought I was in heaven,' she said. She was covered in toxic dust and debris when she walked out and was photographed by Phil Penman who had grabbed his camera and rushed to the scene. Six weeks ago he was the photographer at my wedding. }) She is marking the 20th anniversary by joining fellow survivors and family members of victims at the memorial ceremony. Joanne Capestro-Vasquez. 'I saw all the jumpers, the blood all over, the dead people - and I passed out.'. Facebook gives people the power. was photographed that day covered head to toe in thick dust and debris as she fled from the World Trade Center with a coworker. Neil Matthew Dollard's relatives talked for years about donating the few possessions authorities found after the bond broker died at the trade center. ', Capestro 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, Survivors are seen arm in arm and covered head to toe in dust and rubble as they help each other escape from Ground Zero, Plumes of debris and dust billows into the air as the South Tower collapses on the morning of September 11 2001. The anniversary is something she said she looks forward to each year as 'it gives me time to go down and visit the memorial and mourn all the friends that we lost.'. 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. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { hitType: 'event', I said, 'You know what, let me go in,'" Capestro recounted on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna Friday. Because God saved me that day. Fast forward 17 years, and Capestro recently had Penman photograph her again this time for her wedding. So I said, 'Hmm, I know who's gonna film my wedding.'" Image credits: Photographs by Phil Penman and used with permission, Wildlife Photographer Shows How to Fend Off a Lion with Toilet Paper, Wedding Photo Found at Ground Zero After 9/11 Finally Returned to Owner After 13 Years, Unseen Photos of 9/11 Attacks Found in Old Photo Album, This Massive Dust Storm Was Shot from a Fleeing News Helicopter, Great Reads in Photography: September 12, 2021, Hacker Hoodie Blinds Surveillance Cameras with Infrared Light, Why AI Image Generators Cant Get Hands Right, Russian Spy Plane Destroyed Thanks to Civilian Drone, The Exposure Donut for Sony Cameras Simplifies Manual Exposure, Photographer Catches Falcon Hitching a Ride on a Goose. 'I'm so proud of myself as, 20 years ago, you wouldn't believe you're talking to the same strong woman here now. He spent much of the day taking photos of those who survived the terrorist attacks along with harrowing photos of rescue workers and civilians helping the thousands affected. Then aged 39, Capestro worked on the 87th floor of the North Tower as a sales assistant secretary for financial firm the May Davis Group. You know, we had to make face masks. Capestro, who visits the memorial in lower Manhattan every year to recognize those who died including her co-worker Harry Ramos, explained in vivid detail how she survived. But the phone rang and he answered, then the plane hit five or six floors above us. And on the best day of my life.". We had no clue what was going on.'. The fateful day has since been known as the worst domestic attack America has ever experienced. After finding the only available stairwell exit, Capestro rushed down the 87 flights of stairs, part of the way in high heels, before running out of the North Tower all within 22 minutes. It was after this that Penman snapped the portrait of Capestro barefoot and coated in toxic dust. This was the start of how they stayed in touch through the years following. var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-7775239-1"); Join Facebook to connect with Joanne Vasquez and others you may know. On Sept. 11, 2001, Joanne "JoJo" Capestro arrived to her job as an executive assistant at the May Davis Group on the 87th floor of the North Tower with a cup of take-out tea, feeling run down from a case of bronchitis. "When we're gone, it needs to be somewhere where it can be seen, where it will be safe," Fajardo said. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ Just in a picture alone.'. Now, 17 years later, the same photographer Phil Penman shot her wedding images six weeks ago. 17 years back, she was single and wasnt quite sure of marriage. Working Overtime: Do You Have An Exit Strategy? Your email address will not be published. Explore the latest videos from hashtags: #joanne_castro, #joannacastro, #canestro, #joannecorpuz . Joanne Capestro, meanwhile, was gearing up for another workday in the city. But when they see that photo, they go, 'Well, now I know what she went through.' Capestro had no idea that Penman had captured the moment, and the two only met after his work was displayed in the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Privacy Policy. 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. ga('ads.send', { "He was with me for the best day of my life and the worst day of my life," she added. The third exit we never really used so we were lucky to even find that exit. Yi-Jin Yu is an editor and reporter for TODAY Digital and leads digital coverage for Weekend TODAY on Saturday mornings. The hijacked plane had struck the tower just a few floors above - between the 93rd and 99th floors - and smoke was pouring into the offices. I love it there, it's a beautiful experience going there where I feel a sense of serenity,' she said. Today Joanne is quoted in an article by the AP. Its beautiful to note the correspondence of the two. 'A lot of survivors go there and I'm just so happy that the 9/11 family members have a place to go to mourn their loved ones and we get to see our survivor friends and it's like a big 9/11 family.'. }); Now, 17 years later, the same photographer Phil Penman shot her wedding images six weeks ago. IE 11 is not supported. Another person photographed in such a landscape was Joanne Capestro, who told the Journal that "Everything was white when I opened my eyes, I really thought I had died." Capestro was on the 87 th floor of the North Tower when the plane hit just six floors above. hitType: 'event', The horrific 9/11 attacks left an estimated 2,996 people dead and more than 6,000 others injured. 'I remember as a young girl we would go and look at the new buildings being built in the city. Joanne revealed that she did not remember Penman from the scene and did not know that he took the photo until three years ago when they were connected by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. She was able to locate theonly available staircase exit and rushed down 87 flights of stairs while in high heels. 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. ga('ads.send', { 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.. You may remember this news photo. Six weeks ago, Penman became the photographer at Joanne's wedding. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Hershey's Canada releases HER for SHE bars featuring a trans activist, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles, Do not sell or share my personal information. "Phone rings, I'm like, there's no way I'm working again today. pg.acq.push(function() { "Our building shook. 9. Capestro with Phil Penman on her wedding day (right). Now, at the museum, "I know that they're taken care of. When Capestro married her fianc Robert Vasquez on August 11, she asked Penman to be her photographer. Since they reconnected, Capestro and Penman have kept in touch, talking on the phone and meeting up often. But this meeting wasnt the last time that the photographer and Capestro would see each other. They rushed to a third stairwell that was completely empty at the moment. "); She shared that it was only until they reached the 64th floor that other people began to use the stairwell to escape. It just went to voicemail," Penman told TODAY. Capestro said she is marking the 20th anniversary by joining fellow survivors and family members of victims at the 9/11 memorial ceremony. 'I was only out of the building for about 30 seconds when the South Tower collapsed,' she said. A museum staffer recognized Capestro in the picture and helped make the connection. You can find more of his work on his website and Instagram. }); September 11, 2001, started out like any other day for Joanne Jojo Capestro but soon turned into a nightmare she can never forget. As reported by DailyMail, Joanne shared, "Phil and I stayed in touch all of these years. Pictured above is an image showing people crowding the streets of lower Manhattan while watching the scene unfold, Minutes after escaping onto the street, the North Tower completely collapsed, Capestro recalled. "I'm looking up at the tower and I'm taking these pictures," Penman said. pic.twitter.com/YTAvGncXFK. "I tell him all the time, 'I love you, Phil, you know, you gave me my life back.' Instagram . When we met, he came into my office and just looked at me and I looked at him and just started crying, Capestro said of the moment she met Penman for the first time. ", How a 9/11 photo brought two people together, Capestro recounted on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna Friday, America prepares to mark 20th anniversary of 9/11, Officer who survived WTC collapse reflects on 20th anniversary of 9/11, An oral history of 9/11, as told by kindergarteners at ground zero 20 years ago, 12 defining photos we will never forget from 9/11. What would happen immediately, in the aftermath of the North Tower falling into dust, would be the emergence of an image of a tall, mid-aged woman, feeling lucky- as expected- at having escaped the incident, walking barefoot alongside her coworker, covered completely in dust and rubble. The first time I went I found the pools of water mesmerizing. But I have to say when I turned the corner, I owe a lot of it to Phil Penman. 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'. "But once I went in there, and I saw, I said, 'My clothes belong there.' Penman spent the day taking pictures of survivors as well as pictures of rescue workers and civilians helping all those who were affected. Years later, as both Penman and Capestro were donating their work and belongings related to the terror attacks to the 9/11 museum, the two decided to meet. See Photos . Joanne was planning on going downstairs with her colleague but a phone call interrupted their plans. I had survivors' guilt and felt like "why didnt God take me? "That's where he died.". Speaking to DailyMail.com, Capestro said: 'Phil was with me on the best day of my life and the worst day of my life. She is pictured above left with Penman on her wedding day, August 11th. Penman captured Joanne Capestro and Dominique Davis after they escaped the World Trade Center following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The image, taken seconds after the collapse of the South Tower and captured by photographer Phil Penman, was among some of the most shocking pictures showing survivors helping each other escape the area around Ground Zero. Visit r/PhotoGIMPs for examples of my work, and stay a while. hitType: 'event', She is based in New York City. She explained how two out of three stairwell exits were blocked and damaged as a result of the crash. I'm a true New Yorker.'.