FOX 5 NY's first reporting of the 9/11 attacks

Warning, the following video has content some viewers may find disturbing. September 11, 2001 changed our country forever. Today we look back to when Good Day New York began reporting on the attacks before realizing what was happening. The following live report begins at 8 48 a.m. just two minutes after the first plane struck the north tower of the World Trade Center. Crashed? Jim, just a few moments ago something believed to be a plane crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. I just saw flames inside. You can see the smoke coming out of the of the tower. We have no idea what it was. It was a tremendous boom just a few moments ago. You can hear around me emergency vehicles heading towards the scene. Now this could have been an aircraft or it could have been something internal. It appears to be something coming from the outside due to the nature of the opening on about the hundredth floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center. Police vehicles and fire vehicles are zipping by me here. We just have no idea. So to the south of the tower we see some particles and also some gray smoke. Now the smoke coming out of the opening appears to be black smoke. This would indicate things are burning inside. We have no idea of what happened but we did hear what sounded like it sounded like an aircraft and then a tremendous boom. Now I don't know whether we could confirm that that was an aircraft or not. David what did you hear? What did what would you say you heard? This is our cameraman Dave Stolich. Incredible explosion very very loud. How about you? It sounded like a bomb. Well it could be it could be something internal as well. There are there are pieces of the superstructure of the of the World Trade Center sticking out but a lot going in. As I say this appears to be the about the 100th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center. I hope we can get some further information from the newsroom up there Jim. Ollie I'm just told also that our transmitter which is on top of the World Trade Center also took a hit so we were briefly affected up here. One's memory has to go back to the other another terrorist attack. One would hope it is not this time but if it were a plane that crashed into the side of the building you would imagine that there would be something on the ground that would be visible. That's true Jim. I cannot see the ground from here. You recall back in I believe was 1945 when a U.S. Air Force plane crashed into the about the 80th 70th or 80th floor of the Empire State Building during a foggy night. This is the skies here as you can see are perfectly clear. So I'm starting to lean to the idea that perhaps this whatever happened here came from the inside of the World Trade Center. Yeah that of course that incident back there in the 40s in the offices of Catholic Charities up in 80th floor of the Empire State Building. This of course the new tallest building in town. Now obviously on the north tower of the World Trade Center something has either crashed into the World Trade Center. I'm just told that the metro traffic is reporting that it was indeed a plane crash. If that's the case where's the plane? I would ask. I don't see it in that live picture there and one's thoughts obviously go back to a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center that created havoc there back in the early 90s. Ollie any new developments that you can see from your vantage point? You can't see flames now. There is a fire going on on that at that site. We don't know. Are you saying that shadow traffic is saying something about a plane? Shadow traffic is telling us that it was indeed a plane crash. Metro traffic I'm sorry. Metro traffic is telling us that it was indeed a plane crash. Now I understand that you are over by City Hall having been reporting on the political developments. Now you are a good what eight, nine, ten blocks away from the scene right now? At least Jim. We're at Park Row and of course the World Trade Center is at least six or seven blocks away from us. I do see more flame now. Okay you can see because we cannot see flame. We see lots of black smoke but we can't see flame. Here's a Ollie if you have a monitor there I don't know whether you do or not but there is another picture in which we do see flame. Right. And we see a gaping hole in the exterior of the north tower of the World Trade Center with smoke. Go ahead. That's the south side of the north tower of the World Trade Center. If this indeed was an aircraft and this has not been confirmed it was heading south over Manhattan and I did hear some kind of a screech or some kind of a wail before a tremendous boom. So I first thought it was a plane then I looked at what was going on here and sort of perhaps it was internal rather than external but we'll have to wait for official confirmation on that. Emergency vehicles as you know Jim are really pouring onto the scene. Sure we can hear them in the background as you're reporting to us. Now once again what time was it if you can recall Ollie when this took place? We were right into the commercial break and it was about a minute and a half before we came on Jim so work it out. All right Ollie now I'm told by the control room that we're obviously trying to talk to people in that neighborhood who have may have been a little closer to it than you are Ollie. Do we have any people to talk to? Sure we've got some people here walking away. Excuse me sir did you see what happened? All right did you see anything hit the building or did it come from the building? That's the boom I think so. Something hit the building? Yeah. All right thank you. All right we got some other people they're all rushing away from the site. John Blandon especially that fellow with his with a little girl in his arms. Did you see what happened sir? Did you see what happened? What happened? Well I was in the PATH train and there was a huge explosion sound everyone came out. A large section of the building is blown out around like the 80th floor. Was it hit by something or was it something inside? It was inside because it looked everything was coming out. All the windows were coming out all the papers. What is on the sidewalk? I didn't see anything. Are there any people hurt do you know? I just ran and everyone in the PATH train just ran I don't know if anyone was hurt but I assume they were because the windows were all blown out. All right thank you. Ollie you would have to assume a very very terrible situation if that is the case because I'm sure there were people there were people up there in that there were people up there in that the World Trade Center. Now we have lost again our transmitter is on top of the World Trade Center so we apparently have consequently lost contact with Dick Oliver but we are on the on the phone with an eyewitness. Rosa can you hear me? Is Rosa there? Hello? Rosa? Yes. This is Jim Ryan here in the studio. Hi. What is your last name please? Cardona Rivera. Oh Cardona. Rosa Cardona Rivera tell us what you saw and heard if you would please. Okay I'm at 99 Hudson Street. I was standing outside actually at the side of the building smoking a cigarette and I hear a plane and I don't usually see planes in this area then all of a sudden I saw it go right into the to the World Trade Center to the building. So you saw a plane crash into the side of the World Trade Center? Yes sir. And I'm like on the 14th floor so I was just like looking out you know because there's like a fire some like fire staircase or something you know just like a little balcony and I saw it go right into the building and I was like oh my god you know and I have now you know it was a big plane it wasn't you know a little plane it fairly big. How big can you tell us give us an idea? I don't know I would say it's like a plane that I board on to go to well. So this wasn't just a a small Piper Cub or something that that had gone the wrong way and of course we would the weather I take it where you are is just about picture perfect. Picture perfect yes it's very clear outside. So there would be the suspicion then that anybody who would drive a plane smack into the middle of the World Trade Center would have done it on purpose? It would it would seem that either that or they lost control but I can't see something like that I mean it was like right into the building so you know it was coming low you know because if I went to see a plane that was going high and then all right but this was coming low it's very visible. Can you see the streets below the World Trade Center? No I cannot because I'm on Hudson Street. You're in Hudson? Yeah I'm on Hudson Street in Franklin. So you say you were out there grabbing a smoke when it happened? Right. What what do the other people do when when they heard the noise? Well there was nobody I'm up on the 14th floor. Oh you were on the 14th floor I see. So I'm not street level I was up on the 14th floor and I was just like looking out you know looking out you know just watching the scenery and when I saw the plane. All right Rosa thank you very much talking with eyewitness Rosa Cardona Rivera on the 14th floor of a building very close to the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan and once again Dick Oliver was on the scene down at City Hall reporting to us. However our transmitter is located on top of the World Trade Center building so that apparently caused our picture from that that remote to to just go out on us but once again yes. I was just saying I can imagine what the people there must be going through given what happened there a decade ago. Yes Dave? Well a couple of things number one if it indeed was a plane the FAA or the control towers at one of the three major airports should have record of what's in the area. Sometimes they do vector planes around the southern tip of Manhattan. We might want to get a hold of Nick Gregory who's a certified pilot and again flies through the area pretty regularly. Number two even though planes typically are not that close to these buildings with the possibility of anything from engine failure to hydraulic failure you lose control of your ability to control aircraft. You can see right now probably police helicopters hovering right around the towers but again wind speeds at this point not tremendous at all. Flying conditions near perfect and of course they would have to under ordinary circumstances have filed some sort of a flight plan. If it were a plane that and it apparently according to the lady we spoke to eyewitness just a few moments ago she did see a plane go in there. Now I'm told that that it may be a twin engine plane that simply smashed it looks like it went head on smack into the World Trade Center building. One could only expect given the the weather conditions given looking at that picture live right there that it went smack inside the World Trade Center and if that is the case I'm afraid we've got a tragedy on our hands. We've got something coming across the wire here James but actually it's nothing more than what you've already been reporting. Witnesses report hearing a huge explosion. Yeah well we're looking at there's no doubt there was a huge explosion and fire lots of black smoke coming from that building. Black smoke again would indicate that the fire is nowhere near under control. I expect they have sprinkler systems in there. Jim one second Dave I'm told we have a witness named Jim on the phone. Eyewitness Jim are you there? Yes. Jim what's your last name Jim? Last name's Friedel. Jim tell us what you saw if you would. Well I was looking out the window and normally you'll see planes kind of flying low over the Hudson but this is a large plane it's something like a 727 and it was banking and the only reason I kind of looked at it is because I thought it was rather low. Banking very hard and then it just drove right through the World Trade Center tower. What's your vantage point there there Jim? I am actually across the Hudson in Hoboken but I have a clear view right at the World Trade Towers. Now it it did seem to you that it was done on purpose? You know I don't know if I can say that but it was very it was a very odd type of turn. It was headed directly directly at the building so whether whether that was on purpose or not I can't tell. I don't know if he was trying to avoid or they were headed for it. Describe that turn for us would you with particularly heavily banked? It was it was pretty heavily banked maybe 45 degrees. Again hard to hard to tell it was kind of unremarkable because you do see planes fly through here just it was a large plane like a 727 and that's the only reason I kept looking and then it went right into the building. I just thought it was going to follow the river and keep on going but it didn't. Now after the plane struck the building from your vantage point it apparently went directly inside? That's correct. And if that's the case my goodness. Yeah actually as as the impact occurred you could see debris flying out the other side. So it apparently went right through the we're looking at a live picture of the building right now Jim and what would you say that would be about the 90th floor or so? Yeah again I can't tell if it went right through but certainly debris was shot out the other side of the building. Did you hear anything when when when it took place? Did you hear the crash? Yes I did in in terms of anything beforehand though no I mean I couldn't tell if if the plane was in distress or anything like that but certainly when it hit it there was a large explosion and again you had smoke and debris coming out the other side as well. All right Jim thank you very much. I've been talking to Jim Friedel eyewitness who who witnessed the the crash from Hoboken. Thank you Jim very much for giving us what you saw and heard. Again just a few minutes ago apparently a large plane according to that eyewitness Jim Friedel vantage point from Hoboken that as you look at the picture from our chopper now arriving at the scene Jim Friedel in Hoboken said it appeared to bank sharply and smash directly perhaps purposefully into oh my goodness oh god there's another one oh my goodness there's another one seems to be on purpose oh my goodness now you now it's obvious I think that there's a second plane just crashed into the world trade center