“I Watched the Twin Towers Fall” | Helen Fospero Remembers 9/11

On September 11, 2001, Helen Fospero stood on the fire escape of her New York apartment and watched the unthinkable unfold. Living just blocks from the World Trade Center and working as a British television correspondent in New York, Helen witnessed the second plane strike the Twin Towers. Then, as she tried to contact her cameraman and understand what was happening, she watched the South Tower collapse before her eyes. Twenty five years later, Helen shares her deeply personal memories of 9/11 with her True Criminals co host, veteran crime reporter Martin Brunt. For this special episode, their usual roles are reversed. Martin asks the questions as Helen recounts the confusion of those first moments, the fear on the streets below her apartment, the collapse of both towers, and the instinct that took over as she went from witness to reporter on one of the darkest days in modern history. Helen remembers arriving at Ground Zero in the hours after the attacks and seeing firefighters searching desperately through the rubble for survivors. She recalls the families searching for missing loved ones, the stories of extraordinary courage she encountered in the days and weeks that followed, and the remarkable humanity of a city experiencing unimaginable grief. She also reflects on the people whose stories have remained with her ever since, including survivors, bereaved families and firefighters who entered the towers as thousands of others were trying to escape. And she remembers one haunting moment after finishing her first broadcast from Ground Zero. Walking home through the silent streets of Manhattan, Helen looked back at the empty space in the skyline where the Twin Towers had stood and realised that nothing would ever be quite the same again. This is not simply the story of a journalist covering 9/11. It is the story of a woman who witnessed history from her own home, reported from Ground Zero in its immediate aftermath, and has carried the memories of the people she met there for a quarter of a century. In this deeply personal episode of True Criminals, Helen and Martin reflect on September 11, the investigation that followed, the courage of passengers and crew aboard the hijacked aircraft, the bravery of first responders, the survivors who escaped the World Trade Center, and the lasting impact of the attacks on New York and the wider world. We remember the 2,977 victims of the September 11 attacks, and all those whose lives were forever changed by that day. SUPPORT THE SHOW Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon: Support True Criminals on Patreon As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal: Support True Criminals via PayPal Instagram: @true.criminalsTikTok: @truecriminalspodcast Follow Martin on Twitter at @skymartinbrunt. Discover more about his career and the cases he has covered in his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter: Buy Martin Brunt’s book Follow Helen on Instagram at @helenfospero and listen to her podcast, The Convex Conversation: Listen to The Convex Conversation True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global. Visit True Criminals at Audio Bleach Global Executive Producer: Lee MannProducer: Russell BarnesAudio Production: BLEACHEDMusic Composition: BLEACHEDArtwork: BLEACHED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices