A newly released video capturing the collapse of the Twin Towers in 2001 has been shared online more than two decades later.
For nearly 23 years, the world has grappled with the haunting memories of the 9/11 attacks, a harrowing event that changed the world forever.
Just as the anniversary of the fateful day approaches, a man named Kei Sugimoto released footage that offers a fresh and potentially unseen perspective of the tragedy.
As he uploaded the video on July 23, Kei explained that he filmed the collapse of the towers from the roof of 64 St Marks Place in New York City using a Sony VX2000 with a teleconverter.
Newly released video, uploaded 23 years later, captured the collapse of the Twin Towers from what some believe is an unseen perspective
Image credits: Kei Sugimoto / YouTube
Image credits: Kei Sugimoto / YouTube
“I was cleaning my closet and found boxes full of Hi-8, Digital-8, and DV tapes,” he said in the comments section. “When trying to play them back I noticed that maybe about a 3rd of them had demagnetised over time and were either blank, or suffering from major data corruption.”
“After researching online I learned that video tapes are not immune from age even when stored in ideal conditions, so I frantically started to digitise them. Thus I'm just uploading the video now,” he continued.
He further explained in the caption of the video that he had been receiving questions about the footage and wanted to address them.
“I woke up that day and realized everyone was out on the streets staring south. When I looked, I saw the first tower burning,” he wrote.
Kei Sugimoto said he was clearing his closet when he came across the footage he recorded on 9/11/2001
Image credits: Kei Sugimoto / YouTube
Image credits: Kei Sugimoto / YouTube
After the second aircraft struck its target, he realized that this was “no ordinary accident.” So he ran to get his camera and tripod and began filming.
Voices in the background of his video can be heard gasping and shrieking as the footage captured both towers crumbling to dust within minutes.
Kei clarified that he tried to get the footage into the right hands following the incident but to no avail.
“The day I filmed the footage, I made a copy of the tape and roller-bladed (as public transportation was not available) to the nearest precinct to provide the footage to authorities. The precinct brushed me away, telling me that they were too busy and did not take my video tape,” he said.
He also reminded the internet that things were starkly different back in 2001.
The YouTuber said he took the footage and roller-bladed his way to the nearest precinct to get it to authorities
"There were no smart phones, and internet access was mainly through dial up 56kbps connections using AOL or Earthlink. Google Search / Google maps / Uber didn't exist. After 911, public transportation was shut down and phone service was unreliable, the information available was mainly through the radio or word of mouth, and it was difficult to know what was true," he wrote.
He recalled that, at the time, there were rumors going around about the Empire State Building being the next target. Hence, people weren’t allowed to make their way in and out of Manhattan. So he pulled out a physical phonebook and tried to find out which precinct to go to. He then roller-bladed his way there, as no other mode of transport was available to him.
“Upon arriving at the precinct, the staff had much more immediate tasks, and my offer to give them a video tape fell on deaf ears. I hope the people asking why I ‘didn't just take the video to competent authorities’ understand that 2001 was not like today where anyone can just use their iPhone to search where to go, what the hours of operations are, and how to get here,” he concluded.
The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were an iconic symbol of the bustling metropolis of New York City
Despite many years having passed, viewers agreed that watching the buildings fall still feels like a “gut punch.”
“This still cuts deep,” one said, while another wrote, “Makes you wonder how many other unreleased videos there are! Thanks for sharing this!”
“You come here thinking, ok, I'm going to watch another video of something we've already seen,” said a third comment. “Then you see the tower come down and hear the anguish in the viewers voices and it once again invokes sobs and tears from you.”
Another wrote, “The feeling of utter shock and disbelief comes flooding back watching this video. The world changed on this day.
“This footage offers a unique perspective not seen from the south or east. You are watching these angles for the first time ever,” read a comment on X.
Ground Zero was rebuilt and turned into the September 11 Memorial & Museum to honor those killed during the deadly attack
"It's crazy that we're almost 23 years out and still getting new footage,” one Reddit user said.
The 9/11 attacks on September 11, 2001, were a series of coordinated terrorist acts that profoundly impacted the world. Hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers of New York City's World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths.
The event reshaped global policies on security and terrorism, leading to stricter airport screenings and enhanced intelligence-sharing.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was also established to combat terrorism and protect the U.S. from future attacks of this nature.