National Geographic is releasing a new docuseries, “9/11 Reunited,” which premieres Aug. 21 at 8 p.m. The three-part series can also be streamed in its entirety the following day on Disney+ and Hulu.
The New York Post posted an article about the series on Saturday.
The article reports one of the stories that will be included in the series:
When al-Qaeda terrorists struck the World Trade Center on 9/11, six strangers found themselves trapped in an elevator in a desperate fight for survival.
As the express elevator climbed to its first stop on the 67th floor, American Airlines Flight 11 plowed into the North Tower at 8:46 am, causing the elevator to shudder and free-fall down the shaft.
One of the passengers pushed an emergency button, but the elevator had already plummeted 15 stories before stopping near the 50th floor.
As a choking cloud of thick white smoke that smelled like chemicals began pouring into the cabin, panic wasn’t an option — it was a death sentence.
So the six men — including a window cleaner and two Port Authority officials — calmly pooled their brains and their brawn.
First, they worked together to open the stuck automatic metal doors with their hands.
But there was no exit on the other end — just a solid wall with the number “50” stenciled on it.
Then, a burst of MacGyver-level ingenuity from someone always on the outside looking in at the WTC.
Window cleaner and Polish immigrant Jan Demczur quickly whipped out the brass squeegee from the bucket by his feet and began frantically pecking at layers of drywall in a circular motion.
Some of the others worked in tandem, punching and kicking the drywall until there was a hole large enough for everyone to crawl out.
They landed in a men’s bathroom, where they met firefighters imploring them to leave.
I am looking forward to watching the docuseries. The stories of survival on that day are amazing and encouraging.
