FAIR LAWN, N.J. — As the nation observes the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Fair Lawn residents Vincent and Rosemarie Borst reflected on the day they narrowly escaped death while working for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
First‑hand account from the 82nd floor
Vincent Borst was on the 82nd floor of Tower One when an explosion rocked the building. “It was an explosion that shook the building so hard it almost knocked me off my feet,” he recalled. After the initial shock, he rallied coworkers, telling his supervisor they needed to evacuate.
The group descended until they reached the mechanical equipment room on the 76th floor, where the stairwell became impassable. “We had to go back up to the 77th floor and wait for instructions in the Port Authority Inspector General’s office,” Borst said. Using his knowledge from a previous role as a fire‑safety director after the 1993 bombing, he helped the team find an alternate passageway despite fire, smoke, and the smell of diesel fuel.
Rosemarie’s scramble from the concourse
Meanwhile, Rosemarie Borst was in the Tower One concourse buying coffee when panic erupted. “Everyone was screaming, ‘Get out of the building!’ I turned and ran, not knowing what I was running from or toward,” she said. Her sister was on the 88th floor and her husband on the 82nd, adding to her fear.
As the smoke thickened, Rosemarie feared she would lose both her husband and sister. “I thought he was gone. I lost him, and I didn’t know what to tell my children or my parents,” she recalled, noting that her parents were still alive at the time.
Congested stairwells and a desperate search for safety
Vincent described how evacuees and firefighters shared a single staircase, creating dangerous congestion. “It was more challenging because that was the only stairway to the lobby, and the fire department was coming up,” he explained.
Reaching the lobby, Borst encountered extensive damage and dense smoke. “It felt like a hurricane,” he said, describing how he eventually felt his way along walls to locate a stairway that led to the street.
Family gratitude and a blessing
Both Borsts expressed deep gratitude that all three of them survived. “Three of us were there and three of us survived. How is that possible when other families lost everything? We are blessed,” Rosemarie said, emphasizing the role of faith in their survival.
As New Yorkers and New Jerseyans mark the 25th anniversary, the Borsts’ story serves as a reminder of the bravery of first‑responders, the resilience of families, and the importance of remembering the sacrifices made on that tragic day.
Original reporting: Brookhaven News – ABC7 New York — read the source article.
