9/11 Stories: NYPD Eric Romero

Now 55, and still patrolling the subways as an active member of the NYPD, Eric Romero remembers his partner telling him on September 11. 2001 , “It’s my birthday. I tell you that because really weird things happen on my birthday”. Romero says his words still echo.They were the first NYPD’ers to respond to the terror attack because they were already inside The World Trade Center for at least ten minutes when the first plane hit. Minutes earlier, they had come across a disabled woman at the Chambers Street subway station who needed help because her electric scooter stopped working. Informed that she worked on the 20th floor of The World Trade Center step away, the two cops helped her up to her office to handle the malfunctioning scooter situation. As they were on the phone with a sergeant, they felt a powerful explosion, which shook the building side to side at least 3 feet. Out the window, they watched debris falling. Horrified, they watched incredulously with the realization some of that “debris” were bodies. The two cops knew they had to help people get down to safety. They ignored the public address system announcements to stay in place. To this day, Romero wonders how many more lives they could have saved if the staircase was wider. Only two to three people could use each step and as they led people down, with New York City firefighters coming up on the same narrow staircase. He will never understand why a building so huge, could accommodate so few, in an emergency in that narrow staircase.
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[@anjou6497]

I hope maybe the pregnant lady will recognize you in this video, and, random amazingly her and her baby, now grown up, find you. 🧡🌱🦋

[@midwoodcatering2586]

Somebody has heard the pregnant lady’s version of helping the asthma guy. We need a reunion with her and the officer.

[@sunnyday9758]

Yes!!!

[@christinamitchell6796]

That would be awesome I wonder what her name is.

[@davidmudry5622]

Sounded like a clap of thunder kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnuzpoqvbtqnqdU

[@lorettajones5076]

I appreciate you mentioning that baby. Thank you for caring for the unborn baby.

[@i.m.demarco2324]

The design of those buildings, stairwells not withstanding, fell into their own footprint... Had they toppled, the amount of other buildings that could have been potentially knocked over is overwhelming.... There could have been so much more damage.... Love peace and blessings.. 💞✌🙏

[@favouritemoon4133]

Thank you, Eric, for telling us what happened to you that terrible day, and thank you, Shelli, for being such a deeply sensitive questioner about people's experiences that day.

[@LLandP]

You are one strong dude. God bless you!

[@deyannaf4380]

I am so grateful to find this channel!!! I will never ever forget 9/11. I was a freshman in hs. God Bless all the police and firefighters, and everyone that helped. This day and weeks after will forever be etched in my mind. Prayers for all the families who lost family and friends in this terrible act of murderous terrorism.

[@lorettajones5076]

Shelli I have watched numerous 911 Stories and I am so impressed with you!!!

[@hb8162]

I love this guy’s attitude!

[@katelynbrown98]

This is incredible. I am honored to hear his story.

[@jennifercorley7658]

Thank God you there with your partner to provide leadership! Thank you for ensuring everyone got out on your floor and below! Eric you are a true hero! 🕊

[@English_rose_clairebear]

That’s so freaky what his co worker said! It would be lovely to know how the pregnant lady is doing 20 years on I hope she is ok

[@KaskadiaJackassWatch]

I've heard that several times "stairwell too narrow", wonder what the engineering schematics said. Obvious code violations in the buildings since their first day of opening (1 & 2 WTC), especially fire codes and later repeated fire inspection failures.

[@NickyD]

when they were built in the 60's nobody through of a 767 hitting them at max speed

[@hizgrase]

Less stairway more rentable space

[@KaskadiaJackassWatch]

@@NickyD There were numerous, multi-floor fires over the years, many of them ruled arson. Wonder about earlier evacuations and if the stairwell was brought up before the bombing in the 90s.

[@aulavirtual1200]

Same to Titanic they have 600 boats there were more than 2000 people. You are right imagine it was in USA.

[@aulavirtual1200]

@@NickyD when You build a building You have to follow the securites law. Come on !!! Común sense.

[@donw3912]

Thank God he is still basicly healthy and I wish him nothing but the absolute best as well as all of those that were down there that day and days to come. This channel is awesome...thank you for doing these interviews and thank you to the victims for recounting the events of that day and since.

[@trackpackgt877]

Should definitely do a reunion with the pregnant lady and him and her child which would be 20 years old now that would be amazing

[@TitansTrust]

Thank you for telling your story the views of what you saw in those buildings when the planes hit its a lot more horrifying then us imagining what was going on.

[@melissacoxen6001]

Thank you for sharing your story. I am so thankful that there are people in this world that are brave and selfless enough to swear an oath and be willing to put their own lives in danger to help others. You do this for inadequate pay and little to no gratitude. Some of us are very thankful for the police and first responders. Thank you for being one of those brave and selfless people.

[@rosepickering1615]

Sending much love to y’all

[@willow7233]

Who on their right mind would give a thumbs down!!!! Only a jerk!

[@mothershelper1981]

I think sometimes people do a thumbs-down not because they don't like the video but because it's their way of showing a thumbs down to the fact that the attack happened. It's a shame because it reflects poorly on the video which is excellently done.

[@davidmudry5622]

Sounded like a clap of thunder kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnuzpoqvbtqnqdU

[@anjou6497]

@@mothershelper1981 some people, those thumbs down, are just plain nasty.

[@ryinwhyers365]

What’s good Romero!?Thank you for sharing!

[@denisejaydub]

Bless you sir ❤️

[@amandac7270]

Thank you for sharing your story 🙏

[@shellymartin4115]

Like the way your brain works... I've been watching A LOT of these stories You are the only person to mention That the stairwells were too narrow

[@djvan1695]

God bless this Amazing Gentleman! He has such inner strength, I think we as a Country owe this man a debt of gratitude!!!

[@juliamarin4896]

Thank you for sharing your story. Have a Blessed Day. :)

[@shirleychai9998]

Love all these stories. I used to work on 17th St and Madison Ave in Manhattan, that morning zi was early to work and had just shopped on 14 St at the supermarket. Walking on 5 Ave i actually saw the fire ball coming out the North Bldg. It was a very sad. God bless all the survivors and hope their lives are healthy and peaceful.

[@breh7661]

his memory is great

[@mothershelper1981]

I can't help but wonder about the woman in the wheelchair. Someone must have had to help her down. Who did? It seems like that should have been the job of the firemen who were called to help her in the first place. Wouldn't that have been part of helping her? I hope they didn't just leave her there or leave her in the care of co-workers who wouldn't have had the expertise the EMTs had. Plus you would think he would have been worried enough about her to have found out what happened to her and maybe reunited with her at some point. Her story would have been unique enough, being a person in a wheelchair, that it seems like it would have been known and told. And if he felt that he left her in the hands of capable people why didn't he mention that? I'm not trying to be negative or picky it just seems like that would be an important part of the story he is telling.

[@banker1313]

At 15:10 the lady asks...."what happened to that woman?" I think she is referring to the women he was helping at the start...the one in the wheelchair.....he says she made it out ok....

[@mothershelper1981]

@@banker1313 He doesn't seem too sure about it. He hesitates and says "She made it out okay. As far as I know everybody that was involved in that that I know of, made it out okay." But it doesn't say how she made it out. It doesn't sound like he helped her any. It sounds like he just took off. Until he is asked about it he doesn't even mention her. It seems like if you went through something that traumatic with someone you would keep in touch as many survivors have. He just said "I'd like to think that she's still alive and out there" like he doesn't even know. Or care. I don't like to think poorly of any survivors because as far as I'm concerned they're all heroes but his story has a big gap in it where she is concerned.

[@ietefiet]

Using an electric wheelchair myself, I got goosebumps as soon as he said he helped her up to her floor. It's my nightmare to get stuck in such a horrific situation. I really hope she made it to safety.

[@mothershelper1981]

Of all the firemen and policemen that I have heard give their testimonials, this was the first one that I felt was kind of sketchy.

[@davidmudry5622]

Sounded like a clap of thunder kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnuzpoqvbtqnqdU

[@annhalton1963]

I have watched many of these videos and only one person mentions people pushing and shoving in the stairwell.

[@aulavirtual1200]

If the stairswell hadn't been so narrow , Many people would have alived incluying firemen. I don't understand how it is possible that happened in USA . Besides Many people didn''t know where the stairswell were , cause they were never instructed about it. 😡😡

[@mothershelper1981]

Several people have said that they had fire drills about once a month so they had to have known where the stairwells were. I'm sure some were hardee to find because of the destruction and the smoke but they would have known where they were if things were clear.

[@davidmudry5622]

Sounded like a clap of thunder kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnuzpoqvbtqnqdU

[@Kid_Kootenay]

3ft of sway is not as bad as others have stated some said 8ft depending on how high up you were. it was designed that way for wind etc

[@rachmunshine9474]

It was designed to go up to 8 inches in any direction I believe. I wonder if it really not that far over or it just felt like it. Unreal.

[@hizgrase]

Who was his partner?

[@anjou6497]

I agree with his comment on the stairwells. Really bad scenario...

[@sunnyday9758]

Any updaye on the pregnant woman?

[@tikolopez8884]

I have never listened to the PA systems. I check my floor quickly, and get the F out ! As a Fire Warden, it is my duty to check my office mates are out, but we are on a low floor. I can only imagine. I watched the second plane go into the South tower, and people jumping. I still have nightmares.

[@lorenat05]

🇺🇸💙🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸

[@rethinkeverything2982]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️🇺🇸💪☮️🕊✌️

[@real_MacrocosM]

I disagree. I've seen images and videos from inside a WTC stairwell and they look like every other standard stairwell , 2 or 3 persons wide. And each tower had no less THREE [3] of them. Where regular buildings have 2 at most. It doesn't matter how wide or how many staircases it had. In fact the entire building could have been 100% staircase and 0% office space; it still wouldn't have reduced the number of flights a person needed to traverse, and it wouldn't speed up the natural pace of already slow people. And the same people would have stayed with them to help them down.

[@redraptor9688]

Seeing the reflection in the Millineum Hotel of the tower collapsing.....that must have been an adrenaline rush

[@anjou6497]

Excuse me ? How can you make such a stupid comment...

[@redraptor9688]

@@anjou6497 Explain how that's a stupid comment. You hear a loud rumble, and you run. As you're running, you see the reflection of a 100+ story skyscraper that you're pretty much right under collapsing. This would cause your adrenaline to rush. Tell me how that's a stupid comment.

[@anjou6497]

I'm still concerned about the stairwells in the new Freedom Tower. They have a 'pressurized' facility/button that can be pressed in a serious emergency. However, surely a pressurized area is at great risk of explosion if a much bigger explosion is occuring right then ? /re a terrorist attack.

[@sandra177]

Buildings were wired obviously.

[@christinebarenberg295]

Satan WAS after you! 😢

[@brandenantonino23]

I know I'm 2 mo ths later but I literally just said that outlook before seeing this comment