New Jersey Honors 9/11 Victims 25 Years After Attack

New Jersey Stands in Solemn Tribute as Nation Marks 25 Years Since September 11 Attacks

New Jersey, September 12, 2026 — As dawn broke over the Hudson River, first responders, officials, and community members gathered along the New Jersey waterfront to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, marking 25 years since the deadliest assault on American soil in modern history. NBC 4 New York broadcast the ceremony live, capturing a deeply moving scene of uniformed officers standing at attention against the glittering backdrop of the New York City skyline.

Firefighters and police officers — their faces solemn and their postures rigid with respect — lined the waterfront as a fireboat sprayed ceremonial arcs of water across the river, a time-honored tribute to fallen first responders. The Manhattan skyline, bathed in the golden light of early morning, served as a powerful and poignant reminder of what was lost and what has since been rebuilt.

New Jersey holds a unique and painful connection to the events of September 11. Hundreds of the nearly 3,000 lives lost that day belonged to New Jersey residents — commuters, office workers, first responders, and everyday people who had simply gone to work that Tuesday morning never to return home. The state's communities bore some of the deepest wounds of that catastrophic day.

Twenty-five years on, the grief remains, but so does the resilience. Memorials, scholarships, and community programs established in the names of the fallen continue to keep their memories alive, ensuring that new generations understand the magnitude of what occurred and the courage displayed in its aftermath.

Speakers at the waterfront ceremony reflected on how September 11 forever altered the American consciousness — reshaping national security, foreign policy, and the collective sense of vulnerability and unity that defines the post-9/11 era.

For the first responders standing at attention along the Hudson, the anniversary is deeply personal. Many lost colleagues, friends, and loved ones that day. Their presence at the memorial is both an act of mourning and a declaration that the sacrifice of those who ran toward danger will never be forgotten.

Twenty-five years later — we remember. We honor. We never forget.