9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM EXPANDS FREE ADMISSION PROGRAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM COMMEMORATES THE 32nd ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1993 WORLD TRADE CENTER BOMBING
NEW YORK – Thirty-two years ago on February 26, 1993, terrorists detonated approximately 1,200 pounds of explosives inside a rental van in the underground parking garage at the World Trade Center. Today, in partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum will remember the six victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in the annual names reading ceremony.
Beginning at 12:18 p.m., a moment of silence will be observed in commemoration of the time of the terror strike that killed John DiGiovanni, Robert Kirkpatrick, Stephen Knapp, William Macko, Wilfredo Mercado, and Monica Rodriguez Smith with her unborn child.
Mercado worked for Windows on the World restaurant and was checking in food deliveries, while DiGiovanni was a dental supply salesman visiting the building at the time of the blast. Some Port Authority personnel with specialized knowledge of the building remained in the towers to help first responders with the response and rescue, resulting in the safe evacuation of nearly 50,000 people.
The commemorative program will feature a reading of each victim’s name by family members, preceded by a color guard and pipe and drums procession. Afterwards, families of the victims and ceremony attendees will honor the lives lost by placing roses on the victims’ names that are inscribed on panel N-73 of the Memorial’s North Pool.
“Remembering the people killed and the families affected by the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 1993 is critical to our mission at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Keeping this memory alive and sharing stories of how we responded to the 1993 bombing, raises awareness about the impact of terrorism on our current society,” said 9/11 Memorial & Museum President & CEO, Beth Hillman.
To learn more information about the 1993 attack, you can visit 911memorial.org or click here. To learn more about the arrangement of names go to names.911memorial.org.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is the country’s principal institution concerned with exploring 9/11, documenting its impact, and examining its continuing significance. This mission is advanced through commemoration, education, and inspiration. Located on eight of the 16 acres of the World Trade Center site, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum remembers and honors the 2,983 lives lost on September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993. Through exhibitions, a wide variety of programs, and commemorative events, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum seeks to educate the public – particularly the 100 million Americans born since the attacks or those too young to remember – about the consequences of terrorism and its impact on individuals and communities. Through preserving and sharing stories of resilience, compassion, and service, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum hopes to inspire individuals to build a more compassionate and secure world. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s programs are made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
For more information or to reserve a ticket to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, please visit 911memorial.org.
MEDIA INQUIRIES
Erin Gaddis | (214) 673-9435 | press@911memorial.org
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