Britt Jones
Warning: Contains content some readers may find distressing
23 years ago, the world witnessed the aftermath of a terrorist attack which saw New York City’s World Trade Centre decimated.
The event saw 3,000 people die on 11 September 2001, which included both those on the ground trying to help casualties as well as occupants in the buildings.
Two planes crashed into the Twin Towers, with one famously collapsing and covering the city in debris and dust.
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Horrifyingly, a lot of footage of the second plane’s crash was captured live on TV broadcasts, as well as terrifying footage of the aftermath.
However, not everything had been released to the public.
A man who was there that fateful day has now released what he filmed, with many believing that it was from a previously ‘unseen angle’.
Kei Sugimoto uploaded his footage to YouTube on 23 July 2024 to share his original footage ‘from the roof of 64 St Marks Place in NYC on a Sony VX2000 with teleconverter’ on 11 September 2001.
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He has since spoken about that moment where he originally thought there had been a fire in the building, but after seeing the second plane and its impact, realised what was going on.
"I had just assumed it was an accident and there was a fire," the now-46-year-old recalled in an interview with LADbible.
"I did see the second plane impact, and that's when I thought, okay, for sure, this is not just an accident. This is intentional. It's a terrorist attack," he said.
His video has since gone viral on the likes of X where users say it shows ‘new angles of the collapse’.
“This footage offers a unique perspective not seen from the south or east,” one said. “You are watching these angles for the first time ever.”
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Sugimoto’s video shows the towers billowing out black smoke before each eventually collapsing to the ground.
Over on Reddit, users said: “It’s crazy that we’re almost 23 years out and still getting new footage.”
Another added: “Makes me wonder how much history is being stored in people’s attics or basements waiting to be unearthed.”
In the YouTube comments, Sugimoto explained further his decision to now release it after so long.
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He wrote: “I was cleaning my closet and found boxes full of Hi-8, Digital-8, and DV tapes.
"When trying to play them back I noticed that maybe about a 3rd of them had demagnetized over time and were either blank, or suffering from major data corruption.
"After researching online I learned that video tapes are not immune from age even when stored in ideal conditions, so I franntially started to digitize them. Thus I'm just uploading the video now."
He also added that while he did witness the second plane crash, he didn’t film it.
"If I remember correctly," he wrote, "I think I ran to get my video camera after seeing the second plane crash sensing that this was no ordinary accident."
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Users thanked him for sharing the ‘unique perspective’ and called the ‘crystal clear’ footage ‘devastating’.