9/11 Hero Honored by Officer He Saved, Officer He Inspired

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN (PIX11) — A Port Authority Police Department officer who gave his life saving a colleague’s life on Sept. 11 was remembered in an unorthodox way Monday.

The officer whose life was saved got to meet the best friend of the officer who saved him. That best friend, also a West Coast cop, said he was inspired to become a cop when his best friend, who he had become close to while they were both working in a New York City public school, lost his life on September 11, 2001.

The officer who died was Dominick Pezzulo. He was stationed at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and on September 11, he and a handful of other officers secured an MTA bus and drove to Ground Zero to help save lives.

One of those fellow 9/11 officers was Will Jimeno. When the first tower collapsed on September 11, he and a sergeant who was with him, John McLoughlin, were trapped under debris in the lobby below the towers. Two other officers who were with them were killed. Pezzulo was relatively unharmed and was trying to free Jimeno and McLoughlin when the second tower collapsed. Pezzulo was also trapped and fatally injured.

The other two Port Authority Police Department officers, Jimeno and McLoughlin, were able to survive thanks to Pezzulo’s efforts, and they were eventually among the 11 people rescuers were able to pull from the rubble.

On Monday, Jimeno participated in a most unique tribute to Pezzulo during Pezzulo’s former command roll call.

His best friend, Joe Cirrito, had been invited to address the twenty or so officers on duty that evening and meet Jimeno.

Cirrito is also a law enforcement officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. He was inspired by Pezzulo, he said.

“His selflessness, his sacrifice, that’s what he taught me,” Cirrito said in an interview. “That’s what I teach young officers.”

He and Pezzulo became close when they were both deans and teachers at Lehman High School in the Bronx in the late 1990s.

Pezzulo eventually joined the Port Authority Police Department, and Cirrito moved to Los Angeles. When his best friend died on 9/11, Cirrito joined the Southern California Police Department.

Cirrito knew Jimeno’s survival story through various sources, including how it was highlighted in Oliver Stone’s 2006 film “World Trade Center.”

On Monday, 23 years after the death of Pezzulo, the man who had so profoundly affected the lives of both men, Cirrito and Jimeno met at the call of Pezzulo’s former command.

They said the meeting was profound and marked another important chapter in an ongoing quest to ensure the saying “Never Forget” remains true and real.

“The best way to never forget someone is to say their name,” Jimeno said in an interview, “and we are blessed that Joe and so many other people say Dominick’s name.”

Cirrito also became a long-distance runner for charities, running thousands of miles — in full gear — to raise money for nonprofits. He said he felt Pezzulo’s presence every day, including every race.

On Monday, Cirrito gave Pezzulo’s command a flag he had taken with him on one of his first races.

The officers applauded and saluted. They were given sandwiches and returned to duty, like Pezzulo, every day until his shift ended on September 11.