How a Coffee Stop Saved a Life on 9/11

On the morning of September 11, 2001, a man was attending a meeting in one of the buildings near the World Trade Center. He recalled that the session was about to start when someone said, “We have 20 minutes. Make sure you get some coffee and don’t leave the building because the session is going to start very soon.” The reminder was clear—if you were late, you’d miss out, as they were “pretty strict.”

However, it was his first time alone in New York City, and he wanted to explore. “I wanted to take a look at what the city had to offer,” he shared. Ignoring the strict advice, he and a few others decided to step outside for a quick coffee break.

As they left the building, something strange happened. “When we went downstairs, that’s when we walked out of the turning doors. We walked out, and that’s when somebody was walking by,” he recalled. This person, a young individual with a backpack, urgently told them, “Get back in the building, get back in the building.”

It was at that moment that things started to change. The man looked up and noticed debris falling from the sky. “At that time, you started to see that there was debris coming down, and it was because the first plane went through World Trade Center One.” What began as a simple coffee break ended up saving his life, as the horrific events of 9/11 unfolded just above them.

Watch the interview below: