Joanne was 39 years old at the time and was working in her office on the 87th floor of the World Trade Centers North Tower moments before the attack took place. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. Joanne Capestro (on left with a coworker) is photographed by Phil Penman on 9/11 covered head to toe in thick dust and debris seconds after the South Tower fell as she fled from the World Trade Center, Capestro, now 59, returned to the same spot two decades on to be photographed by Penman - who is now a close friend - to mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Capestro in 2021 the same area on Park Row where she was captured in the harrowing photo (left). "Phil was with me on the best day of my life and the worst day of my life," Joanne Capestro told the Daily Mirror. Instagram . Photographer who captured iconic image of woman on 9/11 returns to shoot her wedding. Speaking of her memories of September 11, 2001, Capestro recalls: That was a regular day for me. Capestro's story is featured in the new documentary, "Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11," a co-production of NBC News Studios and Yard 44. That woman was Joanne Capestro. And I was standing at my desk with one of my co-workers because we were going to go downstairs. Now here we are today and six weeks ago, on August 11, he was the photographer at my wedding." IE 11 is not supported. The image, taken seconds after the collapse of the South Tower and captured by photographer Phil Penman, was among some of the most shocking pictures showing survivors helping each other escape the area around Ground Zero. Pictured above is a gripping image captured by Penman showing the North Tower as it collapse and the South Tower still on fire, The September 11th terrorist attacks left 2,996 people dead and more than 6,000 others injured in the United States. Phil was with me on the best day of my life, she said, and the worst day of my life., 10 Street Photographers Who Are Immortalizing Our Modern World, Interview: Dynamic Street Shots Document the Quirky Everyday Scenes of New York City, Street Photographer Captures Candid Photos of New York From 1969 to 2006. Photo: Phil Penman pic.twitter.com/oTjNLN0e4Z. "Phone rings, I'm like, there's no way I'm working again today. "Phil was with me. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { }); September 11, 2001, started out like any other day for Joanne Jojo Capestro but soon turned into a nightmare she can never forget. "); Commemorative golf balls from the delayed September 2001 Ryder Cup golf tournament help demonstrate how the world stood still after the attacks. "I wasn't even outside 30 seconds and building tower two started to fall down on me," she said before she reunited with a co-worker, who had also managed to leave. Grandmother with dementia died from face wound neglected by staff for days. Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of. That image was captured by a New York-based Philman and has, since then, gone on to become one of the most iconic images of individuals who emerged unscathed even at the wake of such a tumultuous incident. "Phil was with me on the best day of my life," she said, "and the worst day of my life." Joanne Capestro narrowly escaped the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Woman in famous 9/11 picture employs same photographer for her wedding Joanne Capestro is my neighbor and friend. She was covered in toxic dust and debris when she walked out and was photographed by Phil Penman who had grabbed his camera and rushed to the scene. I said, 'You know what, let me go in,'" Capestro recounted on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna Friday. Joanne Sarli Vasquez (Sarli) See Photos. The pair pictured at Capestro's wedding. She added that it was an amazing experience to have him present when she married the love of her life, Robert Vasquez. Probably, nothing can ever get worse than that. Much to his astonishment, the staff there recognized Joanne and united Penman and her around three years ago. All rights reserved. Joanne Vasquez (Joanne Hennessey) See Photos. Consider Joanne Capestro. On a sunny September morning in New York City 20 years ago, Phil Penman was getting ready to relax. hitType: 'event', Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. MSNBC and Peacock are part of our parent company, NBCUniversal. Email or phone: Password: . 'I've tried but I can't remember.'. Even though she wasn't feeling her best that day, she had decided to go to work anyway. ET and will be available to stream exclusively on Peacock. Within 22 minutes, Capestro made it a few steps out of the North Tower when it began collapsing and she started running and screaming God help me. Capestro said she took refuge inside a car, where she fainted again from the trauma. },false) 'We were rocked again when the second tower was hit and that made me run,' Capestro told DailyMail.com. The picture tells us a thousand words," Capestro shared. Relatives have brought new photos or recorded new remembrances to profiles of the nearly 3,000 victims. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); There are sad events, there are shocking events; there are tragedies and then, theres the 9/11 tragedy. Thats how it all started and we stayed in touch for all of these years. }); So I said, 'Hmm, I know who's gonna film my wedding.'" But the family held off until visiting the museum. However, at no point did she ever feel like fleeing New York City to escape the daily reminder of that day, she said. She told DailyMail.com it has taken time for her to deal with the trauma of her escape from the 87th floor, running out of the tower to see 'all the jumpers, the blood all over, the dead people' before the South Tower then crashed down around her. 'I found a great partner who understands who I am - everybody has some sort of past and mine is 9/11,' she said. Joanne-vasquez Lubrigado. They proceeded to rush to a third stairwell exit which was completely empty. Finding the displays tasteful, the relatives decided to contribute the items: his wallet, cards he carried, and pocket change. Receive our Weekly Newsletter. "Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11" will air on MSNBC on Saturday and Sunday at 10 p.m. 'When I got to the stairwell no one was coming down from above and we were like "Where is everybody? Sometimes Joanne goes by various nicknames including Joanne Grippa. Phil was with me on the best day of my life and the worst day of my life., Joanne Jojo Capestro escaped from the 87th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower on September 11, 2001 before fleeing to the debris and dust covered streets of lower Manhattan with a coworker. But this meeting wasnt the last time that the photographer and Capestro would see each other. A survivor contributed her World Trade Center worker ID, dust-coated clothes and the high-heeled shoes she shed going down 87 flights of stairs to safety, items she'd kept boxed in a basement for 13 years. Just in a picture alone.'. } Now here we are today and six weeks ago, on August 11, he was the photographer at my wedding. Documentary Review: Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11 - The Reviews Hub She shared that it was only until they reached the 64th floor that other people began to use the stairwell to escape. Friends," Penman said. PressReader. }); "I was standing by my desk and boom, the plane hit," Capestro recalled. Capestro told DailyMail.com September 11 began like any other day in the city as she commuted to work at the May Davis Group offices on the 87th floor of the North Tower. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 'It makes me feel good when I go down there. "Nobody could understand that because they weren't there. Were also on Pinterest, Tumblr, and Flipboard. The Photo of Joanne Jojo CapestroPhoto Credit is Phil Penman who also photographed her wedding years later. While the backdrop against which some friendships are forged may be chaotic and indicative of tyranny, a true bond between two humans, at the end of the day, scales past fear and doubt. Images used with permission of Phil Penman. "I remember it was like it was yesterday, to be honest with you. Joanne Capestro, meanwhile, was gearing up for another workday in the city. 16 years later. Address:***** Ainslie St, Brooklyn, NY. And it's a bond. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. You know, we had to make face masks. and our ga('ads.send', { Six weeks ago, he was the photographer at my wedding. ga('ads.send', { You can find more of his work on his website and Instagram. }); document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ Zebediah Smith Dr. Robert Lahita, New York City Dr. Robert Lahita traveled to Ground Zero with two paramedics. Then we proceeded to go down the steps and I have to be honest with you, there was nobody coming from upstairs to go. "Post-traumatic stress disorder is not easy. Shortly afterward, Penman, then 24, received a phone call. 'A lot of survivors go there and I'm just so happy that the 9/11 family members have a place to go to mourn their loved ones and we get to see our survivor friends and it's like a big 9/11 family.'. Capestro put it best when she said: Phil was with me on the best day of my life and the worst day of my life.. }); Pin on All - pinterest.com Interestingly, the very same man whod taken her photo back then captured her once again on the lens. And in coming full circle, on August 11th of this year,. var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-7775239-1"); Another man photographed her and the picture went on to depict the catastrophe that was the 9/11 tragedy in its full fury. The institution trod a difficult path to opening, facing delays and controversy. Its beautiful to note the correspondence of the two. Today Joanne is quoted in an article by the AP. A retired police detective gave the sole-scorched boots she wore while working amid the smoking wreckage of the twin towers. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. eventAction: 'click_ads' "Phil was with me on the best day of my life and the worst day of my life," Joanne Capestro told the Daily Mirror. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The clip then flips to Victoria in one of her wedding dress and completely made up in her photoshoot look - with smokey eyes, blushing cheeks, and plump pink lips - and with her hair in thick, voluminous waves. At this point, Capestro said she had 'no clue' as to the extent of the disaster. }); And on the best day of my life.". How a 9/11 photo brought 2 strangers together - TODAY.com Once there, he started capturing what was unfolding. She felt ill but still decided to go to into work from her home in Brooklyn. And I was standing at my desk with one of my co-workers because we were going to go downstairs. Published: 20:28 GMT, 11 September 2018 | Updated: 12:12 GMT, 12 September 2018. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { Three years ago she and Penman met for the first time and stayed in contact; he volunteered to take photographs for Capestro's wedding day on August 11, 2018 She told DailyMail.com: 'Phil was. This was the start of how they stayed in touch through the years following. I wanted them to see.". Joanne Capestro runs barefoot with a colleague from the World Trade Center's North Tower, moments before it collapsed on 9/11. While on the call, hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower six floors above Capestros office for the May Davis Group where she was an assistant secretary. Capestro, who now lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, is happily married, has nine grandchildren through marriage and is still working on Wall Street in a job she finds 'very rewarding'. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. "Phil was with me on the best day of my life and the worst day of my life," Capestro said. As reported by DailyMail, Joanne shared, "Phil and I stayed in touch all of these years. A photographer who snapped an iconic photo of Joanne "JoJo" Capestro just moments after she escaped the collapsing towers in New York City on 9/11 has captured another memorable moment in the woman's lifeher wedding day. ", How a 9/11 photo brought two people together, Capestro recounted on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna Friday, America prepares to mark 20th anniversary of 9/11, Officer who survived WTC collapse reflects on 20th anniversary of 9/11, An oral history of 9/11, as told by kindergarteners at ground zero 20 years ago, 12 defining photos we will never forget from 9/11. Speaking to DailyMail.com about her life changing experience that occurred 17 years ago today, Capestro said: Phil and I stayed in touch all of these years. ". MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Once outside Joanne ran and ran and ran then hid under a car as things collapsed around her, the wounded and dead all around, including co-workers. She began her descent with several colleagues and reached the street level just as the South Tower collapsed. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ It means something to somebody. Pictured left a man comforts a woman sitting on the beck of an emergency vehicle and pictured right a man dressed in a suit covers his face while walking among the piles of dust and debris from the collapsed towers, Three emergency workers walk among the dust and debris covered street in the image above captured by Penman near the scene of the collapsed Twin Towers and not far from the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge in lower Manhattan, A woman is pictured above being escorted by a police officer away from Ground Zero in another striking image captured by Penman, who had worked several hours earlier that morning taking images of celebrities leaving the Thompson Hotel in Soho, The above image captured by Penman shows several people walking away from Ground Zero while covered in debris and dust from the collapsed Twin Towers. She explained those who could escape were running for their lives. ', When she came around, Capestro recalled stumbling into a coworker and they fled together, turning a corner and seeing a man 'covered in blood.'. I contemplated if I should go into the office or not. Woman in Iconic 9/11 Photo Hires the Same Photographer for Her Wedding eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), A close friendship blossomed after their first meeting. Capestro with Phil Penman on her wedding day (right). All rights reserved. THEN AND VOW - PressReader And I was standing at my desk with one of my co-workers because we were going to go downstairs. She fled down 87 flights of stairsand was only just outside the building when it began to collapse. She revealed it was only when she came out onto the concourse at ground level that she saw the true scale of the devastation. 17 years on, as the world moves on, partly reminiscing, partly shaking the head, caught up in an amnesia of thoughts as to how on earth did such a tragedy strike America, there are some lives that have moved on. 'I would sit at the site and watch them dig the rubble - thats how traumatized I was,' she told DailyMail.com. was photographed that day covered head to toe in thick dust and debris as she fled from the World Trade Center with a coworker. 'I've accomplished a lot in the last 20 years and I'm still going strong. The horrific 9/11 attacks left an estimated 2,996 people dead and more than 6,000 others injured. What a strong and beautiful woman. I wanted to share it with people. "Our building shook. Two of the three exits to the office were melted shut from the heat of the fire above, she said. "That's how it all started and we stayed in touch for all of these years.