Daniel Suhr | |
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Born | Daniel Thomas Suhr August 21, 1964 |
Died | September 11, 2001 Lower Manhattan, New York City, NY[1] | (aged 37)
Daniel Thomas Suhr (August 21, 1964 – September 11, 2001)[2] was a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firefighter who was killed when a victim falling from the South Tower landed on him during the September 11 attacks.[3] He was the first firefighter to be killed while responding to the attacks on the Twin Towers.[4][5][6]
His father was a career firefighter and his brother became a firefighter as well. Suhr was a member of Engine Company 216. He grew up in Brooklyn, where he was the captain of both the baseball and football teams at James Madison High School. He and his wife began dating when they were in grammar school. They lived in Rockaway Park, Queens.
Before the Twin Towers collapsed, numerous people were witnessed jumping or falling from the upper floors of the burning towers, almost all from the North Tower. Three people were witnessed falling from the South Tower,[7] and one such victim collided with Suhr as he reported to the tower, crushing his skull and killing him. The 9/11 Commission wrote in its report that, "The first FDNY fatality of the day occurred at approximately 9:30 when a civilian landed on and killed a fireman near the intersection of West and Liberty streets."[8]
The South Shore High School football team‚ which Suhr helped to coach‚ dedicated its 2001 season to him.[citation needed]