Police Officer Antonio Rodrigues Port Authority Bus Terminal Command P.O. Shield #990

Port Authority Police Officer Antonio Rodrigues changed careers from from aeronautical engineer to police officer because he wanted to work with and help people.  On the morning of September 11th, the 35 year old Port Washington, NY, resident who had been with the PAPD for only a year, rushed to the World Trade Center along with other officers from the Bus Terminal Command near Times Square, to help in the rescue efforts.  He was last seen rushing downstairs into the basement of one of the towers to get oxygen tanks.

Police Officer Richard Rodriguez Port Authority Police Department Academy P.O. Shield #1625
Richard Rodriguez, 31, of Cliffwood, NJ, was not just a police officer.  He taught at the Port Authority Police Department Academy and was also a drummer for the Port Authority Police Department Pipe and Drum Band.  He gave his all in everything he did, so on the morning of September 11th, his family and friends were not surprised when he joined the ranks of his fellow officers and rushed through the Holland Tunnel to Lower Manhattan to assist in the rescues and evacuation of the World Trade Center towers, after two hijacked airliners slammed into them. Acting with courage and conviction, he entered Tower One of the WTC Complex to assist in the rescues that were being undertaken. He perished in the rubble when the towers collapsed. Rodriguez, an 8 year veteran of the PAPD, was also a a member of the Perth Amboy Volunteer Fire Department and the Perth Amboy Volunteer First Aid Squad.

Police Chief James Romito Headquarters Command Chief's Shield #2

On September 11th, when he heard that an airliner had crashed into the World Trade Center, Police Chief James Romito, of Westwood, NJ, could have stayed at the Port Authority Headquarters, but that was not his way.  In his last cellphone conversation, he said, "I have to save people!" As he led a group of officer's into tower two he was heard saying, "Follow me, we have to get people out!"  Shortly before the first tower collapsed, he was seen carrying a helpless person on his back down the stairs from the 47th floor.  Later he was seen on the 31st floor guiding people to the exits and safety.  It wasn't the first time Romito, 51, who had 30 years with the PAPD, had responded to help people after an attack at the World Trade Center.  In 1993 he participated in the rescue effort after a terrorist exploded a bomb in the basement garage of the WTC.  He received a Commendation for Valor for his acts of heroism on that day.  He also had been among the rescuers at JFK Airport following the crash of TWA Flight 800 over Long Island in 1996.  His training and calmness helped others through crises.

Police Officer John Skala Lincoln Tunnel Command P.O. Shield #1639
Just two short hours after John "Yash" Skala, a resident of Cliffton, NJ, reported to work at the Port Authority Lincoln Tunnel Command, the first airliner slammed into the World Trade Center.  He and fellow PAPD officers were among the very first to respond to the site of the terrorist attacks.  Volunteering to enter the buildings in a race to assist victims of the disaster unfolding on the floors above, Yash was the only one from his unit not to make it out alive. An eight year veteran of the Port Authority Police Dept. and a volunteer with the Clifton/Passaid Ambulance Corps., Skala, 31, had been the recipient of two Meritorious Duty Medals for exemplary police actions.

Police Officer Walwyn Stuart PATH Command P.O. Shield #614
When Walwyn Stuart learned his wife was pregnant, he decided it was time to find safer work, so he left his job as an NYPD undercover narcotics cop and joined the NY/NJ Port Authority Police Department.   On duty at the PATH station in the World Trade Center, he got a trainload of commuters to stay on board for the return trip to New Jersey, and proceeded to evacuate the station before rushing up into the blazing north tower to save others.  Stuart, a 28 year old resident of Valley Stream, NY, loved his family, chess and the Lord. He had been with the Port Authority Police less then a year when the terrorists struck on September 11th.

Police Officer Kenneth Tietjen PATH Command P.O. Shield #1653
As a kid, Kenneth "Kenny" Tietjen always wanted to be a firefighter, so when he turned 18 he became a volunteer firefighter for the Belford Engine Company.  Later, he joined the Port Authority Police Department and on the morning of September 11th, Officer Tietjen, 31, of Matawan, NJ, was at the 33rd Street PATH station when he heard of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.  He commandered a taxi, banishing the driver to the backseat and drove to the WTC, where he led workers, some of them badly burned, from Tower One before grabbing the last air pack in sight and entering Tower Two just moments before it collapsed.  Tietjen had received several awards for his work with the Port Authority, including a special commendation in 1996 for subduing a man who rammed a patrol car in the Holland Tunnel and then stabbed a police sergeant.

Police Officer Nathaniel Webb Holland Tunnel Command P.O. Shield #1478

Port Authority Police Officer Nathaniel Webb joined the Port Authority Police Department in 1973.  His friends and colleagues knew the 57 year old Jersey City, NJ resident as a righteous and generous man who took care of his housebound mother and was always trying to help others stay on the straight and narrow.  On September 11th, Webb joined others from his workplace at the Holland Tunnel, as they rushed to the site of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, to help in the rescue efforts.  He had been a recipient of a Meritorious Police Duty Award and a Police Group Citation.

Police Officer Michael Wholey PATH Command P.O. Shield #1741
On the morning of September 11th, the World Trade Center Twin Towers were in flames following the deliberate crashes into them by airliners that had been hijacked by terrorists.  Port Authority PATH Officer, Michael Wholey, who regularly patrolled train stations, instead boarded a train from New Jersey to New York to help in the rescue effort ... he hasn't been seen or heard from since.  Wholey, 37, of Westwood, NJ had been with the Port Authority Police Department for 8 years.

THE THIRTY-SEVEN A Tribute to 37 Port Authority Police Officers September 11, 2001 - World Trade Center I remember them just fine, Gentle folks of modern time. Put to test the true resolve That made our country again evolve. Thirty-Seven a number norm, Battling a firestorm. Metal I-beams, rock, debris, Smoke so thick they couldn't see. They helped those who ran in fear, Saving lives as death drew near. Dodging fire raining down From the skies of New York town. Thirty-Seven Angels, why? Thirty-Seven heroes high. Names and faces that I see, Always there reminding me. How did life so precious die And leave us all so high and dry? These folks knew the deck was stacked. These folks didn't turn their backs. Thirty-Seven that I knew, Thirty-Seven all in blue. These PA Cops will always be Close to me in memory. God Bless the Thirty-Seven! © 2002 - William F. Hoover Lieutenant PAPD (Ret) All Rights Reserved