On 11 September 2001, firefighter Jay Jonas and his crew were sent into New York's North Tower after a hijacked plane crashed into the World Trade Center.
As they climbed the stairs searching for people who needed help, the South Tower collapsed.
Realising their rescue mission could no longer continue, the firefighters turned around and began making their way down.
On their descent they came across a woman, Josephine Harris.
"She was crying. She was in distress. And I said, 'Alright, bring her with us.'"
The firefighters took her with them, but she could not move at their pace.
"We made it to the fourth floor and Josephine Harris falls to the floor. And she starts yelling at us, leave me, get away from me, don't touch me, leave me alone."
Moments later, the North Tower collapsed.
Buried beneath the rubble, Jay, his crew and Josephine somehow survived. He tells Rowan Bridge how stopping to help Josephine slowed their escape from the tower. But the place where they were forced to stop turned out to be exactly where they needed to be when the building collapsed.
"By her making a stand on the fourth floor, that put us in the exact right spot. And we lived."
Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories.
When you subscribe to Witness History, you’ll be taken inside turning points in world affairs from West Africa’s fight back against Boko Haram in 2015 to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations.
You’ll discover what it was like to experience disasters and how people recovered from them, including the Tabasco floods in Mexico, Portugal's worst train disaster, and the huge clean-up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
You’ll explore culture and ideas too: Sweden’s Expedition Robinson, often credited as the first modern reality TV game show; the friendship between The Beatles’ George Harrison and Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar; and the night a tiger attack brought Las Vegas superstars Siegfried and Roy’s show to a sudden end.
And if you’re curious about inventions, we’ll tell you how air fryers, BlackBerry, YouTube, Alexa, GPS, superglue, the shopping cart (shopping trolley) and bubble tea were created.
If you’re new to Witness History, the appeal is simple: real voices, one strong true story, and a fresh way to understand today through events from history – all in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea or a walk around the block. Join millions of BBC World Service podcast listeners around the globe and enjoy the insight, context and detail Witness History will bring you.
(Photo: Jay Jonas. Credit: Getty Images)
