{"id":5883,"date":"2026-08-01T12:37:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T12:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5883"},"modified":"2026-08-01T12:37:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T12:37:43","slug":"exclusive-more-9-11-families-urge-defiant-mamdani-to-stay-home-for-25th-memorial-ceremony-here-are-their-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5883","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | More 9\/11 families urge defiant Mamdani to stay home for 25th memorial ceremony: Here are their stories"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The movement to ban Mayor Zohran Mamdani from this year\u2019s 9\/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero \u2014 marking the 25th anniversary of New York City\u2019s darkest day \u2014 is mounting.<\/p>\n

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In less than three weeks, more than 62,000 people have signed the Change.org petition demanding Hizzoner skip the solemn event.<\/p>\n

The mayor\u2019s past remarks and associations with people openly hostile to the U.S. or scornful of the worst terror attack in American history has made his planned attendance a lightning rod for criticism, but he\u2019s so far brushed off the growing chorus and pledges to be there.<\/p>\n

The petition lists many reasons for wanting to exclude Mamdani, including his long reluctance to condemn the phrase \u201cglobalize the intifada,\u201d and his associations with individuals like his chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, who previously represented an al-Qaeda tanker-bombing pilot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis anniversary is one of remembrance grounded in shared American values: respect for the victims, recognition of the gravity of the attacks, and a clear rejection of the ideologies that contributed to such violence,\u201d the petition reads.<\/p>\n

The Post first reported on the skyrocketing number of signatories last weekend. Organizer Giovanni Galante this week estimated that thousands of family members of the 2,977 innocents killed on Sept. 11, 2001, have signed on.<\/p>\n

If Mamdani shows up at the ceremony, he should expect many 9\/11 family members to turn their backs on him in protest, warned Galante, whose 29-year-old wife Grace was killed in the attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t want to look at him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people are signing,\u201d said Angie Pesce of Staten Island, whose 34-year-old brother, Danny, was one of 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees who lost their lives in the Twin Towers. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not only the family \u2013 it\u2019s friends of family, too. . . . It\u2019s getting circulated and growing every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charles G. Wolf, whose 40-year-old wife Katherine Wolf was killed only two weeks into her job at Marsh & McLennan, said the Ugandan-born socialist mayor has alienated too many family members of 9\/11 victims by pushing an anti-American agenda and associating with terrorist sympathizers like left-wing influencer Hasan Piker \u2014 who once said \u201cAmerica deserved\u201d the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t want the United States to exist as it does today,\u201d alleged Wolf, whose compensation fight for 9\/11 victims\u2019 families was told in the 2020 Netflix film \u201cWorth\u201d with Emmy-winner Stanley Tucci playing him. \u201cHe wants to turn it into a third-world government \u2026 and continue the work that the 9\/11 hijackers were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

An FDNY captain said the petition is circulating widely in the department, which suffered the loss of 343 firefighters that day. Tom Van Essen, the city fire commissioner during and after 9\/11, enthusiastically signed, and said he\u2019d delight in delivering the mayor an icy surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes I signed it \u2014 I can\u2019t wait to hit him with a snowball in his phony face!\u201d<\/p>\n

First responders in other agencies also weighed in. <\/p>\n

John Ryan, a retired Port Authority chief of department who helmed the rescue operation for nine months after the attack, wants Mamdani to stay away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did sign the petition. Where was the mayor for the previous 9\/11s? I have been there every year, and I\u2019ve seen a steady parade of politicians come and go, who say they support the families and then you never hear from them again,\u201d he said. \u201cWords are shallow, actions are what counts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others did not sign, but shared their discomfort. <\/p>\n

Retired NYPD cop Jim Smith, whose wife, Moira Smith, was one of two female police officers who died on 9\/11, said, \u201cI didn\u2019t sign the petition because Sept. 11 should not be about politicians. It should be about the people that we lost that day and continue to lose \u2014 and their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cPetitions like this just take away from those heroes. The honorable thing would be for people who are distractions not to show up.\u201d <\/p>\n

Mamdani apologists have criticized the petition\u2019s creators and alleged The Post overestimated the number of victims\u2019 families who don\u2019t want Hizzoner at the solemn remembrance.<\/p>\n

The Post in the last week contacted more than 150 families shattered by 9\/11. A handful said they disagree with the petition.<\/p>\n

Dozens of relatives said they support the petition but declined to go on the record. They said they feared reprisals, including those with city jobs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vast majority of the family members said they signed the petititon, or intend to sign. Here are some of their stories:<\/p>\n

Maureen Santora\u2019s son Christopher Santora, 23, Engine 54 firefighter \u2014 South Tower<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A probie and the youngest firefighter to die on 9\/11, Christopher Santora played stickball and basketball growing up in Long Island City, Queens, and was a rare Toronto Blue Jays fan living in NYC. After graduating from Queens College and briefly working as a substitute teacher, he followed his father, Deputy Chief Al Santora, into the FDNY. Young Santora\u2019s shift had ended that day, but when the WTC alarm came in that morning, he didn\u2019t hesitate to jump on the back of a fire truck. His mother still grieves and is not happy that Mayor Mamdani plans to be at the 25th anniversary remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero. \u201cHe has never supported the 9\/11 community \u2013 ever,\u201d Maureen Santora said. \u201cAnd I just feel his presence is detrimental to the purpose of why we gather together: to honor the people who died on September 11th and to remember them in a respectful, dignified \u2026 way. This is not a political day. He\u2019s a divisive individual as well \u2013 and has made comments against many, many different groups.. . . That is not a person that should be present at a somber ceremony to remember people who were murdered by terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charles G. Wolf\u2019s wife Katherine Wolf, 40, Marsh & McLennan executive assistant \u2014 97th floor of the North Tower<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Katherine \u2014 who was born in Swansea, Wales, and was a classical pianist who graduated from Royal College of Music in London \u2014 began working at the insurance brokerage just two weeks before the terror attacks. \u201cI kissed her goodbye at 8:06 a.m, and never heard from her again,\u201d recalled Charles G. Wolf, a licensed pilot, adding he could hear the roar of the hijacked Boeing 767 airplane flying low over their Greenwich Village apartment seconds before it slammed into the WTC. Wolf \u2014 whose fight for compensation for 9\/11 victims\u2019 families was told in the 2021 Netflix film \u201cWorth\u201d with Emmy winner Stanley Tucci playing him \u2014 said Mamdani doesn\u2019t belong at the ceremony because \u201che brings pain\u201d and has \u201cno respect\u201d for the United States. \u201cHe does not have our interest at heart, and he does not care about the families. The memorial observation is for 9\/11 family members and . . . public officials who\u2019ve supported us all along the way after 9\/11,\u201d including former Gov. George Pataki.<\/p>\n

Louis Massari\u2019s wife Patricia Ann Cimaroli Massari, 25, accounting department at Marsh McLennan \u2014 98th floor North Tower <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The last words Louis Massari, 50, heard his wife Patricia utter were \u201cOh my god,\u201d after the first plane struck the Twin Towers. The two had been on the phone after learning just that morning that Patricia was pregnant. They had been teenage friends whose friendship slowly turned into a love story. \u201cShe definitely lit up a room any place she went to. . . . We knew her as somebody that had the most beautiful smile, and it\u2019s not being biased as her husband,\u201d Massari said. For Mamdani to be at the memorial services, the widower said after signing the petition, would stir up additional emotions that already emotional families would want to avoid. He believes the mayor should bow out to help \u201cde-escalate.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Angela Pesce\u2019s brother Danny Pesce, 34, Cantor Fitzgerald ticket worker \u2014 105th floor of the North Tower <\/h2>\n

Danny Pesce was a quiet, hard-working man who had a girlfriend in Tennessee and planned to move there, said his sister, who spoke to him at his desk twice after a hijacked plane slammed into the side of the skyscraper. With his office floor in flames, Danny called Angela to ask her if she knew what happened. Angela turned on the TV and told him a plane just hit the building and urged him to leave. Danny screamed to his co-workers, \u201cA plane just hit the building! Our building.\u201d She called back soon after, and Danny said the office was starting to fill with smoke. Angela could hear \u201cdesk draws slamming\u201d as Danny and co-workers were frantically preparing an evacuation. Then the line went dead. \u201cThat conversation will be in my mind forever,\u201d Angela said. After his death, Danny\u2019s 1988 Mercury Cougar sat in his family\u2019s driveway on Staten Island for 23 years. Family members are in the process of trying to fix it. Angela said she signed the petition because Mamdani \u201cdoesn\u2019t care about our families\u201d and is all about scoring political points. \u201cI\u2019m really afraid for this year,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat\u2019s gonna happen if he does show up? Everybody\u2019s angry. It\u2019s a place for mourning, and it\u2019s gonna be the 25th anniversary. I want to go there and mourn my brother. I don\u2019t want any . . . craziness. So he should look at that petition and say, \u2018Wow, I\u2019m gonna upset these families. I\u2019m staying home today.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeannette Puccio-Pick\u2019s father Joseph Pick, 40, vice president of Fiduciary Trust International \u2014 94th Floor South Tower <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Joseph Pick was a staff sergeant in the Air Force before going to work for Fiduciary Trust International. His daughter watched the building where he worked collapse. \u201cI was in school when it happened. I was 9 years old. I went to school in Hoboken, right across the water, and I watched my dad\u2019s building go down right in front of me,\u201d Jeannette, 34, told The Post. Her final memory of her dad was of watching TV on the couch. \u201cI saw him on September 9th at night. One of the last things we did was watch the premier of the Cartoon Network show \u2018Aqua Teen Hunger Force.\u2019 I still watch that because it reminds me of him.\u201d She feels the mayor should skip the 25th anniversary ceremony because of his association with radicals like Twitch streamer Hasan Piker. He \u201csaid in 2019 that America deserved 9\/11. Are you kidding me?\u201d she said, adding this message for Mamdani: \u201cI don\u2019t understand. It\u2019s like, \u201cDude we don\u2019t want you there. What don\u2019t you get? The families just want one day to themselves. Shouldn\u2019t we \u2013 the loved ones \u2013 get to choose who we want or don\u2019t want there?\u2019+\u201d<\/p>\n

Denise Matuza\u2019s husband and Walter P. Matuza\u2019s father<\/strong> Walter Matuza Jr., 39, analyst for Carr Futures \u2014 92nd Floor of North Tower\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When the first plane hit, Walter Matuza Jr. was on the phone with his wife. He tried to quell her\u00a0 fears and it would be the last time the two spoke. His death emotionally and physically traumatized the family. \u201cMy oldest son was 10 at the time, and from the stress of losing his father, he went blind and he lost his eyesight,\u201d Denise said. She sees no reason why Mamdani should attend the 25th anniversary event. \u201cHe should not be able to speak. It\u2019s all about the families, the names of the [people] who perished there. . . . This is our gravesite for our husbands and wives.\u201d Eldest son Walter agreed: \u201cI don\u2019t mind that [politicians] come as long as they\u2019re respectful. I just think it is disrespectful if he comes because of the people that he\u2019s associated with.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Monica Iken-Murphy\u2019s husband Michael Iken, 37, bond broker for Euro Brokers \u2014 84th floor of the South Tower <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The couple had been married for only 11 months and were trying to have a baby, recalled Monica Iken-Murphy, a leading advocate in the creation of the 9\/11 Memorial & Museum. \u201cHis dream was to be a dad . . . . because he was adopted and never knew his father. He got robbed of being a father.\u201d Iken-Murphy said Mamdani\u2019s politics wasn\u2019t why she signed the petition. Only politicians involved in the healing \u201cprocess from the start\u201d \u2014 such as ex-NYC Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani \u2014 should join 9\/11 family members in attending \u201cthis pivotal 25th anniversary ceremony,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t want families to feel uncomfortable. Others can come a different day, but let the families have their time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicolas Haros Jr.\u2019s mother Frances Haros, 76, receptionist at Keefe Bruyette & Woods \u2014 89th floor of the South Tower<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Even after a grueling recovery from eye surgery, the beloved mother and grandmother was determined to return to her job, just months before 9\/11,\u00a0 at the securities brokerage and investment bank where she was a beloved figure. After her husband\u2019s death she returned to work as a receptionist, where she had a front row seat to a hive of activity. \u201cShe saw everyone come and go. The young men shared their stories with her and got advice. She was the office mom \u2013 she loved it,\u201d said son Nic Haros Jr.\u00a0 \u201cI kept asking my mom to retire. It was a long daily commute, but she loved her work friends.\u201d But on this solemn anniversary, the controversial mayor, a \u201cposter child for the DSA,\u201d would be \u201cworse than a slap on the face\u201d to grieving loved ones, he said. \u201cBan him \u2014 he will only anger the families. He should skip it as he did the Israel Day parade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lori Shertzer Brody\u2019s brother Scott Shertzer, 28, human resources at Cantor Fitzgerald \u2014 101st floor of North Tower <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Lori Brody was an assistant vice president at Deutsche Bank who had gotten her little brother Scott a job at Cantor Fitzgerald. They both worked in the North Tower. \u201cThe irony is, I told him to stay [at the investment firm] because I found out he was going to get a promotion which he didn\u2019t know about,\u201d Lori Brody said. \u201cI told him, \u2018No, no, just wait, just wait till December. It\u2019s going to be great, I promise you.\u201d Lori Brody made it out alive, but her brother perished in the collapse. Mayor Mamdani \u201cjust makes things worse,\u201d she said. \u201cI am Jewish, I find him to be very antisemitic. I find him to incite violence wherever he goes. He thrives on division. I find that he has proven over and over again where his loyalty on September 11th stands \u2014 his loyalty stands with the terrorists. He could do the proper thing and bow out. He won\u2019t because he likes to inflict pain on those he can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cathy Cava\u2019s sister and Giovanni Galante\u2019s wife Grace Catherine Galante, 29, Cantor Fitzgerald \u2014 105th floor of the North Tower<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Grace was a \u201cbeautiful, kind person\u201d who was great at \u201creading people\u201d and was loved by many of her 657 co-workers who perished that day. Giovanni Galante, who is the lead organizer of the petition drive, branded Mamdani an apologist for Islamic terror whose presence would be an insult to the memories of nearly 3,000 people murdered on 9\/11. \u201cOur objection is based on his public record \u2014 his failure to meaningfully acknowledge the horror of that day, and his employment of, support for, or association with individuals who have minimized 9\/11, defended terrorists, or even suggested America \u2018deserved\u2019 the attacks,\u201d he said. \u201cThis day is sacred to us. It is not political, and it is not a platform for those connected to such views. His presence would be deeply hurtful and inappropriate.\u201d Grace\u2019s sister Cathy Cava, 60, said, \u201cIt would be totally disrespectful for [Mamdani] to be there. He hasn\u2019t shown any support\u201d for the 9\/11 family community. She described Grace as \u201csmart, gregarious and loving.\u201d \u201cPeople gravitated to her,\u201d Cava said. \u201cThe world lost a beautiful person, and it should not have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cheri Sparacio\u2019s husband Thomas Sparacio, 35, currency trader for Eurobrokers \u2014 84th floor of the South Tower <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The couple shared twin sons, Eric and Jonathan, who were just 2 years old when Thomas died. Cheri Sparacio, one of the petition\u2019s organizers, said there are \u201cso many other examples\u201d why it\u2019s \u201cdisrespectful\u201d for Mamdani to attend the ceremony that \u201cwe couldn\u2019t fit them on\u201d the petition, which cites many examples of what they believe show the mayor is a longtime terror apologist. If the mayor attends, \u201cit doesn\u2019t show respect for the families and it doesn\u2019t show any understanding of the tragedy of that day if you\u2019re going to excuse it in various ways,\u201d she said.be deeply hurtful and inappropriate \u2014 like an unwelcome guest at a deeply personal ceremony.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patty Coughlin\u2019s husband John Coughlin, 43, NYPD sergeant \u2014 South Tower <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Marine Corps veteran and NYPD Sgt. John Coughlin was last seen entering the South Tower attempting to save others. His last radio transmission showed that he was on the 20th floor of the building before communication went dark. But before he perished, he ran into a high school friend in the burning building and told the person to run; that person survived. Public service was important to Coughlin, and he was also a volunteer firefighter in his Rockland County hometown of Pomona. He left behind three daughters, Erin, Tara, and Kayla. His wife Patty, 67, who signed the petition to keep Mamdani out, said, the \u201cmayor is anti-American. He doesn\u2019t care about the people who died on 9\/11 and those that have died since. He has never shown his support. . . . He doesn\u2019t deserve to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maggie McDonnell-Tiberio\u2019s husband Brian McDonnell, 38, NYPD sergeant \u2014 South Tower<\/strong><\/h2>\n

McDonnell was a cop\u2019s cop \u2014\u00a0 known for wearing his brass-buttoned formal uniform and swinging his police baton while out on the beat. Prior to his 15 years on the force, McDonnell served as an elite Army paratrooper. On Sept. 11, 2001, he sprung to action as part of Emergency Service Unit\u2019s Squad 1 and was last seen entering the South Tower in an heroic attempt to save lives. His widow Maggie McDonnel-Tiberio signed the petition because she feels Mamdani\u2019s presence would be salt in the wound. \u201cThe mayor stands for everything that made 9\/11 happen. He doesn\u2019t support the victims and their families. He has never said anything publicly or done anything to show his support,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Nilsen\u2019s husband Troy Nilsen, 33, network engineer for Cantor Fitzgerald \u2014 103rd floor North Tower<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Jennifer Nilsen was married to Troy for four years and thought they would grow old together. She loved his humor and how attentive he was to their oldest son, Scott, who has autism. \u201cMy kids miss him daily . . . my older son, he understands. . . . [He] was 5 and the youngest one was almost 3\u201d on that dark day. Her signing the petition had nothing to do with politics or religion, she said, but a way to keep the day focused on the families who lost loved ones. \u201cWe don\u2019t want it to turn into a circus and people getting arrested or whatever. We don\u2019t want that. We want it nice and calm. Let us remember our loved ones that day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Patricia Martin Nilsen\u2019s sister Anne Marie Martino-Cramer, 47, Fiduciary Trust tax specialist \u2014 90th floor of the South Tower<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Anne Marie Martino-Cramer worked at Fiduciary Trust for nearly her entire adult life, having joined the firm soon after graduating high school and only leaving for a brief stint at Bank of New York. She was famous for her work ethic, and in fact, had a vacation scheduled for September 11, 2001, but decided to push it back to October. She was already hard at work early that morning when Flight 11 knifed into the North Tower. Anne Marie calmly explained on the phone to her mom, with whom she lived on Staten Island, that she was alright. A modest leader, it was her character to calm and comfort others before herself. \u201cShe just picked up and would just keep going. That\u2019s just the way she was,\u201d her sister Patricia, 79, said in Anne Marie\u2019s obituary. Even though she was seven years older than Anne Marie, Patricia looked up to her younger sister, and she\u2019s taken offense to the idea of Mamdani attending this year\u2019s memorial. She is one of the original organizers of the petition. \u201cHis association alone with Hasan Piker, the man who said \u2018we deserved\u2019 [9\/11\u2019 \u2013 I think that\u2019s what put me over the edge to get a petition started,\u201d she told The Post. Her sister\u2019s remains were never recovered, and the thought of people like Mamdani attending the 25th anniversary, she said, \u201cturns my stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard York\u2019s brother Raymond R. York, 45, Engine 285 firefighter \u2014 Ground Zero command post<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The oldest of eight siblings, Raymond R. York was a born leader who served valiantly with the FDNY for nearly 20 years until a shoulder injury put him on light duty. Then he taught fire safety at Rockefeller Center\u2019s The Fire Zone, where children affectionately called him \u201cFireman Ray.\u201d When he learned of the 9\/11 attacks from a TV crew covering The Fire Zone, he refused to leave his brothers behind. He hopped on the closest firetruck heading downtown and then transferred to an ambulance when it got stuck in traffic, ultimately reaching the FDNY command post at Ground Zero. His brother Richard, then a construction worker in Times Square, hoped Raymond had gone home, but knew in his heart that nothing would stop him from trying to help. \u201cI\u2019m praying to myself. I went to bed [that night] . . . saying he probably did make it down there [but] I\u2019m saying to myself I hope he\u2019s in the hospital,\u201d he told The Post. Raymond\u2019s widow, Joan, was notified the following morning that he didn\u2019t make it. Richard said his brother would be disgusted by the idea of Mamdani attending the 25th anniversary memorial. Richard, who retired and lives in Florida, said he and his wife are so distraught by Mamdani\u2019s attendance that they may skip the event altogether. \u201cThe way the city is, it feels like we\u2019re not welcome,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Karen Ciaccio\u2019s brother Jeffrey Walz, 37, FDNY lieutenant \u2014 North Tower<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Waltz was among 10 firefighters at Ladder 9 in the East Village who responded to the terror attacks and perished (another four weren\u2019t inside the North Tower and survived). The Staten Island native was the son of a retired firefighter and left behind a wife, Rani Walz, and a 3-year-old son, Bradley. \u201cHe loved his job,\u201d said Ciaccio. \u201cHe was known as a gentle giant. He was not a man of many words, but he always listened to what you were saying. When he was taken away from us, my family was never the same again. It\u2019s been 25 years, but it still feels like it happened yesterday.\u201d Ciaccio also said she signed the petition because she doesn\u2019t believe any politicians should be attending the memorial ceremony. \u201cIt\u2019s a day for the families, for us to mourn our loved ones who were innocently murdered,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Morton Weinberg\u2019s son Michael Thomas Weinberg, 34, Engine 1 firefighter \u2014 Ground Zero<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Professional baseball player, boxer, golfer, model, actor, Michael Thomas Weinberg did it all, but his highest calling was helping others as an FDNY firefighter. He was on vacation on 9\/11 waiting for his tee time at Forest Park Golf Course in Queens when he heard the World Trade Center was attacked. He rushed to the scene to rescue his sister Patricia, who worked for Morgan Stanley on the 72nd floor of Two World Trade Center. She managed to escape, but when the towers collapsed, Michael was killed instantly as he sheltered behind a fire truck. \u201cMichael was the best of the best. . . . He used to help people he was very, very good with people. . . . To this day, my heart is broken, that\u2019s all I can say,\u201d said his father, Morton, 89, a retired firefighter. Too infirm to sign the petition, he added, \u201cI don\u2019t like Mamdani, he\u2019s screwing up the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dennis Warchola\u2019s brother Michael Warchola, 51, firefighter with Ladder 5 \u2014 North Tower<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cMike was a student of history, now he\u2019s part of it,\u201d said his brother Dennis, a retired firefighter. His brother was a beloved father, world traveler and amateur artist, and just two days from retiring when the terrorists struck NYC. He planned to go to Australia to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef. He rushed with ladder company into the North Tower. The building collapsed on them as they frantically tried to carry a wheelchair bound woman down the stairs. \u201cI was there when they found his body, I got to put my hand on his arm,\u201d Dennis said. Though he originally liked Mamdani\u2019s economic policies, Dennis was disgusted to learn of Mamdani\u2019s radical statements and associations. \u201cI got no use for someone who supports terrorism, forget him.\u201d But he will not sign the petition because he doesn\u2019t believe in silencing people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Suzanne Oelsclager<\/strong>\u2018s husband Douglas Oelschlager, 36, firefighter Ladder 15 \u2014 South Tower\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Suzanne Oelsclager, 63, called her husband Douglas her soulmate. She recalled how hands-on he was with his two young daughters, even filling in as a Girl Scout leader for their troop. Suzanne told The Post that becoming a firefighter was a calling for her husband, who was a volunteer firefighter for nearly 20 years before joining the FDNY. \u201cHe always wanted to be a New York City fireman. So he set out to do that journey, and unfortunately, it was one of his last journeys in his life,\u201d Suzanne said. She said she signed the petition because Mamdani\u2019s presence would \u201ctake away\u201d from the day. \u201cHe is just being a political figure. And it\u2019s not a day about political figures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Meryl Mayo-Marshall<\/strong>\u2018s husband Robert J. Mayo, 46, deputy fire safety director at the WTC \u2014\u00a0North Tower<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Robert J. Mayo could easily have escaped the 9\/11 attacks with his life but he was determined to save as many other people as possible. As deputy fire safety director in WTC\u2019s building 4, it was his job to evacuate people in an emergency. \u201cI called him twice that day begging him to leave. He could have easily run out to the boats that were waiting by the West Side Highway the way a lot of other people did, but he said, \u2018This is what I\u2019m trained to do. I need to save as many people as I can,\u2019\u201d his widow Meryl, 67, recalled. She said her husband would be livid if he knew Mayor Mamdani would be at the memorial. \u201cIt\u2019s so distasteful. He surrounds himself with people who make inflammatory statements about 9\/11, he disparages law enforcement and the NYPD and supports terrorists,\u201d she said. Meryl will stay home if he attends. \u201cThe idea of reading names and looking over and seeing him is nauseating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sari Weatherwax\u2019s friends and co-workers of United Airlines Flight 175 crew \u2014 South Tower<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Weatherwax, 82, a retired United Airlines flight attendant, lost 16 friends \u2014 some of whom she had worked with for 35 years \u2014 on Flights 175 and 93 on 9\/11. Five Islamic terrorists took control of Flight 175 out of Logan Airport in Boston between 8:42 a.m. and 8:46 a.m., using knives, pepper spray and the threat of a bomb. \u201cWe weren\u2019t ready for that when it happened,\u201d she said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know what an Islamist was.\u201d When the hijackers flew the screeching jet into the South Tower at 9:03 a.m. some of the first to die would be her friends \u2014 Capt. Victor Saracini, 51, First Officer Michael Horrocks, 38, and flight attendants Amy King, 29; Michael Tarrou, 38; Robert Fangman, 33; Amy Jarret, 28; Kathryn LaBorie, 42, and Alicia Titus, 28. She recalled \u201cAmy and Michael were from Connecticut and they were just darling and they were engaged to be married. \u201cDying together, for their parents it was just awful.\u201d Weatherwax, who now serves as a docent and artifacts specialist at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, signed the petition against Mamdani. \u201cWe\u2019re just furious that he\u2019s going to be there,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t want him to be there. If Mamdani didn\u2019t come nothing would happen. Especially on the 25th Anniversary. I don\u2019t want him to be there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jennifer Eppolito\u2019s father Robert Crawford, 63, chief\u2019s aide Battalion 1 \u2013 4th floor South Tower<\/h2>\n

Robert Crawford was a firefighter for 32 years and was planning to retire. \u201cHe had just bought his first brand new car ever, and he got to enjoy it for about a month,\u201d recalled his daughter Jennifer Eppolito, 56. Her parents had also bought a house up in Maine in preparation for their new life. As a child her father would go sailing up north and loved the Pine Tree State. \u201cThere\u2019s not enough time,\u201d Eppolito told The Post when asked what type of man her father was. \u201cIt didn\u2019t matter who you were, if you needed help he would help you. He was just the friend that everyone would have wanted to have. I was just very fortunate to have him in my life for 31 years.\u201d He was a man of faith, involved in charitable work, and a wonderful grandfather. Eppolito signed the petition. \u201cThat might sound harsh but he\u2019s not welcome at Ground Zero, he shouldn\u2019t even come there. . . . his policies and everything he is talking about [would be] disgraceful to people who were killed during September 11th.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Mamdani beware \u2014 Cleveland\u2019s forgotten folly holds a warning for NYC<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tens of thousands of people have signed a Change.org petition urging Mayor Zohran Mamdani to sit out this year’s 9\/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero, including family members of those slain in New York City’s day of infamy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nExclusive | More 9\/11 families urge defiant Mamdani to stay home for 25th memorial ceremony: Here are their stories - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5883\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive | More 9\/11 families urge defiant Mamdani to stay home for 25th memorial ceremony: Here are their stories - 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