UNDER THE RUBBLE: Scott Strauss: S1:E8

On the morning of 9/11, Scott Strauss was on the train home when he heard over his Walkman that a plane struck the World Trade Center. Strauss said. He grabbed some clothes, said goodbye to his wife, and raced back into Manhattan. Assigned to a rescue team, Strauss reached the World Trade Center moments after the North Tower collapsed. For the next several hours, he joined in the arduous task of searching for survivors in what would become known as “the pile.”

Early that evening, Strauss was notified that Port Authority Police Sgt. John McLoughlin and rookie Officer Will Jimeno were found in the debris field. They survived the collapse of the towers but were trapped 30 feet beneath the pile, injured, and unable to escape. It was up to Strauss and his team to rescue them. The team began the perilous journey to reach the officers, crawling over hot steel and squeezing through narrow, smoke-filled spaces. It took more than three hours to pull Officer Jimeno to safety. Sgt. McLoughlin was rescued a few hours later.

If you haven't done so already watch last week's episode where we talked with Will Jimeno about his experience trapped under the rubble.