When al-Qaeda terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, six strangers were thrust into a nightmare inside an elevator, forced to fight for their lives in the darkness.
The express elevator was rising toward its first stop on the 67th floor when American Airlines Flight 11 slammed into the North Tower at 8:46 am, jolting the car and sending it plunging down the shaft.
One passenger hit the emergency button, but the elevator had already dropped 15 stories before it finally came to a halt near the 50th floor.
Soon, thick white smoke with a chemical odor began seeping into the cabin, turning fear into a lethal threat and leaving no room for panic.
The six men — among them a window cleaner and two Port Authority officials — kept their composure, combining quick thinking with sheer physical effort.
Their first move was to pry open the jammed automatic metal doors by hand.
But the opening revealed no way out, only a concrete wall marked with the stenciled number “50.”
Then came a flash of MacGyver-like resourcefulness from someone whose work at the World Trade Center usually kept him on the outside looking in.
Window cleaner and Polish immigrant Jan Demczur quickly whipped out the brass squeegee from the bucket by his feet and began frantically pecking at layers of drywall in a circular motion.
Some of the others worked in tandem, punching and kicking the drywall until there was a hole large enough for everyone to crawl out.
They landed in a men’s bathroom, where they met firefighters imploring them to leave.
So they rushed down 50 flights of stairs and bolted out of the North Tower at 10:23 AM.
Five minutes later, the tower collapsed.
Demczur reunited with two of the men — John Paczkowski and George Phoenix — as part of National Geographic’s new docuseries, “9/11 Reunited,” which premieres Aug. 21 at 8 p.m. The three-part series can also be streamed in its entirety the following day on Disney+ and Hulu.
Both Paczkowski and Phoenix are filmed warmly embracing Demczur in a meet-up at a Manhattan bar, thanking him for helping save their lives.
“Seeing Jan and George again after all of these years reminded me of not only the tragedy of that day and the enduring grief we feel for all who were lost, but also the raw humanity of what we shared, how blessed we are to still be alive, and the responsibility we have to live life to its fullest,” Paczkowski told The Post
The trio are among 14 survivors of the worst terror attack on US soil in history — which left 2,977 dead — who reunited with rescuers and other strangers who changed their lives for the docuseries.
In the opening episode shared with The Post, both Paczkowski and Phoenix discussed how the Twin Towers held a special place in their hearts long before 9/11.
Paczkowski, who worked on the 67th floor as the Port Authority’s assistant director of operations, said working there was a “dream come true.” Phoenix, a PA senior engineer, recounted falling in love with his future wife, Martha, during a date at the WTC’s observation deck.
The first episode also features Deborah St. John – who suffered severe injuries after being struck by debris from the second plane to hit the WTC on 9/11 – re-uniting with Stefan Horlacher, a stranger who rushed to her aid, administering first aid on the street amid mass chaos and flagging down an ambulance.
“We knew that there were a significant number of 9/11 survivors who made deeply meaningful connections amidst the horror of 9/11 but, for a whole host of reasons, hadn’t seen each other since,” said director Julian Jones, who created the series in collaboration with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and production company 72 Films.
“In reaching out to the survivors, we became aware that many felt they had things they wanted to say but felt they couldn’t — until now. After 25 years, the reunions became a chance for these survivors to say ‘thank you,’ to pass on a message, to honor the dead, and to reckon with their past.”
