Janice Brooks, a British 9/11 survivor, miraculously escaped the 84th floor of the South Tower but is plagued by a recurring nightmare of a man trapped in flames. She now dedicates her life to educating younger generations about the tragedy, hoping to keep the memory of those lost alive.
For 25 years, Janice Brooks has been tormented by a recurring nightmare: she sees a man with curly black hair in a blue shirt and tie, standing in a void in the Twin Towers, looking at a wall of flames before appearing to jump. Brooks, who was 41 at the time, had moved to New York just three weeks before 9/11 for her dream job as an executive assistant at Euro Brokers on the 84th floor of Two World Trade Center. On September 11th, 2001, she was at her desk when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower. Initially thinking it was construction noise, she was alerted by her London boss to 'get the f*** out of there!' as the news unfolded on TV. She began evacuating, even removing her high heels on a colleague's advice. While descending, a PA announcement falsely declared 'Building Two is secure. Please return to your office.' Brooks and others nearly returned via elevator but, thankfully, it never arrived. They decided to walk back up the stairs, and it was then, on what she believes was the 76th floor, that United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into their South Tower. The impact plunged them into darkness, debris, and chaos. Brooks witnessed horrific injuries: a woman with glass in her hair and a nearly severed arm, a man with a shard of glass in his chest, and another woman showering glass from her hair. They found one remaining stairwell, navigating through smoke, rubble, and gushing water, with the injured woman trailing blood. A colleague, Bob Mahon, played a crucial role, eventually carrying the severely injured woman down the last 10 floors. At the 8th floor, they passed three firefighters ascending to their fate. Upon reaching the ground, a police officer urged them to 'Keep your head down, don’t look up, and run.' Brooks and Mahon ran until they could see the Brooklyn Bridge, then turned to see a massive hole in their tower. It was 9:43 am. Their tower collapsed just 16 minutes later at 9:59 am, killing over 600 people, including 61 of her colleagues. The North Tower fell at 10:28 am. Now 66, living in Norfolk, England, Brooks works with the charity 'Since 9/11,' giving talks in schools to educate those born after the attacks. She hopes to personalize the tragedy and keep the memory of the victims alive. Her psychiatrist suggested she needs to find an 'ending' for the man in her nightmare. Recently, an audience member suggested the man in her dream is actually her, a thought she reflects on, but the nightmare persists.
