Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Former NYU Student Recalls 9/11 Horror From Nearby
Caroline Dries was a student near the World Trade Center when the September 11 attacks happened.
She and her friends could see the buildings from their apartment.
At first, Dries could not understand what she was seeing after a plane hit a tower.
She said they felt young, scared and helpless.
They went outside, but the streets were chaotic and nobody knew exactly what was happening.
They returned to the apartment because they did not feel safe.
From there, they watched a huge cloud of dust spread through the area.
The attacks involved four hijacked passenger planes.
Nearly 3,000 people died, and the attacks changed security and foreign policy around the world.
Former New York University student Caroline Dries recalled watching the September 11 attacks from only a few buildings away.
Dries said she and her friends initially struggled to understand what they were seeing after the first plane struck the World Trade Center.
She described feeling vulnerable and confused as people fled the apartment and encountered pandemonium in the street.
Dries and her friends returned to the apartment, where they watched a massive dust cloud engulf the area.
The attacks involved four hijacked planes, killed nearly 3,000 people and reshaped U.S. foreign policy and global security.
- Who
- Caroline Dries, a former New York University student, recalled her experience alongside friends who were with her.
- What
- She described watching the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and their immediate aftermath from near the World Trade Center.
- When
- September 11, 2001; Dries shared her memories on the attacks’ 25th anniversary.
- Where
- From an apartment a few buildings away from the World Trade Center in New York City.
- Why
- The account was shared to describe the fear, confusion and vulnerability experienced by people near the attacks.
- Eyewitness
- Caroline Dries, a former New York University student
- Date of attacks
- September 11, 2001
- Location recalled
- An apartment a few buildings from the World Trade Center
- Attackers
- 19 al-Qaeda terrorists
- Aircraft involved
- Four hijacked passenger planes
- Deaths
- Nearly 3,000 people
- Flight 93
- United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to overpower the hijackers