Archive · 11 Sep 2026
The ‘Falling Man’: Photograph That Defined 9/11’s Human Tragedy
On September 11, 2001, hijacked airplanes struck the World Trade Center in New York City.
Many people were trapped inside the burning buildings.
Photographer Richard Drew took a picture of one person falling from a tower.
The person’s identity has never been proven.
Some people thought the person might have been Jonathan Briley.
The picture became known as “The Falling Man.”
Some readers felt newspapers should not publish such a painful image.
Others believed it showed what people experienced during the attack.
Associated Press photographer Richard Drew captured the image at about 9:41 a.m. on September 11, 2001.
The photograph shows an unidentified man falling vertically from the burning World Trade Center.
Some reports identified the man as Jonathan Briley, but that identification was never conclusively established.
The image drew criticism from readers who considered its publication disturbing or disrespectful.
Others defended the photograph as a record of the reality faced by people trapped inside the towers.
- Who
- Associated Press photographer Richard Drew photographed an unidentified man, whose identity remains disputed.
- What
- A photograph captured a man falling from the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks.
- When
- September 11, 2001, at approximately 9:41 a.m.
- Where
- The World Trade Center in New York City, United States.
- Why
- Drew was photographing people falling from the buildings amid the attacks; the image was later published as a record of the victims’ experiences.
Critics of Publication
Defenders of Publication
Whether the photograph should have been published
Critics of Publication
Some readers considered the image disturbing or disrespectful to the person shown and to the victims of the attacks.
Defenders of Publication
Others argued that it documented the reality faced by people trapped inside the World Trade Center.
Identity of the man
Critics of Publication
Reports that identified the man as Jonathan Briley were disputed and did not establish his identity conclusively.
Defenders of Publication
The photograph and related investigations continued to be associated with an unidentified victim rather than a confirmed individual.
- Photographer
- Richard Drew of The Associated Press
- Photograph name
- “The Falling Man”
- Date captured
- September 11, 2001
- Approximate time
- 9:41 a.m.
- Location
- World Trade Center, New York City
- Identity
- The man has never been conclusively identified
- Documentary
- 9/11: The Falling Man, directed by Henry Singer