Jersey City Memorial Honors 746 New Jerseyans as 24th Year of 9/11 Passes On September 10, 2026, the Empty Sky: New Jersey September 11th Memorial in Jersey City commemorated the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with a solemn ceremony attended by veterans, families, and first responders. The memorial features twin stainless‑steel walls bearing the names of 746 New Jersey residents killed in the attacks, a bronze sculpture salvaged from the WTC, and the symbolic view toward Ground Zero. Retired officer Brian Gillespie and Jersey City officer Dineen Rackley highlighted the emotional connection to the site and the enduring legacy of the fallen. On the morning of September 10, 2026, the Empty Sky: New Jersey September 11th Memorial in Jersey City drew a quiet crowd of mourners, survivors, and family members from New Jersey and beyond, all converging to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the September 11 attacks, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 2001 Pentagon attack, and the 2009 Flight 255 crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The memorial, situated on the Hudson waterfront, is a powerful reminder of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that still reverberates in the collective memory of the region. Visitors stepped onto a path paved with black granite that leads to twin walls of stainless steel carved with the names of 746 New Jersey residents who were killed or went missing during the attacks.The walls point toward Ground Zero, rendering a symbolic line of sight to the former Twin Towers in New York City. Between the walls lies a black granite slab that bears a photographic reproduction of the Twin Towers, and a bronze sculpture that was salvaged from the wreckage and reassembled to represent the steadfast spirit of first responders and law‑makers who faced the horror that day.The quiet ceremony was interrupted by the arrival of retired Manasquan police officer Brian Gillespie and his service dog Phoenix. Gillespie, who had retired from the force in 2019 after 35 years of service, paused at the memorial and placed his hand near the engraved name of his friend and fellow officer Richard Rodriguez, who also lost his life in the attacks.The act embodied the connection many families and former officers feel that still lingers in the present, the memory of comrades who fought side by side. Earlier in the evening, Jersey City Police Officer Dineen Rackley, attending the memorial for the first time, described the emotional pull of the site and the sense that the absence of the Twin Towers from the skyline is felt most strongly across the Hudson River.She reflected on the impact of the fourth tower's ruin on the city's sense of security and how the walls of the memorial serve as a reminder that the memory, like the steel girders themselves, is enduring. Law‑enforcement and firefighters gathered to lay flags and pay respects in a solemn ceremony that represented the sacrifice of the various agencies that responded.The memorial's steel girders from the original World Trade Center are hung in the structure and serve as a metallic reminder of the loss and resilience of the first responders. Accompanying the walls are bronze flowers, flag fragments, and helmets that symbolize the bravery of the men and women who rushed into the disintegration of the towers.The site, once a staging area for rescue operations, is now tranquil, its silence punctuated by the murmur of memorial chants and the soft clink of bronze. This is the day that the community reads its past with reverence, acknowledges the present grief, and yet, with the change of seasons, looks toward a future that has learned from tragedy. The 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks has become a pilgrimage for families and survivors across the nation.While the tribute in Jersey City was largely a quiet homage, the event underscores the role of memorials in connecting people to a shared history. In the face of ongoing global tensions, the Empty Sky memorial offers a place for reflection, healing, and remembrance, keeping the memory of the 746 New Jerseyans, the families, the first responders, and the countless lives altered by that day alive for generations to come.