NYPD Detective Sargeant ran up the WTC South Tower on 9/11 as others ran down
The Bloomberg podcast interview with Mike Codella, a former NYPD Detective Sergeant, offers a firsthand account of one of the most terrifying moments in American history: the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the collapse of the World Trade Center. Drawing on his own experience as a New York City police officer, Codella recounts what happened when he realized the city was under attack and made the decision to go toward the danger while thousands of others were desperately trying to escape. His story provides a deeply personal perspective on the chaos, confusion, courage and sacrifice that defined that morning.
Codella was not simply an observer of the attacks. He became part of the emergency response, moving toward the World Trade Center as the unfolding catastrophe became increasingly apparent. He entered the South Tower as people were attempting to evacuate, placing himself in extraordinary danger in an effort to help others. His recollections provide a vivid sense of what it was like to be inside the building as the situation deteriorated and the reality of the attack became impossible to ignore.
Bloomberg Remembers 9/11
The Bloomberg interview also focuses on the terrifying moments surrounding the collapse of the South Tower. Codella describes the sudden violence and confusion as the building began coming down around him, leaving him struggling to survive amid darkness, debris and devastation. His escape was remarkably narrow, and his account illustrates just how little control anyone on the ground had once the massive structure began to collapse. Public descriptions of his story note that he was thrown by the force of the collapse and eventually found his way to safety.
Beyond the physical experience of surviving the attack, the conversation on Bloomberg podcast explores the emotional aftermath of September 11. Codella reflects on returning home after the attacks and discovering that his family had feared the worst. For those who knew him, the possibility that he had been killed at Ground Zero was very real. His survival therefore became not merely a story about escaping a collapsing building, but also a deeply personal story about family, loss, uncertainty and the extraordinary circumstances faced by first responders.
The Bloomberg Podcast discussion places Codella’s experience within the larger story of the NYPD and the thousands of police officers, firefighters, emergency workers and civilians who responded that day. His account highlights the instinct of first responders to move toward danger when everyone else is moving away from it. It also emphasizes the courage displayed by ordinary Americans who suddenly found themselves confronted with an unprecedented national catastrophe.
On the 25th anniversary of September 11, the interview considers the importance of preserving these firsthand memories for people who did not experience the attacks themselves. Codella discusses the danger of allowing younger generations to become disconnected from the events and the lessons of that day. His perspective serves as a reminder that September 11 was not simply a historical event viewed through photographs and archival footage. It was experienced minute by minute by real people making life-and-death decisions.
The Bloomberg podcast interview also touches on Codella’s broader career in law enforcement and the experiences that shaped his understanding of crime, policing and New York City. His decades of police work provide additional context for his observations about courage, public safety and the changing character of the city.
Ultimately, the conversation is a firsthand survival story and a reflection on memory, sacrifice and resilience. Codella survived an experience that claimed thousands of lives, and his account offers listeners an opportunity to hear September 11 through the eyes of someone who was there, entered the danger zone and barely escaped the collapse of the South Tower. His story underscores why firsthand testimony remains essential to remembering what happened and why the events of September 11 continue to matter decades later.
