9/11 Survivor: NYPD Sergeant Ran in as Others Ran Out, and Survived the Collapse
Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, most Americans remember the images: planes striking the towers, smoke filling Lower Manhattan and thousands of people running for their lives. NYPD Sergeant and author of the new book, The Evil that Walked New York, Mike Codella remembers something far more visceral—running in the opposite direction. Assigned to WTC Building 7, NYPD Sergeant Codella was heading toward the complex when he realized New York was under attack. He immediately changed course toward the North Tower, joining the NYPD and FDNY first responders rushing inside as terrified civilians streamed out.
- Mike Codella of the NYPD, ran toward the World Trade Center as others fled.
- He entered the North Tower as civilians streamed down the stairs.
- The collapse hurled him approximately 15 feet, burying him beneath debris.
- Codella was eventually rescued after surviving the collapse firsthand.
- His WTC 7 assignment gives him a unique perspective on 9/11, especially with that building being at the center of the most controversy.
Codella climbed the stairs until he realized there was simply too much evacuation traffic for him to continue. He turned toward another staircase, looking for a way to get deeper into the building without blocking those desperately trying to escape. Then everything changed.
He felt the building shake.
As the collapse began, Codella raced toward an exit. Moments later, the force of the destruction hurled him approximately 15 feet through the air. He slammed onto his back and disappeared beneath the debris. For a time, the NYPD sergeant was effectively buried alive. Eventually, rescuers located and extricated him.
Now, on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, NYPD Sergeant Codella can take audiences back inside those final terrifying moments from the perspective of someone who was actually there—and explain what it was like to survive an event that killed so many of his fellow New Yorkers and first responders.
But Codella’s story begins in another building that has become one of the most discussed locations of September 11: 7 World Trade Center. His assignment there put him in a unique position to remember the building before the attacks, including the presence of multiple federal agencies operating inside.
That experience gives Codella a rare perspective on WTC 7, the events surrounding the World Trade Center complex that morning and the extraordinary circumstances he personally witnessed.
Twenty-five years later, Codella isn’t simply remembering 9/11. He can describe what it felt like to run toward the danger, experience the collapse firsthand, be buried beneath its aftermath—and somehow walk away.
Relevant Article(s):
Retired NYPD Police Officer interview-Mike Codella
OPTIONAL Q & A:
- What went through your mind when you realized America was under attack?
- What thoughts running through your head as people rushing out and you rushing in?
- What do you remember about entering the North Tower that morning?
- What happened when you realized the building was beginning to collapse?
- What did it feel like being thrown 15 feet and buried alive?
- How were you eventually located and rescued from the debris?
- What did you witness while working inside 7 World Trade Center?
- What should Americans understand about 9/11 that history books cannot capture?
ABOUT MIKE CODELLA…
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Mike Codella walked the streets of the city he would one day dedicate his life to protecting. In 2001, Codella worked at the World Trade Center (Building 7). On September 11th he was on his way to work when he changed his route and headed toward WTC 1. Codella was one of those first responders who was running into the building as people were rushing out. He barely escaped death with the Tower came down.
In July of 1983, Codella became a New York City police officer—and over the next two decades, he would plunge into the city’s darkest corners. Rising to Detective Sergeant, Mike served in some of the NYPD’s most elite and high-stakes units: the Drug Enforcement Administration, Secret Service Task Force, Special Frauds Squad, Operation 8, and the Missing Persons Squad.
Codella investigated missing children, homicides, sex crimes, and violent felonies, leaving his mark on cases that gripped the city and shocked the nation. From the chilling terror of the Son of Sam murders to the haunting disappearance of Etan Patz, and the arrest of Andre Rand, Mike navigated the shadows, unraveling mysteries that most feared to confront. He infiltrated citywide drug cartels, and endured injuries as a first responder during the September 11 attacks. In the aftermath, he was tasked with bringing order to the chaos of the New York City Morgue—a grim duty that tested every ounce of his resolve.
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