Monmouth County Events To Mark 25th Anniversary Of 9/11 Terror Attacks

MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ — Communities across Monmouth County will pause Friday to mark 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, with ceremonies honoring the nearly 3,000 people who were killed and the first responders who risked, and, in many cases, later lost their lives.

On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaida terrorists hijacked four airplanes, flying two into New York City's World Trade Center and one into the Pentagon. Passengers fought back on the fourth, United Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The deadliest U.S. terror attack killed 2,977 victims.

While larger observances will be held at the three sites in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, attacked 25 years ago, Monmouth County events include the following:

Monmouth County 9/11 Memorial Ceremony

• Date & Time: Friday (8 a.m.)
• Location: Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook (Atlantic Highlands)
• Details: The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners will host the annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The site will have extended hours from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Freehold Township 9/11 Memorial Ceremony

• Date & Time: Friday (10 a.m.)
• Location: Freehold Township 9/11 Monument (between the Municipal Plaza and the Construction Department Building)
• Details: Join Mayor Lester Preston Jr. and the Freehold Township Committee to remember those who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Freehold Borough 25th Commemoration Of 9/11

• Date & Time: Friday (8:15 a.m.)
• Location: Freehold Borough Hall (30 Mechanic Street)
• Details: Freehold Borough invites the public to join them as they commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Hazlet Township 9/11 Memorial Service

• Date & Time: Friday (9:30 a.m.)
• Location: Memorial Garden at Veterans Park (next to the James J. Cullen Center)
• Details: Join Hazlet Township in honoring the memory of those we lost and the heroes who answered the call on September 11, 2001. Seating in the garden area is limited, so arriving early is recommended.

Colts Neck Township 9/11 25th Anniversary Commemorative Service

• Date & Time: Friday (6:30 p.m.)
• Location: Town Hall Memorial Garden (Colts Neck)
• Details: The public is invited to join Colts Neck Township for its 25th anniversary commemorative service of 9/11.

9/11: 25 Years of Remembrance In Red Bank

• Date & Time: Friday (9:30 a.m.)
• Location: Riverside Gardens Park (Red Bank)
• Details: Join the Borough of Red Bank as the community gathers in solemn reflection and unity to honor the victims, first responders, and all those impacted by the September 11, 2001, attacks. In case of rain, the ceremony will be moved to the Elks Lodge #233 at 40 W. Front Street.

Fair Haven Honorary Run, Silent Reflection & Evening Vigil

• Date & Time: Friday (8 a.m., 8:45 a.m. and 7 p.m.)
• Locations: Fair Haven Fields and Memorial Park
• Details: The public is invited to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11 in Fair Haven with an Honorary Run at 8 a.m., a ceremony led by Mayor Halpern at 8:45 a.m. and an Evening Vigil at 7 p.m.

Long Branch 9/11 Service

• Date & Time: Friday (9-10 a.m.)
• Location: Long Branch Municipal Building (344 Broadway)
• Details: Join Long Branch for their 9/11 memorial service. All are welcome to attend.

Manasquan 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony

• Date & Time: Friday (6 p.m.)
• Location: Squan Plaza
• Details: The Borough of Manasquan invites the community to remember and honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001, during their remembrance ceremony.

Howell Township 9/11 Memorial Service

• Date & Time: Friday (6 p.m.)
• Location: 9/11 Memorial Monument (251 Preventorium Road)
• Details: Join Howell Township as the community comes together to remember the lives lost and honor the heroes, families and countless individuals whose lives were changed by the events of September 11, 2001.

Middletown Remembers

• Date & Time: Friday (7 p.m.)
• Location: Middletown WTC Memorial Gardens (36 Church Street, Middletown)
• Details: Middletown Township invites the community to join them in honoring those lost in the September 11, 2001, attacks. Following the ceremony, guests are invited to walk through the Memorial Garden.

The toll has continued to grow. Thousands of survivors, first responders and people who lived, worked, or attended school near the attack sites have developed cancers and other illnesses linked to toxic exposure during the rescue, recovery and cleanup.

In Monmouth County, the Board of County Commissioners has declared the day as an official County Day of Remembrance for the fourth consecutive year.

On the day of the 9/11 attacks, Monmouth County lost 147 people who were born, raised, or lived in the county, Commissioner Ross F. Licitra said.

On Friday, the Board of County Commissioners will come together with the community to remember those lost in the attacks at the Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook in Atlantic Highlands.

“Our Memorial Ceremony pays tribute to their lives, and the meaningful features throughout the memorial stand as lasting reminders of their legacy, the profound impact on their families, and the enduring effect those events had on our community and our nation,” he said.

Former Presidents At Ground Zero

As is traditional, the names of the 2,977 people killed in the 9/11 attacks and six others who died in the 1993 World Trade Center attack will be read at a ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Manhattan.

Four former presidents — Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — are expected to attend the 25th-anniversary ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial in New York City.

President Donald Trump is not expected at Ground Zero. Vice President JD Vance will represent the administration in New York.

The ceremony will be livestreamed. That evening, the annual Tribute in Light will send twin beams into the sky, accompanied this year by a one-hour national broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC, Disney+, Hulu, National Geographic and ABC News Live.

Trump At Pentagon Observance

Trump will attend the 9/11 observance at the Pentagon, where 184 people were killed when American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and flown into the structure

Defense and military leaders traditionally gather for a ceremony centered on the memorial’s 184 illuminated benches, one for each victim. Details on the Pentagon ceremony can be found here.

Pennsylvania Memorial Details

The Flight 93 National Memorial, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, begins with an 8:30 a.m. ceremony that includes the reading of the 40 passengers’ and crew members’ names, the Bells of Remembrance, and wreath-layings timed to the four attacks.

A second ceremony begins at 1 p.m., and both will be livestreamed. A luminaria ceremony is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12.

Stephen M. Clark, the superintendent of the Flight 93 National Memorial, will lead the morning remembrance events. Confirmed speakers at the afternoon ceremony include Gordie Felt, the brother of Flight 93 passenger Edward P. Felt, and Capt. Morrie Wiener (Ret.), the pilot who flew Flight 93 prior to September 2001.

Trump administration officials are expected to attend and lay wreaths on behalf of the federal government, though top executive leaders are split across other national sites.

‘Steel Across America’

Trump hosted first responders and FDNY officials at the White House on Tuesday ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The event featured a 16,900-pound steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower and carried across the country by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit created in memory of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who was killed responding to the attacks.

The foundation provides mortgage-free and specially adapted homes to families of fallen or severely injured first responders and military members, assists homeless veterans and supports 9/11 education and remembrance programs.

Its 10,500-mile “Steel Across America” tour has taken the beam to more than 35 cities in at least 21 states and will conclude Friday at Ground Zero.