Ocean County Remembers: 9/11 Victims Honored On 25th Anniversary

Twenty-five years have passed since the day that changed life forever in the United States, when nearly 3,000 people died as a result of terrorist attacks.

The four planes highjacked by 19 al-Qaida terrorists smashed into New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the fourth wound up smashed into the earth near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, when the passengers fought back.

The death toll from the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks includedthe 2,763 people at the World Trade Center, including 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers, after American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Tower, and United Flight 175 hit the South Tower. At the Pentagon, 189 people were killed, including 64 on American Airlines Flight 77, the airliner that struck the building. On United Flight 93, 44 people died when the passengers caused the plane to crash.

Ocean County residents were among those who died that day. Here we remember them.

Peter Paul Apollo, 26, of Waretown. Peter was an equities trader for Cantor Fitzgerald. He was just days from his 27th birthday and two months from getting married to his fiancee, Debbie Johnson, according to the Voices Center for Resilience website. He also was soon to be relocating to Cantor’s Shrewsbury office and was talking about buying a home in Monmouth County. Peter loved fishing, golf, football, skiing, horses, cooking, and summers down the shore, and was always on the go, his family said, living life to its fullest. His family and friends "miss his warm smile, happiness, and determination in life. Peter will always remain in our hearts forever. He will always be our hero," the site said.

John Badagliacca, 35, of Brick: He was a bond salesman for Cantor Fitzgerald, according to the 9/11 Living Memorial website. He had two children with his wife, Nancy, whom he met when they were kids, and they owned a summer home in Brick. They were soulmates, she said in his obituary on NJ.com. He loved boating and sports, and was an all-around handyman. "You were the person that everyone wanted to be with. Your humor, your intellect, your craftsmanship was a gift to anyone who came near you. I am grateful that we had so many years together," she wrote on the Cantor Fitzgerald families website.

Brett T. Bailey, 28, of Brick: He was called "the broker in a wetsuit" in his obituary. He worked for EuroBrokers, but still loved to spend time on and in the water, surfing, swimming and fishing, his family said. He also was quick to help others. Co-workers told his family that Bailey had reached the 71st floor of Tower Two and was helping others when the second tower collapsed. "That's the type of kid he was. He was always taking care of everybody," his mother said. His family created the Brett T. Bailey Foundation, which supports a variety of causes, and the BTB Mako Rodeo, in honor of his love of shark fishing.

Christopher S. Cramer, 34, of Manahawkin. Chris was vice president of tax operations at Fiduciary Trust Company International. He worked on the 90th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center.He commuted more than 200 miles a day to work and was planning to take a buyout in less than a year to retire to Florida, his obituary says, where he aimed to live a life like Jimmy Buffett, beer in hand and toes in the sand. "He wanted to get down there before he went totally gray," his fiancée, Tracy Pereless, said. He was lively, fun and the center of attention at parties, and loved by his parents and three brothers and sister and fiancée, his obituary says. "And if they could, they would apologize to him for forgetting to play Jimmy Buffett at his memorial."

John Robert Cruz, 32, of Lakewood. John, who was living in Jersey City at the time, was in the accounting group at Cantor Fitzgerald, according to his obituary on Legacy.com. He had just gotten engaged to his fiancee, Susan Fereira, two weeks earlier and they were planning their wedding in September 2002. Dozens of remembrances on the Legacy.com site talk about his warmth and his smile and the laughter he brought to the lives of those around him, from school days in Lakewood to his work relationships.

Robert P. Devitt Jr., 36: He was a director of purchasing at Cantor Fitzgerald. He was a 1983 graduate of Brick Township High School and lived in Plainsboro at the time of the attacks. He was adventurous and known as the life of the party, playing rugby and doing crazy stunts to keep people entertained, according to Legacy.com. At Kutztown University he was a rugby player, and had been skydiving, motorcycling and kayaking. He loved to play golf and cook for his friends, and loved his job. "There was nowhere else he would rather be," his fiancee said.

Michael David Diehl, 48, of Brick: He was a vice president with Fiduciary Trust International. He and his wife, Loisanne, were six days shy of their 24th anniversary when he was killed. Their home in Brick was their dream home. He was the grillmaster, according to Legacy.com. "He would park himself in a lawn chair in front of the barbecue with a glass of wine, preparing mouth-watering foods for his family and friends," she said in 2001. "Even in the winter he would don a parka, shovel a path to the grill and sit there like he was on top of the world." On the 9/11 Living Memorial, Lois wrote that Diehl worked in the Trade Center in 1993 when the bomb went off in the garage, and he and three co-workers carried a pregnant woman down 95 stories to safety. "It is rumored that these same four men were last seen on the 44th floor putting people onto elevators to get them out when the Towers came crumbling down on 9/11," she wrote. "I don't know if that is true, but it is what I would like to believe, since we will never know until we meet our Maker."

Patrick Joseph Driscoll, 70, of Point Pleasant Beach. Patrick, whose hometown also was listed as Manalapan, was a passenger on United Flight 93, according to the Flight 93 Memorial website. He was a retired director of software development with Bell Communications, according to the listing on Legacy.com, and a Navy veteran, and an avid outdoorsman and loved hiking in the mountains in U.S. national parks, according to the Flight 93 memorial site. He told his wife, Maureen, that reaching the top of a mountain on his trips was a spiritual experience, where he felt like it brought him closer to God, the site said. He was flying with friend William Cashman to hike in Yosemite National Park to hike when terrorists took over the plane. He and Maureen married in 1958 and had three sons, Stephen, Patrick, and Christopher, and a daughter, Pamela.

Patricia Mary Fagan, 55, of Toms River. Patricia was an insurance claims officer at AON Corporation. She loved her Passion Pink lipstick and she was a devout Catholic who prayed the rosary each day, her sister, Eileen, told Patch in 2011. Fagan was a communicant of St. Joseph's in Toms River and a greeter at the Saturday 5 p.m. Mass. She was the kind of person who made friends everywhere she went, Eileen said in her sister's obituary. "Pat talked to everyone," Eileen Fagan said, "and she knew them all by name — the bakery lady, the hairdresser, the saleswoman at Macy's, the girl in the jewelry store in the mall." They all called and wrote after Fagan's death. Eileen said her sister was "technology challenged" but had a beautiful smile and sweet demeanor. She was well-loved by three godchildren, a couple of first cousins, many co-workers and dear friends.

John Roger Fisher, 46, of Beachwood. John was a security consultant for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and when the first plane hit the World Trade Center, he turned around while driving to a meeting in New Jersey and went back to help, according to his obituary on Legacy.com. His office was in the basement of the Trade Center. "John was one of the foremost experts that I have ever met," said Greg Albanese, a former co-worker. "He was somebody who went beyond the call of duty."

John and his wife, Gail, had seven children and they took family vacations in a pop-up camper and trips to hike trails in New Jersey. When the couple divorced in 2000, John made sure he spent time with both his sons and daughters, his oldest daughter, Erin, said. "It was a heavy load, but he always managed to carry it somehow," Erin Fisher said. "He did what he could for us." "He loved his children," Gail Fisher said.

Harvey Joseph Gardner III, 35, of Lakewood. Harvey was a computer technician and worked for General Telecom in the North Tower of the World Trade Center, according to his obituary on Legacy.com. When the first plane hit the North Tower, Harvey's brother Mark called him and heard him calming those around him; his family believes he was trying to help others to safety. Harvey loved to cook and dabbled with becoming a chef before choosing computers. He also loved martial arts and promoted a healthy living. "He was very spiritual and liked to run on the beach," his mother said. "He had a very kind heart."

William H. Kelly Jr., 30, of Long Beach Township. Billy, as he was known to family, worked for Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Tradebook, according to the Voices Center for Resilience website. He was attending a conference at Windows on the World at the top of the North Tower on Sept. 11, 2001. While he lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, his heart was on Long Beach Island, where he spent his summers growing up and earned himself the title "Mr. LBI." He was kind, generous and the consummate gentleman, a passionate golfer, avid sportsman, a Labrador cuddler, and a great cook, his family said. "Anyone who met Billy made an instant and loyal friend. Whatever endeavor Billy embarked upon, his meticulous focus and passion brought it to life. Whether it was waxing his surf board, cooking Cajun catfish, playing with his nephews and nieces, fixing his boat, teaching his brother-in-law to sail or picking out a bottle of wine, he enjoyed the process just as much as, if not more than, the end result."

Robert C. Kennedy, 55, of Toms River. Robert was a senior vice president at Marsh & McLennan. He was a hard worker and a quiet mentor to women and he had a good sense of humor, his wife of 32 years, Maureen, said his obituary. He loved his office on the 100th floor of Tower 1. "He loved the view. He looked out toward Jersey and could see Pennsylvania on a clear day. He could look down on helicopters and could see the ferries crossing from Jersey. It was amazing how much detail you could see from that height," she said. He loved family vacations to the Outer Banks in North Carolina and visits to the casinos in Atlantic City. The final family weekend together celebrating the couple's anniversary was everything, Maureen and her daughters said in a 2011 interview with Patch. "We were so lucky, because we had no animosity, no arguments," Cathy Kennedy Miller said.

Joseph Mangano, 53, of Jackson. Joseph was a software analyst and an assistant vice president for Marsh & McLennan and worked on the 95th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, according to his obituary on Legacy.com. He and his wife, Kathy, who were married for 33 years, had moved into their dream home in Jackson from Lakewood just 7 months before the attacks. The couple had been foster parents and had fostered about 20 children over the years. He was a devoted father to the couple's children, Michael and Lisa. "He was the best dad you could imagine," Kathy said. He loved to fish and loved Lionel toy trains, but most of all he loved his family.

Ferdinand V. "Fred" Morrone, 63, of Lakewood. Fred was the director of public safety for the Port Authority Police Department of New York and New Jersey, according to the Port Authority PBA website. He was in an office in New Jersey when the North Tower was hit and immediately drove to the World Trade Center, the website says. "He was last seen near the 45th floor of One World Trade Center, the first building that was hit. Port Authority employees evacuating their offices on the 66th and 67th floors said they passed Morrone as he was heading up, offering encouragement and help to everyone he encountered," the website says. He had worked for the Franklin Township Police Department and had been a New Jersey State Trooper, where he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel and was in charge of the intelligence services and casino gaming sections. "One of his last cases as a state trooper was the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, where he and three dozen other troopers were assigned to help the FBI," the PBA said. He retired from the state police later that year and in 1996 joined the Port Authority, where he is credited with starting many programs such as the Port Authority Police Academy’s residential training program, the International School of Airport and Seaport Security, bike patrols at the airports, a scuba team, a Commercial Vehicle Inspection Unit, and Airborne Services Unit, and a Motorcycle Unit. He also toughened training standards for recruits. The Morrone 9/11 Center honors his legacy by providing training in those and other areas.

Fred also served on the board of directors for the New Jersey Special Olympics and on Seton Hall University’s Board of Advisors for the New Jersey State Police Graduate Studies Program. He and his wife, Linda, had three grown children, Fred, Alyssa and Gregory, and two grandchildren at the time of his death.

Edward K. Oliver, 31, of Jackson. Edward was a commodities broker for Carr Futures and worked at the New York Mercantile Exchange building, according to his obituary on Legacy.com. On Sept. 11, he had an early meeting at the main office in the World Trade Center. He met his wife, Sheryl Budke, in Daytona Beach on vacation, and had a long-distance romance for two years, him in Jackson, her in Cincinnati, before they got married. They were married for seven years and had two children, a daughter, Emily, 2-1/2, and a son, Eddie, who was 4 months old when Edward was killed. He loved golf and "The Honeymooners" "and, most of all, sitting on the couch with Emily, eating reduced fat Cheez-Its. (He was careful about his health)," the obituary said.

Cira Marie Patti, 40, of Manchester: She was 40, was a trading assistant at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods on the 89th floor of 2 World Trade Center and was in her office when the first plane hit. She had lived in Staten Island and had spent many summers at the Shore; it's not clear from records when she moved to Manchester but she is honored on the plaque at the base of Manchester Township's Tree of Remembrance that commemorates Sept. 11.

Jon Anthony Perconti, 32, of Brick: He was an equities trader at Cantor Fitzgerald. He and his wife, Tammy, had been married for just over a year and were expecting their first child. Julia was born in December, according to Perconti's cousin Sherri Ciarocco, who said he had been overjoyed at becoming a father. He grew up learning how to cook from his grandmother, and as an adult loved to cook for family and friends, and was known for barbecuing on his big green oval grill he called "the Egg" in the back yard or tailgating at New York Giants or Yankees games. "Jon was the type of person who knew what it meant to live life to the fullest. Never taking anything for granted, always being generous and welcoming everyone into his home," she wrote.

Susan M. Pollio, 45, of Beach Haven. Susan was a broker at Euro Brokers and was always offering to help out, according to her obituary on Legacy.com. She had survived the 1993 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, and on Sept. 11, 2001, called her mother to say she was evacuating. She never made it out. She seemed to live to help others, organizing a prayer service at a church in the financial district for a colleague's daughter who had a brain tumor. She led the service when the priest backed out at the last second. "If she had any flaw, it was that she was too nice. If a bird was in the middle of the road, she'd stop and get it," her friend Karen Kelly said. Susan was active with her church, St. Francis of Assisi on Long Beach Island, and passionate about the environment and against smoking. " She loved her family," her mother, Phyllis Pollio, said on the site. "Her treasures were her family and friends."

James Sands Jr., 38, of Brick: He was a software engineer in strategic development in the eSpeed Division at Cantor Fitzgerald. His passion, however, was scuba diving, and he and his wife, Jennifer, spent hours diving off the coast of Grand Cayman, and he captured a multitude of moments underwater. "He was an advanced level diver who never missed an opportunity to explore Caribbean marine life and capture its beauty on film," his wife wrote. He was always joyful, always had a smile on his face and cherished the time spent with family, she said. He had land-based pursuits — golfing, biking, music, restaurants, Broadway shows, and the New York Giants — but the water was his favorite place, she said. She spoke about it at length in an interview with Patch in 2021: On 20th Anniversary, 9/11 Widow Jennifer Sands Dives In To Her Journey To Faith

Raphael “Ralph” Scorca, 61, of Beachwood. Ralph was an assistant vice president/senior technical financial analyst for Marsh & McLennan on the 93rd floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Before his time in the financial world, Ralph played for the Greensboro Yankees baseball team with his rookie year in 1959, according to NJBaseball.com. He was called one of the hardest-throwing right-handers of the era and "catchers said catching his fastball was like catching a rock," according to the Find-A-Grave site. He pitched professionally until 1962. He was married to his wife, Jane.

Thomas Sgroi, 45, of Brick: He worked for Marsh & McLennan, a consulting firm. He had moved to Staten Island from Brick after his divorce, his son told Patch in 2011. "He loved his job," Mike Sgroi said. "For me, and him, it was exciting." But he remained close to his sons and his former wife, Laraine, who told the New York Times that he loved to take photos, do home improvements and loved to throw parties — and was the life of the party. He cherished loyalty and stuck by his family and friends. "Everyone in the family counted on him," she said. "He was the rock."

Catherine T. Smith, 44, of Manahawkin. Catherine was a vice president at Marsh and McLennan and worked on the 96th floor of the North Tower at the World Trade Center, according to the Voices Center of Resilience website. She and her wife, Evelyn Cedeno, had known each other for years and became domestic partners about six years before Sept. 11. They were planning to retire early to enjoy the beachhouse in Manahawkin that they had built. Cathy was "warm and loving, full of smiles, with a real joy for life. She drove a canary yellow Volkswagen, collected baseball cards, and planned to set up a business trading them," the website said.

Christopher Traina, 25, of Brick. He was a break clerk at Carr Futures. He had decided to pursue commodities after spending a summer working for another company in New York City, and was working toward his goal of becoming a broker, according to the biography written by Meagan Drapkin. He was close to his family and friends, and spent his summer vacation in Cancun, Mexico, just weeks before Sept. 11. Traina loved fishing and boating and just being on the water. He was a huge sports fan and followed the New York Yankees, the Raiders in the NFL, the New Jersey Devils and the Atlanta Hawks. He "found ease and comfort in listening to music," and his favorite bands were Metallica, Soundgarden, and Queensryche, she wrote.