The Falling Man - Identification

Identification

The identity of the subject of the Falling Man has never been officially confirmed. The fact that so many people were trapped in the tower has made identifying the man in the 12 photos difficult. It is thought that at least 200 people fell to their deaths, though the actual number is not certain.

The Globe and Mail reporter Peter Cheney suggested the man may have been Norberto Hernandez, based on his research, but, when Hernandez' family closely examined the entire photo sequence, they did not feel that it was him. Three other families claimed the man as a relative, but careful analysis of the photo confirmed the claims to be incorrect.

I hope we're not trying to figure out who he is and more figure out who we are through watching that.

Michael Lomonaco, the chef at Windows on the World, suggested that the man was Jonathan Briley, a 43-year-old employee of the North Tower restaurant. Briley was initially identified by his brother, Timothy. Lomonaco was able to identify Briley by his clothes and body-type. In one of the pictures, The Falling Man's clothes were blown away, revealing an orange undershirt similar to the shirt that Briley wore to work almost every day. His older sister, Gwendolyn, originally helped in identifying The Falling Man. She told reporters of The Sunday Mirror, "When I first looked at the picture...and I saw it was a man - tall, slim - I said, 'If I didn't know any better, that could be Jonathan.'"

Briley, who lived in Mount Vernon, New York, was also a sound engineer. His brother Alex Briley was an original member of the 1970s disco group Village People. A charity has been set up for Jonathan Briley's family.