A 33-year-old man jumps into 9/11 Memorial pool in NYC

Screengrab from DramaAlert/Twitter

While the whole world is still in shock by the latest turmoil between Israel and Gaza, tourists and onlookers at the 9/11 Memorial reflecting pool were also surprised when a 33-year-old man jumped into the iconic landmark.

At about 1:30 p.m. ET, it was brought to the police’s attention that the unidentified man had plunged into the 30-foot north pool. The Port Authority Police had to use a maintenance access door, sources told CBS News.

A Port Authority spokesperson said he was an “apparently emotionally disturbed person.”

A man jumped into a reflection pool at the 9/11 memorial in lower Manhattan on Monday, according to police. 👀‼️

The man was taken to the hospital with a leg injury. Criminal charges are pending. pic.twitter.com/MW23uGz4GH

— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) October 10, 2023

According to NBC News, an emergency medical services team came to rescue the man and brought him to the Bellevue Hospital. Fortunately, he only incurred bruises and some bumps on his back and left leg—though his charges are still pending.

A CBS report said he did it “for his father,” although it’s unclear if his dad was a 9/11 victim.

“We saw the firefighters and emergency personnel come down the escalator,” tourist Lisa Bellow told CBS.

@tmz A man jumped into the reflecting pool at the 9/11 Memorial in #NYC ♬ original sound – TMZ

Due to this 9/11 Memorial pool incident, security quickly took action by installing chains around the pool to prevent the public from jumping.

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The 9/11 Memorial Pools

The reflection pools are dedicated to remembering the 9/11 victims located in the heart of Lower Manhattan. These pools stand where the Twin Towers once were.

Situated on a 16-acre landmark making up the World Trade Center complex, these memorials hold a deep significance. With each pool descending to 30 feet into a basin and dropping another 20 feet into a “central void,” these are places of remembrance for the families left by the 9/11 victims.

Around the pools are the inscribed names of 2,983 people who lost their lives in the September 2001 attack as well as those who died in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The names etched in bronze are a reminder of the lives forever changed by these unfortunate events.