Weehawken honors 9/11 at waterfront memorial as Manhattan skyline glows behind

Weehawken held its annual September 11 memorial ceremony at the township’s waterfront, where residents, officials, and first responders gathered at dusk beneath the rust-colored steel beams of the 9/11 memorial, facing the Manhattan skyline across the Hudson River.

Mayor Richard Turner led the ceremony, reading from prepared remarks as elected officials, police officers, and firefighters stood in a line behind him. Candles flickered along the memorial’s base as the sky darkened and the city lights rose across the water.

Giovanni Ahmad, Weehawken Township Manager and Captain of the Weehawken Volunteer First Aid Squad, spoke about the township’s connection to the events of September 11, 2001, when Weehawken’s waterfront became one of the staging points for the evacuation of lower Manhattan.

David Curtis, a retired Deputy Chief of North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue, addressed the crowd. North Hudson firefighters were among the first mutual-aid responders to reach the World Trade Center site on the morning of the attacks.

A bagpiper in traditional tartan played as officials and attendees held candles. The ceremony concluded with a line of firefighters in dress uniform saluting along the waterfront railing, the lit skyline of Midtown Manhattan — including the Empire State Building in red, white, and blue — visible behind them.

The Weehawken 9/11 memorial sits on the Hudson River waterfront and features steel beams recovered from the World Trade Center. Plaques at the site honor the victims with connections to Hudson County.

Video: Hudson TV