Ground Zero Steel To Be Presented At Wayne 9/11 Memorial

WAYNE, NJ — A piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center site will be unveiled in Wayne on Friday as the township marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The roughly 3-foot steel beam has been mounted on a granite block at the entrance to Wayne's 9/11 Memorial Park, located near the municipal building on Valley Road. A bronze plaque is expected to be added later.

Councilman Frank Pietropaolo announced the addition during the Sept. 2 Township Council meeting. According to NorthJersey.com, Pietropaolo began researching how to obtain a piece of Ground Zero steel about a year ago, before he was elected to the council.

The Association of Former New Jersey State Troopers helped procure the steel, although Pietropaolo did not disclose its exact source. Donations covered the cost of the monument, with Pietropaolo thanking first responders as well as J. Fletcher Creamer & Son and Salomone Bros. for their assistance.

Pietropaolo also has a personal connection to the Ground Zero recovery effort. He works for J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, which sent heavy equipment to the site following the attacks. Pietropaolo told NorthJersey.com that he traveled to Ground Zero in a tractor-trailer the day after the attacks.

The new artifact will be unveiled during Wayne's annual 9/11 memorial ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday at the memorial park, which honors seven Wayne residents who were killed in the attacks. The township's memorial is located alongside the municipal complex on Valley Road.