Stanley Praimnath

“On a given day, it was normal for a plane to zoom by a half a mile to a mile away,”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath recalls seeing planes near the World Trade Center on ordinary days before spotting Flight 175.

“When I got to work, people would say, ‘Stan, can you please sign this?’ I didn’t have a clue what I was signing. But they were kind, patient managers. Gradually, the pieces came back.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath describes his confusion signing documents at work as he slowly recovered after 9/11.

“But this plane is coming towards me. I made eye contact. I dropped the phone and screamed and said, ‘Lord, I can’t do this. You take over’. I don’t know why I said that – but thank God I said that.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath describes the moment he saw United Airlines Flight 175 flying directly toward his office window.

“With the most thunderous sound, the plane came and crashed into the building,”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath describes the moment the plane crashed into the south tower where he worked.

“I had to draw out my commute on a map and color-code it,”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath recalls struggling to navigate his commute when he returned to work in a temporary office in October 2001.

“People refer to me as ‘the 9/11 guy’. It doesn’t feel repetitive. It is like unloading baggage from my shoulder, like washing my soul with tears. It is comforting to know that people out there still want to hear.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath reflects on being known as 'the 9/11 guy' and the comfort of sharing his story.

“On 9/11, I was crying out to the Lord under that desk, ‘Lord, let me live to walk my daughters down the aisle,’ and God answered. I walked Stephanie and Caitlin down the aisle. I’ve lived to see my grandchildren, Hannah and Ezra. They don’t call me Papa – they call me ‘Papaya’. Stephanie even bought me a shirt that says ‘Papaya’.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath describes his prayer for survival on 9/11 and his gratitude for living to see his daughters married and grandchildren born.

“I wanted to know what this strange woman was doing in our house with two children, not going home. I refused to go to bed because this strange woman was in that room.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath describes suffering profound memory loss after returning home on the evening of 9/11, not recognizing his wife.

“I got to the wall. The person’s saying, ‘Bang on the wall, I know where you are’. I hit the wall and the person says, ‘Climb over there.’ It had a hollow ceiling, a 10-foot sheetrock wall, a drywall. I remember that so vividly.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath describes being guided to bang on a wall so Clark could locate him behind a sheetrock partition.

“I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna die.’ Somebody had a flashlight on the other end of the floor. The person’s saying, ‘I’ll wait for you’, but I couldn’t hear because I got temporarily deaf when the plane hit the building. As I’m crawling away, the flames are coming closer, licking up the office space.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath describes crawling toward a flashlight in the darkness while temporarily deafened by the impact.

“Brian introduced me to all his friends and family as his blood brother. You could see people looking around, thinking, ‘Something doesn’t quite fit the picture!’ But Brian didn’t care. That’s who he is. He is the big brother I never had.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath describes Clark introducing him as his blood brother at Clark's daughter's wedding.

“I can still remember the flames encroaching and I’m screaming, ‘Lord, send somebody, I don’t want to die.’ I’m crawling away from the flames, dodging all the cables that were hanging in the ceiling, short-circuiting because the sprinkler system came on,”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath recalls praying for rescue while crawling away from flames on the damaged 81st floor.

“I remember flames all around me, as if somebody took a giant bag of cement, threw it in the air and I can’t breathe. The floor above me collapsed and it’s hovering over the desk and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m going to die. It’s gonna totally collapse, crush me to death, or I’m gonna get sucked out by the air pressure.’ You can hear the sound.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath recalls being trapped under his desk with flames and a collapsed ceiling above him after the impact.

“She would hobble me into the bathroom, fill the tub with warm water and Epsom salts, and tell me to soak,”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath describes how his wife Jennifer cared for him during his memory loss after 9/11.

“It’s like reliving that day.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath reflects on retelling his 9/11 survival story hundreds of times.

“That big orange glow that you see there – I’m stuck in the middle of it. Upon impact, it looks like a demolition crew came with a big giant wrecking ball and ripped the entire office. Every wall is flattened. I remember a large chunk of the plane was broken off and stuck in the office doorway.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath describes the devastation of his Fuji Bank office on the 81st floor after the plane struck.

“Then she would put me on the couch. Every day, she would leave an apple, a sandwich, a bottle of water and a notepad. I don’t know how long I was in that state. All I know is that one day, I got up, looked at her, recognised her and snapped out of it.”

Stanley Praimnath · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-07

Praimnath recalls his wife's daily care routine and the moment he finally recognized her again.