The identity of the man captured in the now-iconic "Falling Man" photograph from Sept. 11, 2001, remains unproven more than two decades later, and one relative of a likely candidate says she prefers it that way. Gwen Briley, 71, told the Daily Mail she does not want to know conclusively whether the figure is her brother, Jonathan Briley, and instead sees the image as representing every person who died in the attacks.
The photograph, taken by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew, shows a man plunging headfirst from near the top of the North Tower. Although the image has long haunted the public imagination, no definitive identification has been made. The most widely discussed candidate is Jonathan Briley, a 43-year-old sound engineer who worked at the Windows on the World restaurant on the tower's 106th and 107th floors. Reporting by Esquire journalist Tom Junod and others has pointed to several circumstantial clues linking Briley to the image: some frames show a jacket blown back to reveal an orange T-shirt, a facial hair style and a lanky frame consistent with Briley, who was about 6 feet 5 inches tall, and Briley had known respiratory issues that would have put him at particular risk when smoke filled the restaurant.
Other possible identifications have been proposed over the years and contested by family members. Two decades ago some reports suggested the man might be Norberto Hernandez, a pastry chef at Windows on the World; members of Hernandez's family later rejected that identification, saying the clothing shown in the photograph did not match what he would have worn that morning. After the attacks, the lack of an exit from the upper floors and extreme conditions inside the towers are estimated to have led to roughly 200 people falling or jumping from the buildings, a detail often cited in discussions of images from the scene.
Gwen Briley described her brother as a technological enthusiast and a kind, generous man who had recently been ordained a deacon at his church. She said her family focuses on memories of him and on the broader suffering of those trapped in the towers. "I don't look at that picture anymore," she told the Daily Mail. "I'm more in the frame of mind of that picture representing every man, every person, that was caught in that building, and the suffering that they must have gone through."
Jonathan Briley, known to family as "Slim," had worked as a sound engineer for hotels and at Windows on the World and had a college degree from New York University. His parents, Mary and Alexander Briley, both later died; Gwen said the family aged dramatically after the attacks and continues to mark anniversaries privately. She said she will watch the annual memorial service on television and listen for her brother's name when names are read at the New York ceremony.
The photograph itself has generated debate since it first circulated. Some news outlets and relatives initially viewed publication as insensitive; The New York Times and other outlets faced criticism from readers and families for running the image. Photographer Richard Drew has defended the work, saying it is "a very quiet photograph" that connects viewers to the human choices and tragedies of that morning. Sir Elton John later acquired the image; he has described it as "the most beautiful image of something so tragic."
Journalistic accounts have preserved both the image's technical details and the ethical questions it raises. Drew has said he captured a series of frames showing the falling figure, and a closer look at those frames has driven much of the identification discussion, including attention to clothing and posture. But those frames and the surrounding evidence have not produced a conclusive identification accepted by authorities or all families involved.
Families of those who died on Sept. 11 continue to weigh how images from the day are used and remembered. For Gwen Briley, the photograph is a reminder of collective loss rather than an object for forensic resolution. She emphasized memories of her brother and the enduring pain of survivors and relatives: "You know, you've got children that will not know a parent, a mother or a father, and parents that lost a child, adult child, if they're still alive, they're still suffering," she said.
As anniversaries arrive, the photograph remains a focal point in public conversations about memory, representation and the limits of visual evidence. It is one of the few widely circulated images that depict a human figure in the act of falling from the towers, and it continues to provoke discussion about how to honor victims while confronting the realities captured on that day. Photographer Drew has said he hopes viewers can accept the image as part of what happened that day; family members such as Gwen Briley say they will continue to remember loved ones in ways that preserve their dignity and shared history without necessarily resolving every question about individual identity.