Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, recounted the actions of his brother, FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, on September 11, 2001. While many were fleeing lower Manhattan, Stephen was driving toward the danger after his shift had ended.
Stephen Siller was on his way to meet his brothers for golf when he heard the news of a plane hitting the World Trade Center's North Tower. Despite his shift being over, he turned his truck around and headed towards the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel to reach lower Manhattan.
"For Stephen, there was never really a choice—people needed help, and he was going to help them," Frank Siller wrote. He recalled that his brother had previously expressed concerns about a potential terrorist attack on New York City, particularly the World Trade Center, believing it was a matter of time before such an event occurred.
As Stephen approached the tunnel, eyewitnesses Robin and Joe Raiso observed him. They described seeing him retrieve approximately sixty pounds of firefighter gear from his truck and put it on before running towards the tunnel entrance, which had been blocked by NYPD barricades. After confirming he was an FDNY firefighter, officers allowed him to proceed.
"We were shocked and amazed. Everyone was trying to run out," Joe Raiso later stated. "He was running in." The Raisos last saw Stephen running into the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.
Frank Siller believes that if Stephen was in the tunnel when the second plane hit the South Tower at 9:03 a.m., the experience would have intensified his resolve. He wrote that his brother's final run into the tunnel represents courage, sacrifice, and selflessness.
In Stephen Siller's memory, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation was established to support heroes and their families. Frank Siller's memoir, "Let Us Do Good: My Brother Stephen, 9/11, and the Mission to Honor America’s Heroes," was published on September 1, 2026. More information about the foundation's mission can be found at T2T.org.