08/27/2025
Ron DiFrancesco is recognized as the last individual to escape the South Tower of the World Trade Center alive on September 11, 2001. He recently recounted his experience to the management and senior staff at our office. A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Ron was a trader on the 84th floor of the World Trade Center when United Flight 175 crashed into the building. The starboard wing of the Boeing 767 cut through the floor where he was working. In an instant, the majority of Ron’s colleagues were taken from this world.
After recovering from the impact, Ron and two other survivors resolved to find their way out of the doomed building and discovered a single stairwell that served as their lifeline. Battling through thick, dark, toxic smoke, Ron’s escape route was obstructed by debris and flames. In a compelling and heart-wrenching manner, Ron narrates how the lack of oxygen was gradually causing him to lose consciousness. As he began to fade and physically succumb to the deprivation of air, he heard a distinctly clear voice urging him to rise and continue moving… it was the only way he would ever reunite with his wife and four children. A man of profound faith, Ron attributes the voice to a higher power. To others, he would admit that this voice might have been a final surge of adrenaline coursing through his system… nevertheless, this clear voice motivated Ron to rise, navigate through the burning drywall, and proceed towards safety.
Seventy floors later, Ron emerged into the square between the Twin Towers and described the scene as one of unimaginable horror… “a war zone.” A security guard directed Ron back inside and recommended that he utilize the concourse level to move south and away from the devastation on the ground. As Ron descended to the lower levels, he experienced a surge of energy, witnessed a fireball to his right, and was propelled through the concourse.
Upon waking in the hospital three days later, Ron was alive. He had suffered burns to 80% of his body, a fractured vertebra, and deep lacerations on his head.Ron’s next memory was of his wife Mary at his bedside. Ron DiFrancesco had survived the worst terror attack in American history and, according to Forbes and Time Magazine, was the last person to get out of the South Tower of the World Trade Center alive. 💔💔💔
🕊️ REST IN PEACE, OUR HEROES 🙏🇺🇲
TONIGHT, WE HONOR THE BRAVE SOULS OF RES1CUE
Who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001.
