Staten Island, New York, Sept. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This morning, 25 years after fallen FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller ran through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel toward the burning Twin Towers where he subsequently lost his life, his brother Frank Siller and members of the Siller family retraced his journey through the tunnel. Together, they carried Stephen’s memory, his legacy, and the promise that his sacrifice – like so many others – would Never Be Forgotten.
The moment marked a deeply personal homecoming for the Siller family and the culmination of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation's four-and-a-half-month Steel Across America tour, which brought a piece of World Trade Center steel to communities across the country in remembrance of September 11, 2001 and the heroes who responded that day.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Stephen had just completed his overnight shift as an FDNY firefighter and was going to play golf with his brothers when he heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center on his personal scanner. He turned his car around and headed toward Manhattan to help. When he found that his unit had already responded and that the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel closed to traffic, he strapped 60 pounds of firefighting gear to his back and ran through the tunnel on foot toward the Twin Towers. Stephen, like so many others that day, never came home.
“Twenty-five years later, walking through this tunnel in Stephen’s footsteps is something I will never be able to fully put into words,” said Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. “Stephen ran toward danger to help people he didn’t even know. We are here today to honor him, the 343, and every hero who has continued to serve in the years since.”
Steel Across America Returns Home
This morning’s walk through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was part of the conclusion of Steel Across America, a journey that began four-and-a-half months ago and carried a 21-foot, 16,900-pound World Trade Center steel beam more than 10,500 miles through nearly 40 stops across the country and back stopping in more than 21 states.
For over four months, the steel has been a gathering place for communities to remember the events of September 11th, to honor first responders and veterans, and to ensure that a new generation understands the significance of what happened 25 years ago. Tour stops occurred at military installations, firehouses, memorials, and other nationally significant locations, including Mount Rushmore, the United States Military Academy at West Point, the White House Ellipse in Washington, D.C.
Now, the journey ends where it began: in New York City, at the very place where the story of Stephen Siller and Tunnel to Towers Foundation came to be.
55 Families Honored on the 25th Anniversary
As the nation marks 25 years since September 11th, Tunnel to Towers is also honoring the anniversary through its ongoing commitment to the families of fallen first responders. The Foundation is providing 55 mortgage payoffs or mortgage-free homes to families of fallen first responders, representing 18 states across the country. Twenty-seven of those families are from the New York metropolitan area — New York, New Jersey and Connecticut — and 15 of the fallen first responders lost their lives to 9/11-related illnesses.
The 55 mortgage payoffs and mortgage-free homes are part of Tunnel to Towers’ broader 343 commitment during its 25th anniversary year, honoring the 343 FDNY firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
“343 firefighters ran headfirst toward danger knowing that they would not make it home that day, but that they could make a difference to people in danger,” said Frank Siller. “Our responsibility is to make sure their sacrifice continues to mean something — both in our memories and in the lives of the families we serve today.”
25 YEARS OF DOING GOOD
In the 25 years since its founding, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has transformed a day of loss into a national mission to support America’s veterans, first responders and the families they leave behind. The Foundation has delivered more than 2,000 mortgage-free homes and has provided housing assistance and essential services to more than 20,000 veterans.
Today, as the nation pauses to remember September 11th, the Siller family is carrying Stephen’s memory forward in the same way it has for 25 years: by remembering those who were lost, honoring those who serve and doing good for those who need it most.
None of these events or initiatives would be possible without the continued support of Tunnel to Towers sponsors, including:
- FOX
- Fox News
- GMC
- The Home Depot Foundation
- T-Mobile
- Boeing
- Anheuser-Busch
- Hamlin Capital Management
- Celsius
- Carpet One Floor & Home
- Masterbrand Cabinets Inc.
- Mohawk
- API Group
- Jiffy Lube
- Turnpoint Services
- IKEA
- UPS
- New York Giants
- New York Jets
- Willow Bridge Property Company
- Esther & Harold Mertz Foundation
- Southpoint Capital Advisors LP
- United Rentals
- Horse Soldier Bourbon Whiskey
- Mission BBQ
- BGR Group
- GE Aerospace
- Exiger
- Amazon
- AE Industrial
- Clear
For the full Steel Across America tour route and more information, visit T2T.org.
For media interested in B-Roll and photos from the Steel Across America tour and today’s events, click here.
Please credit: Tunnel to Towers Foundation
About the Tunnel to Towers Foundation
Born from the tragedy of 9/11, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation carries out its mission to “do good” by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.
Children of the Foundation’s home recipients are offered full scholarships for undergraduate degrees and accredited trade school programs, helping secure their futures. The Foundation is also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America Never Forget September 11, 2001.
Visit T2T.org to learn more, and follow Tunnel to Towers on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Media Contact:
T2TSteelTour@Sloanepr.com
Caroline Magyarits, Caroline.Magyarits@t2t.org
Sean Groman, Sean.Groman@sloanepr.com
