The Falling Man

The Falling Man
An unidentified victim of the September 11 attacks falling to his death
Artist	Richard Drew
Completion date	September 11, 2001 (2001-09-11)
Medium	Photograph
Subject	A 9/11 casualty
Location	New York City, New York, U.S.

The Falling Man is a photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew of a man falling from the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks in New York City. The unidentified man in the image was trapped on the upper floors of the North Tower, and it is unclear whether he fell while searching for safety or he jumped to escape the fire and smoke. The photograph was taken at 9:41:15 A.M.

The photograph was widely criticized after publication in international media on September 12, 2001, with readers labeling the image as disturbing, cold-blooded, ghoulish, and sadistic.^[1][2] However, in the years following, the photo has gained acclamation.^[3] Elton John, who purchased it for his personal collection, called it "one of the most perfect photographs ever taken".^[4]

A Time magazine retrospective published in 2016 stated: "Falling Man's identity is still unknown, but he is believed to have been an employee at the Windows on the World restaurant, which sat atop the North Tower. The true power of Falling Man, however, is less about who its subject was and more about what he became: a makeshift Unknown Soldier in an often unknown and uncertain war, suspended forever in history."^[5]