William Rodriguez, is a native of Puerto Rico, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the State of New Jersey. On September 11, 2001, and for approximately nineteen years prior thereto, Rodriguez was employed as a maintenance worker at the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York, New York.
On 9/11, Rodriguez single-handedly rescued fifteen (15) persons from the WTC, and as Rodriguez was the only person at the site with the master key to the North Tower stairwells, he bravely led firefighters up the stairwell, unlocking doors as they ascended, thereby aiding in the successful evacuation of unknown hundreds of those who survived. Rodriguez, at great risk to his own life, re-entered the Towers three times after the first, North Tower impact at about 8:46 A.M., and is believed to be the last person to exit the North Tower alive, surviving the building’s collapse by diving beneath a fire truck. After receiving medical attention at the WTC site for his injuries, Rodriguez spent the rest of 9/11 aiding as a volunteer in the rescue efforts, and at dawn the following morning, was back at Ground Zero continuing his heroic efforts.
Rodriguez lost his employment of 19 years and his means of earning a living as a direct result of the attacks on the WTC on 9/11. Deeply affected, as one might imagine, by his experiences of 9/11, Rodriguez has, in a variety of capacities and through several different organizations, worked ever since that terrible day to help others who were affected by the atrocities committed. He has continued in these labors, notwithstanding the fact that, due to the loss of his employment, he has been unable to earn a living, and was even homeless for a time.
Here are a few links to news articles which have
included William Rodriguez:
• 9/11 United Services
Group Names Five Victims’ Representatives to its Board
of Directors
http://web.archive.org/web/20051220174831/http://www.9-11usg.org/article.asp?id=70&page=PRESSREL
New York, NY [February 22, 2002]
— The 9/11 United Services Group (USG) announced today that it has named five victims’ representatives to its board of directors. These representatives will assist the USG in assessing the needs of victims, their families and others affected by the events of September 11, help it to examine both long-term and unmet needs of victims, and provide advice on how to serve them better.
(more)
William Rodriguez, formerly an American Building Maintenance employee for twenty years, was responsible for inspection and maintenance at the World Trade Center and held the master key for the stairs. He was the last person to leave the building on September 11 and has been credited with saving many lives.
(more)
• Return to Ground Zero
http://web.archive.org/web/20051220174831/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/terrorism/july-dec04/groundzero_9-13.html
September 13, 2004
New York marked the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks
with a ceremony Saturday at the site of the former World Trade Center. Ray Suarez visited Ground Zero shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, and he returned to the site on Saturday for the remembrance ceremony.
(more)
• WTC survivor a guiding light in disasters
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NTgzMzg1
Saturday, September 11, 2004
By ELIZABETH LLORENTE
The publisher of a Spanish-language weekly tabloid listened intently
behind his vast desk as William Rodriguez spoke about the plight of the
survivors of a supermarket fire in Paraguay that killed more than 300 people.
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from the March 25, 2004 edition of Christian Science Monitor
• A key force behind the 9/11 commission
http://web.archive.org/web/20051220174831/http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0325/p03s01-usgn.htm
Family and victims’ groups have provided a ‘road map’ for the probe, asking tough questions.
By Gail Russell Chaddock | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
WASHINGTON – William Rodriguez was the last man to run out of the World Trade Center. Had he made it to work on time, he and the master key to the stairwells would have been near the top of the complex when the second plane hit.
Instead, he raced up the stairwells he had maintained for 20 years to unlock doors and help people escape. “I was protected for another purpose,” he says. Credited with saving many lives, he received a National Hero Award from the Senate of Puerto Rico and organized the Hispanic Victims Group.
(more)
• Janitor tells 9/11 panel of brush with WTC thug
http://web.archive.org/web/20051220174831/http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/203065p-175130c.html
By JAMES GORDON MEEK
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON – A hero janitor who helped victims escape from the World Trade Center’s north tower before it collapsed told the 9/11 panel that he came across one of the hijackers in the building a few months before the attack.
William Rodriguez, 43, of Jersey City met with the commission for the first time last week.
(more)
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It’s interesting that you recap the claim from Willie’s lawsuit that he “single-handedly rescued fifteen (15) persons from the WTC”.
I tried to do some fact-checking on this point a couple of years ago and Willie refused to provide any details or verification. His website william911 has now downgraded the claim to “initially saved fifteen (15) persons from the WTC to safety by leading and helping them out of the Basement of Tower One”. It would appear that he led his ABM co-workers from the office to the street (when they already knew their way to the street) and that he made of this the claim that he had single-handedly rescued them.
His claim on C-Span that his key “saved hundreds” by “opening doors and letting people out” is similarly inconsistent with the truth. The people were not locked in!
William Rodriguez’s nonsense has been greatly discrediting to the 9/11 Truth movement.
Within 2003-2010 I investigated why WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings after terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 collapsed. Also I investigated who were behind of this attack?
Result was astonished, because WTC buildings collapsed on 9-11 in result of hidden ten inexcusable, prohibitive and fatal mistakes in design. It was shown in book “Conspiracy: collapse of WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings after terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 as result of hidden ten inexcusable, prohibitive and fatal mistakes in design” published by Xlibris Corporation. These mistakes were included in design in 1960s.Manuscript “Collapse of WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings and dead of 80,000 USA citizens after terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 was foreseen as begin of World War 3 against USA” (Unpublished book ©2010).
Well, Konstantin, if it’s true as you claim that the WTC towers were defectively designed, then the NIST agency of the US federal government is covering that up and participating in an insurance fraud. So whether your claims are true or not, we still need new investigations of 9/11–and William Rodriguez is still a lying con artist.
It may be these mistakes were included in design of WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings with help of Intelligence Service representatives of Terrorist #1, or Country – Author of terrorist attack on September 11, 2001?
Also, it may be these mistakes were included in design of WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings thanks mediocre level of structural engineers which designed these buildings? It does not matter, collapse took place.
In published in 2009 by Xlibris Corporation book “Conspiracy: collapse of WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings after terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 as result of hidden ten inexcusable, prohibitive and fatal mistakes in design”, page 13 was written: If on September 11, 2001 terrorist attack did not happen, preliminary these buildings were doomed to collapse within next 6-27 years. At my opinion WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings were doomed to collapse within the time do not exciding 8 years.
If WTC-7 building which collapsed in 2011 had some mistakes in design as WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings, it states that author’s of this article supposition in 2009 about time of collapse of WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings, if terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 did not happen, was correct.
WTC-1 building collapsed after impact of plane and caused fire over one hour and 40 minutes and WTC-2 building collapsed after impact of plane and caused fire over 57 minutes.
It did happen thanks accepted unknown incorrect scheme “Steel-span high-rise building” by design of WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings in far 1960s instead known correct scheme “Steel-frame high-rise building” (Empire State Building was designed accordingly scheme “Steel-frame high-rise building” and bomber B-26 in fog did impact this building only did damage it), should destroy in every building any one overloaded perimeter corner core column and partly overloaded some adjacent columns supporting floor-trusses 60’ long, triggering immediately collapse of all core columns of one floor and then collapse within 6-9 seconds of WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings.
NIST agency of the US federal government cannot to be charged in participating in an insurance fraud, because less mediocre structural engineers which designed WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings simple did not know that warmed floor-trusses were able to break any one overloaded perimeter corner core column, triggering collapse of WTC-1 and WTC-2 buildings.
Sorry, only yesterday I read your information. But, better later than never. Konstantin Radtchenko
It was copy-righted in 2012 in Library of Congress manuscript “USA should escape World war 3 started by our enemies on September 11, 2001, but postponed at same day on unknown date”.
In this book it will be shown author’s sight of most events that were started in 1960s, were continued on September 11, 2001 and were not ended in year 2012.