Kevin Cosgrove

Kevin Michael Cosgrove (January 6, 1955 – September 11, 2001) was an American insurance business executive and victim of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. He served as a vice president at Aon Corporation.

Kevin Cosgrove
Born
Kevin Michael Cosgrove

January 6, 1955
New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 46)
South Tower, World Trade Center, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Cause of deathCollapse of 2 World Trade Center
Resting placeSt. Patrick Catholic Cemetery, Huntington, New York, U.S.
OccupationVice President of Aon Corporation
Spouse(s)Wendy Cosgrove
Children3

Cosgrove is known for the 9-1-1 call he made during his final moments, which ended with him screaming from inside the South Tower as it collapsed. The recording was used during the prosecution of Zacarias Moussaoui, the only criminal trial to result from the attacks. Cosgrove's last words made international headlines.[1][2]

Personal life

Cosgrove and his family lived in West Islip, New York.[3][4][5]

September 11 attacks

Cosgrove was a vice president of claims for Aon Corporation and a fire warden for the company.[6] According to the 911 recording played during the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, Cosgrove was located in the northwest corner of the 105th floor in the South Tower, overlooking the World Financial Center when he called 911 at 9:54 am.[7]

In the recording, Cosgrove tells 911 dispatchers that he is calling from John Ostaru's office and that he has two other individuals with him. One he mentions by name: Doug Cherry. Cosgrove tells the operator: "My wife thinks I'm all right, I called and said I was leaving the building and that I was fine, and then bang!" A 911 operator later calls him; he answers: "Hello. We're looking in [...] we're overlooking the Financial Center. Three of us. Two broken windows." A rumbling sound is then heard as the building starts to collapse. Cosgrove is heard to scream "Oh God! Oh—!" in fear. His call immediately cuts off and ends as the South Tower collapses at 9:59 am.[7]

Aftermath and legacy
Cosgrove's name is located on Panel S-60 of the National September 11 Memorial's South Pool.

Cosgrove's remains were found in the rubble. He was buried on September 22, 2001, at St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery in Huntington, New York.[8] He was 46 years old.[9] He was survived by his wife, Wendy Cosgrove, a schoolteacher, and his three children.[4][10]

Wendy Cosgrove testified during the punishment phase of Moussaoui's trial, in which prosecutors sought the death penalty for Moussaoui. Wendy Cosgrove testified about her husband's last moments when he was trapped on the South Tower's 105th floor, and jurors heard an audio tape of Cosgrove's 9-1-1 phone call in which he told a dispatcher: "We're not ready to die."[4][11] Wendy Cosgrove also testified that their oldest son, who was 12 on the day of the attacks, suffered a decline in his academic performance and had developed anger and self-destructive habits as well as trouble with the law, while their middle child, who was 10 during the attacks, exhibited self-mutilation for which she has undergone therapy.[4]

At the National 9/11 Memorial, Cosgrove is memorialized at the South Pool on Panel S-60.[3]

References
  1. "Jury hears 9/11 victim's scream". BBC News. 11 April 2006.
  2. David Stout and Neil A. Lewis (April 11, 2006). "Moussaoui Testimony Focuses on Tales of Loss". The New York Times.
  3. Kevin Michael Cosgrove Archived 2013-07-27 at the Wayback Machine. Memorial Guide: National 9/11 Memorial. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  4. "Grim 9/11 evidence shown to Moussaoui jurors". Associated Press/NBC News. April 11, 2006.
  5. Times, New York (August 2003). Portraits: 9/11/01: The Collected "Portraits of Grief" from The New York Times. Macmillan. ISBN 9780805073607.
  6. Dwyer, Jim; Lipton, Eric; Flynn, Kevin; Glanz, James; Fessenden, Ford (2002-05-26). "102 MINUTES: Last Words at the Trade Center; Fighting to Live as the Towers Die". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  7. Kiehl, Stephen (September 10, 2006). "'I think we're getting hijacked'". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  8. "Kevin Cosgrove - Remembering Sept. 11, 2001 - Ten Years Later" Archived 2012-06-23 at the Wayback Machine. Long Island Newsday. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  9. "Small things remind of huge loss" The Chicago Tribune, October 15, 2001.
  10. Stout, David; Lewis, Neil A. (April 11, 2006). "Moussaoui Testimony Focuses on Tales of Loss". The New York Times.
  11. "Prosecution Rests in Moussaoui Trial". PBS NewsHour. April 12, 2006. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012.
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