John V. Kassimatis, a Greek-American icon of bravery and dedication during the September 11 terrorist attacks, has died at 73. A veteran of the Port Authority Police Department of New York and New Jersey, Kassimatis rose to the rank of Inspector over his decades-long career. He was also a prominent figure in the Greek Orthodox community, serving as an Archon Deputatos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
On 9/11, while stationed at the Manhattan Bus Terminal, Kassimatis rushed to the World Trade Center immediately after the attacks began. En route, he witnessed the second plane strike the South Tower, arriving to a scene of catastrophic destruction.
Kassimatis saves injured, escapes death on 9/11
Inside the North Tower’s Galleria level, he and fellow officers managed a chaotic evacuation, guiding terrified, bottlenecked crowds to safety. When the South Tower collapsed, the impact threw Kassimatis and buried him in pitch darkness. Believing he wouldn’t survive, he joined hands with other officers and Secret Service agents to form a human chain, eventually escaping to West Street using a flashlight.
Once outside, despite his own leg and shoulder injuries, Kassimatis dragged an unconscious, bleeding woman to an ambulance just moments before the North Tower collapsed. He and other rescuers survived the second collapse by sheltering inside an NYPD vehicle.
Kassimatis continued working through the day to set up an emergency command post, later dedicating his official report to the 37 Port Authority colleagues who perished.
In the tragedy’s aftermath, he collaborated with chaplain Fr. Alex Karloutsos to bring former Archbishop Demetrios back to New York for spiritual guidance, and he actively assisted in retrieving sacred relics from the ruined St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.
Visitation will take place on Wednesday, June 17, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Hempstead, NY. The funeral service will be held on Friday, June 19, at 9:30 a.m. in the same cathedral.
John Kassimatis is survived by his wife, Sandy, his children Maria and Vasilios, his grandchildren, and many relatives, friends, and colleagues who knew him as both a hero of September 11 and a man who dedicated his life to serving others.
Related: The Greek-American Victims of 9/11
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