OAN Staff Abril Elfi
11:38 AM – Thursday, August 7, 2025
The remains of three victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, which transpired on September 11, 2001, have been identified nearly 24 years after the horrific tragedy.
On Thursday, New York City officials announced that the remains of Floral Park resident Ryan Fitzgerald and Barbara Keating, of Palm Springs, California, were positively ID’d — as well as an adult woman whose family chose not to release her name publicly. Her photo was not released to the public as well.
According to officials, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner used advanced DNA testing and family outreach to ID the remains. The three individuals represent the 1,651st, 1,652nd, and 1,653rd victims of the terrorist attack to be formally identified.
Newsday reported that Fitzgerald, 26, was working as a foreign currency trader at Fiduciary Trust International in the south tower when the hijacked plane crashed into it. After the first plane hit the north tower, the report stated that he had called his family to tell them that he was okay and about to leave his office. However, tragically, United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower at 9:03 a.m., just 17 minutes after the first crash—before many occupants, including Fitzgerald, could evacuate.
72-year-old Keating was a grandmother from Palm Springs, California. She was described as an active and energetic woman, deeply involved in civic and community work. Friends and family say that they remembered her as “independent, compassionate, and deeply engaged with the world around her.” She had been visiting friends and family in the Boston area and was returning home to California when she boarded Flight 11, according to her obituary.
The medical examiner’s office said that Fitzgerald’s identification was confirmed through remains recovered in 2002, while Keating’s ID and the third undisclosed victim were linked to remains found in 2011. It is unclear why authorities took so long to release the information.
New York Mayor Eric Adams (D-N.Y.) released a statement following the identifications.
“The pain of losing a loved one in the September 11th terror attacks echoes across the decades, but with these three new identifications, we take a step forward in comforting the family members still aching from that day,” Adams said. “As a former law enforcement officer who served our city on 9/11, I understand deeply the feeling of loss so many families have experienced. We hope the families receiving answers from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner can take solace in the city’s tireless dedication to this mission.”
Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham has vowed to continue to work on identifying all 9/11 victims — no matter how long it takes.
“Each new identification testifies to the promise of science and sustained outreach to families despite the passage of time,” he said in a statement. “We continue this work as our way of honoring the lost.”
According to officials, 1,100 victims, which amounts to 40% of those who died in the attack, have yet to be officially identified.
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