Adam Bruderly was 22 years old and working for Morgan Stanley on the 44th floor of the South Tower when the second plane hit at 9:03 a.m. on September 11, 2001. Twenty-five years later, he climbed 110 stories at Hudson High School's stadium stairs to honor the firefighters and victims who never made it out.
Bruderly evacuated the South Tower after the North Tower was struck, walking out in an orderly fashion, according to News 5 Cleveland. The South Tower collapsed about ten minutes after Bruderly reached the outside, becoming the first tower to fall even though it had been hit 17 minutes after the North Tower, according to Morgan Stanley, whose corporate history places the tower's collapse at 9:59 a.m., 56 minutes after impact. Morgan Stanley had nearly 2,700 employees at the World Trade Center that day, and the firm's Vice President of Corporate Security, Rick Rescorla, helped lead an evacuation that the company credits with saving 2,687 workers, including Bruderly. Rescorla died while making a final sweep for stragglers before the tower collapsed.
A Stadium Climb Standing In for the Twin Towers
The annual 9/11 stair climb took place at the stadium stairs outside Hudson High School, where Bruderly joined firefighters, residents and students climbing the equivalent height of the Twin Towers. The 2026 event was co-hosted by the Hudson Military and Veterans Commission and the Hudson City School District, which capped registration at 150 participants ascending 110 stories for the attacks' 25th anniversary, according to the City of Hudson. The gathering included a bell chime and safety brief before the climb began.
Bruderly, now married with two children, told News 5 Cleveland that the experience has shaped how he tries to live. The station reports he said he uses his survival to live the life he wants and focuses on not taking life for granted. Among those climbing beside him was Ben Stasik, a Hudson and Tallmadge firefighter who wore full firefighter gear during the ascent, and Pat Nagle, a father of four who carried an American flag. Nagle said the event helps people put September 11 into perspective, per the same report.
Why 110 Floors Still Matters
Firefighters responding on September 11, 2001, reached about 92 floors before the towers came down, never completing the full 110-floor climb that today's participants finish in their memory. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people, and rescue and response operations that day claimed 343 FDNY firefighters, 60 law enforcement officers and eight emergency medical services providers, marking September 11 as the single deadliest day for emergency responders in U.S. history, per prior Hoodline reporting.
The tradition Bruderly took part in traces back to Denver, Colorado, in September 2005, when five local firefighters climbed 110 stories in full turnout gear. A replicable template was created in 2010, according to the CNY Stair Climb history. The 2026 event marked the 25th anniversary, and the account does not identify the beneficiaries of funds raised.
A Toll Still Rising a Quarter-Century Later
The losses from 9/11 have not stopped accumulating in the years since, as World Trade Center-related toxic-exposure illnesses continue to affect FDNY firefighters and members. The toxic dust at Ground Zero remains part of the attacks' long-term health legacy.
The long-term health effects of 9/11 have included illnesses among FDNY members, including cancer.
Hudson's climb was one piece of a coordinated set of 25th-anniversary observances across Summit County on September 11. Cuyahoga Falls held a bell ceremony in 2026, and Tallmadge lit 2,977 candles, according to Wadsworth Community Radio. For Bruderly, the stair climb offered a way to mark the anniversary alongside neighbors who were not yet born when he walked out of the South Tower a quarter-century ago.
