Staff Reports
A former New York City death investigator has stepped forward again to do the unglamorous work of correcting a lie. In a recent opinion piece, the investigator described the horror of working at Ground Zero and slammed the sloppy shorthand — “jumpers” — that still shows up in museum labels, news stories and online chatter. This is not just about political correctness; it is about truth, respect and basic forensics.
What the investigator actually said
The writer, who worked for the city’s medical examiner on Sept. 11, 2001, reminded readers what real workers at the scene already knew: people who fell from the towers did so because they were trapped by fire and smoke, not because they set out to die. The medical examiner’s office treats those deaths as homicide — victims of a terrorist attack — not as suicides. That’s an important, unambiguous forensic fact that should end cheap and cruel labels.
Let’s be blunt: the “jumpers” word is shorthand for a story some people want to tell — one that blames the victims instead of the murderers. Forensic teams spent years identifying commingled and fragmentary remains. The Unified Victim Identification work and DNA testing were painstaking. This is not a plot twist for cable television. It’s a catalogue of victims, almost 3,000 lives taken by terrorists, recorded by professionals who know the difference between witness accounts and formal determinations.
Museum signage and the language of memory
So here’s the real beef: the National September 11 Memorial & Museum reportedly keeps a sign that uses the phrase “jumped.” The investigator reports asking politely to change the wording and being told the committee didn’t see the problem. That response is tone-deaf at best and cruel at worst. Families of the slain deserve public language that reflects the facts and offers dignity, not labels that suggest blame or misunderstanding. Museums are supposed to preserve memory, not feed gossip.
Time to stop the cheap talk
Words matter. Museums, journalists and editors should adopt the correct language: “those who fell from the windows” or “those who were forced from the towers,” and note the OCME’s homicide finding. The public wants truth, not sensationalism. If you run a museum or a newsroom and you still think “jumpers” is acceptable copy, then you’ve chosen clickbait over decency. Change the sign. Tell the truth. And for heaven’s sake, stop making victims into punchlines.
