This 1992 Silverado Survived 9/11

HAWTHORNE, NJ — Craig Monahan's truck is not the old clunker that it appears to be.

The 1992 Silverado with red pinstripes is a sacred automobile to all familiar with its past.

It is displayed at the Chevrolet dealership on Goffle Road, parked at the end of a long showroom. The immaculate floor and windows are a stark backdrop for the pickup, its upholstery torn and its frame now a mosaic of chipped paint and rust spots.

The truck has been maintained because it survived the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center.

Monahan drove it there that day, later maneuvering it out of the ash and fallen debris. He and fellow firefighters then used it to ride back and forth to ground zero in search of the missing in the week after the hijackings. Their fire company's ladder truck was destroyed when the skyscrapers came down.

"We turned this into our firetruck," said Monahan, 55, of Staten Island."Every day we went down to that pit, everyone got in this truck," the first responder added. "This was our new rig. It served a great purpose”.

Published 9.10.2021 by Philip DeVencentis for NorthJersey.com