LAST EDITED ON 10-20-01 AT 11:38 AM (EST)
Tribute from TV Guide, writer Amy Kover
When Angel Juarbe Jr. cracked the mystery of Murder in Small Town X, he intended to divide his winnings (a Jeep and $250,000 in cash) among his relatives. But Juarbe never got to see his family enjoy their gifts. One of hundreds of New York City firefighters who raced to the World Trade Center to save lives on September 11, Juarbe was among those who never returned.
According to reports, Juarbe's squad had been evacuating guests from the Marriott Hotel next door to the Twin Towers when the seventh-floor stairwell became blocked. Juarbe and another firefighter volunteered to go back up to the 15th floor to get an escape rope they had left behind. But the second tower collapsed, knocking part of the hotel down with it. The 35-year-old never emerged from the building.
His younger brother Charles recalls Juarbe running pickup football games in their Bronx neighborhood. "He was the best athlete, and everybody followed him," says Charles. "But he let everybody play. He never left people on the sidelines." Juarbe handled the Small Town X bickering just as compassionately. "He was for the underdog," says Small Towner Stacey Carmona.
A memorial to Juarbe now stands in the family's neighborhood, thanks to Charles. "I don't want Angel to have gone into the building in vain," Charles says. "I want people to know how proud we are of him."
Email this topic to a friend
Printer-friendly version of this topic
Bookmark this topic (Registered users only)
