EXCLUSIVE: 9/11 Hero Father Mychal Judge's Tragic Final Moments Revealed
9/11 hero Father Mychal Judge's tragic final moments reveal his courage amid the World Trade Center attack.
Sept. 10 2026, Published 6:15 a.m. ET
The final image of mortally wounded Father Mychal Judge – the New York City Fire Department chaplain whom the Chief Medical Examiner's Office listed as the first casualty of the 9/11 attacks – is just one of the many haunting photographs from the day that changed America forever.
Father Mike, 68, had rushed to the World Trade Center upon hearing of the first plane strike, as did many of the firefighters he served, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Priest Rushed to Aid 9/11 Victims
Rudolph Giuliani asked Father Mychal Judge to pray for the city and 9/11 victims.
The Big Apple's then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani asked the Catholic priest to pray for the city and the victims.
Judge prayed over bodies lying on the streets before entering the North Tower and offering aid and comfort to those at an emergency command post.
But when the South Tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m., Judge was struck by flying debris. He was carried out through the dust and rubble by firefighters Christian Waugh and Zachary Vause, NYPD Lt. William Cosgrove, civilian John Maguire, and FDNY EMT Kevin Allen.
NYPD Lt. Jose Rodriguez administered last rites to the beloved chaplain.
Father Judge's 9/11 Legacy Lives On
The annual Father Mychal F. Judge Walk of Remembrance in NYC honors Judge's compassion and sacrifice.
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In the 25 years that have passed, Judge has been honored in various ways for his compassion and sacrifice, including the annual Father Mychal F. Judge Walk of Remembrance in NYC, which follows his footsteps on that fateful day.
There have even been calls for the native New Yorker to be canonized as a Catholic saint.
"He loved the firemen and they loved him... for him they were the purest religious order," said newspaper reporter and friend Michael Daly. "And his feeling being that they were ordinary people, but when that alarm came in, that kind of grace descended upon them."
