EXCLUSIVE: Radar Reveals Secrets of 'Buried' 9/11 Camera and Unseen Photos From Inside Tower
Radar has revealed secrets of a buried 9/11 camera and unseen tower photos.
Sept. 11 2026, Published 3:08 p.m. ET
Jonathan Walczak has spent 15 years hunting for what he calls the "Zapruder film of 9/11" – photographs reportedly recovered from a disposable camera buried in the World Trade Center rubble that could show extraordinary scenes from inside one of the towers.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Walczak, 38, first learned of the camera as a teenager after reading a 2003 Baltimore Sun report describing film developed by the FBI from a camera found on a victim after the September 11 attacks.
The Hunt For The Lost 9/11 Jumper Camera
Jonathan Walczak spent 15 years seeking the lost 9/11 camera.
Now a journalist and filmmaker, he has filed more than two dozen Freedom of Information Act requests and sued the FBI in federal court as he tries to establish what became of the camera and its apparently unseen photographs.
A source familiar with Walczak's investigation said: "This has become the ultimate missing piece for Jonathan. There are countless images showing the towers from outside, but photographs documenting what people were experiencing inside during those final moments are extraordinarily rare. If this film still exists, its historical importance would be difficult to overstate. It has been considered long-buried, but the images a camera holds from inside one of the Twin Towers is considered invaluable for 9/11 'completists.'"
Reporter Laura Sullivan, who originally revealed the camera's existence, wrote investigators found it in the pocket of a man recovered from the World Trade Center debris and discovered what appeared to be a chronology of his final experience when they developed the film.
Sullivan recalled the photographs, saying: "Unit members found a disposable camera in the pocket of a man who jumped from one of the towers.
"When they developed the film months later, investigators found a chilling chronology of the man's experience that morning.
"The photos show the man, who appears to be a construction worker, standing at the window as the other tower burns behind him. The photos, which include pictures he took as well as a few taken by someone else, also capture other jumpers falling. The man looks stricken, his face one of shock and disbelief."
Inside The Online Archivists Racing To Save History
Jonathan Walczak filed FOIA requests to find the missing 9/11 photos.
Walczak has repeatedly stressed he does not believe the photographs contain evidence of a conspiracy.
Instead, he belongs to an online community devoted to locating, authenticating and preserving photographic and video records of the attacks.
Among those working with the community is Andrew Boston, a Nebraska electrician who helps catalog footage through the Reddit archive r/911archive.
Boston, who was five when the attacks happened, remembers watching television while his father was traveling on the East Coast.
He said: "I do recall the south tower collapse, watching at home. After that my brother and I were sent into the basement, and we played Nintendo. I think my most ever-present thought was, 'Something very bad is happening.'"
Why The FBI Lawsuit Failed To Find The Film
The Federal Bureau of Investigation stated that neither the photographs nor camera had been found.
The search for Walczak's elusive camera has been less successful.
After repeated FBI responses failed to locate the material, Walczak sued the bureau in the Southern District of New York.
The FBI has since detailed searches using terms including "disposable," "rubble," "camera," "pocket," "jumper" and "tower," but said neither the photographs nor camera had been found.
Walczak also contacted Donald Sachtleben, the former FBI explosives specialist who oversaw the Quantico evidence facility visited by Sullivan.
Sachtleben told him: "There were hundreds of thousands of photos related to the 9/11 investigation. I imagine these images are tucked away in some storage bin."
When subsequently asked whether he remembered the photographs, Sachtleben replied: "Somewhat."
The documentary examined other cameras recovered from Ground Zero.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
New Documentary Explores Forgotten Ground Zero Photos
Jonathan Walczak released the documentary 32 Frames: A 9/11 Mystery on streaming platforms.
Walczak has meanwhile investigated other cameras recovered from Ground Zero, reconstructing when photographs were taken and identifying people captured in them.
That work became the documentary 32 Frames: A 9/11 Mystery, released on streaming platforms this month.
Walczak said: "These people really deeply care. It's a community of young people who were impacted as kids by 9/11, who the torch has been passed to."
