The 9/11 heroes who died will never be forgotten.
However, Port Authority Police Officer Christopher Amoroso’s story keeps coming back to me.
Christopher Charles Amoroso was a down-to-earth guy from North Bergen, New Jersey, who loved the Yankees and sports like hockey, football, and baseball.
Chris was one of four brothers and two sisters. He loved watching the History Channel with Sophia Rose, his daughter.
Liked his job
After working as a route manager for Consolidated Dairies, he wanted to be a police officer. After 5.5 years of dedication, he entered the Port Authority Police Academy in 1999 and graduated in January 2000, ready to serve with the same selflessness that would characterize his legacy.
Christopher enjoyed his job and was on a rotation that took him to the World Trade Center on September 11. He could have gone to Newark Airport, but fate intervened.
Christopher and his colleagues traveled from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown to the Twin Towers just before the second jet hit.
He was leading people to safety when last seen. He ran back into the commotion.
Final moments
Todd Maisel memorialized Christopher’s gallantry by photographing him rescuing a woman to safety with a severe welt under his eye before returning to the buildings.
Despite having a wife and child at home, he kept returning to the towers at 29.
Blood coated him, and smoke filled his lungs. Could have stopped, but didn’t. He had gone far beyond what was requested, yet duty and compassion kept him going.
Christopher never left after this photo was taken.
His body was found from Ground Zero after three excruciating months.
Without him, his wife, Jamie, and daughter, Sophia Rose, had to cope.
I knew the second tower toppled. I suspected it would be bad. Jamie Amoroso told NBC in 2021, “I just knew.”
Jaime and Christopher married one year before 9/11.
She knew he was special, and Todd Maisel’s shot highlighted his valor. Christopher’s actions revealed his nature then.
“The photo was given to me,” Jaime claimed. It was excellent and horrible. We have proof of his heroism. He saved her.”
The woman in the photo was who?
Despite many inquiries, the photo’s woman never identified herself.
Jamie often wondered if she survived. She gradually convinced herself that her husband hadn’t rescued the woman and that it was too late—perhaps she had been caught in the collapse.
Todd Maisel didn’t know who she was, but he’ll never forget the photo.
“I know everything. Maisel claimed he remembered it like yesterday.
One of the first officers I saw was Amoroso. Chris wanted to help the distressed woman. It was if the photo revived him. They saw Chris as a hero then. Maisel told NBC she lost two frames.
After 20 years, the woman was identified, and few could have predicted what happened. Someone finally reacted on Maisel’s photo after several social media shares:
This snapshot shows Officer Amoroso helping my mother, Suman Dhamija. According to the commenter, my mother had severe asthma and could not breathe after running down the 2nd storey stairs with all the debris and smoke. “Officer Amoroso lifted her and left the towers. This photo was taken before the 2nd tower collapsed.”
Truth behind the photo
Dhamija worked at the towers that fateful day.
Though she resides in India, she remembers what Christopher Amoroso said.
He told her to relax. In an NBC interview, she said, “We can help.”
She never thanked the 29-year-old cop, Dhamija alleges. Dhamija feels she would have died in the attack without Christopher.
Port Authority Police
“I wish his family and loved ones the best. Without him, I would never have made it, she told NBC.
Grandmother Suman Dhamija remarked on how her life continued while Christopher Amoroso’s was brutally cut short. “I always felt bad because I lived my life and he was so young,” she said.
After discovering the officer who saved her, Dhamija wrote to his widow, Jaime,: “Tell her that she had such a wonderful husband and that I’m alive because of him.”
Jaime cried after hearing the news.
I can’t believe she’s alive. I’m amazed she has the same face, Jaime said.
She’s his last companion. He entered to save as many people as possible. Hearing someone say it.”
Last remarks of Christopher Amororo
Nearly 20 years after 9/11, a new friendship was formed. Jaime Amoroso finally met Suman Dhamija, whom her husband saved, after all these years. The emotional meeting happened via video call.
You look identical. Jaime said with emotion, “If I walked past you, I would have known you from that photo.” “I’m glad he worked that day so you could be with your family.”
Did he look scared? Jaime inquired softly.
Thankful, Dhamija said, “He wasn’t scared, but I was.”
In a society when “hero” is overused, 9/11 rescuers were the actual heroes, sacrificing their lives for others.
He wrote his daughter.
Andrea Conway, Christopher Amoroso’s sister-in-law, read a heartbreaking letter he sent to Sophia Rose in spring 2000 during his burial ceremony. Christopher penned an emotionally charged passage:
“I’m the luckiest man on Earth. If anything happened to me, I could claim I’ve felt true love and happiness. I know it from your mother and now you. Nothing would change if I could change my life. Have no regrets. I love you both more than you know.”
Christopher Amoroso’s death symbolizes the bravery and selflessness of all first responders who risked everything to save others.
The Fire Department’s loss garnered attention, but Christopher and his fellow Port Authority officers, who suffered the highest single-day loss in U.S. law enforcement history (37), deserve respect too.
Christoper’s wife, daughter, and other loved ones should be well. Please share this story on Facebook to honor him!