For Immediate Release – September 6, 2024
MIDDLETOWN, NJ – Middletown Township will be hosting a silent memorial service on Wednesday, September 11th in honor of the 23rd anniversary of the World Trade Center attack. All members of the community are invited to attend the ceremony that will begin at 7:00 PM at the Middletown World Trade Center Memorial Gardens, located next to the Middletown Arts Center (36 Church Street). General parking will be available at the main lot at the Middletown Train Station. The tribute will be held rain or shine.
This anniversary tribute will honor the 37 residents who perished on that tragic day and those who have died from 9/11-related illnesses, including late Detective Lt. Joseph Capriotti, known as the "keeper of the list". He personally notified every Middletown family who lost a loved one that day.
Prior to the memorial service, Middletown PBA Local 124 will be holding its 4th annual 9/11 Memorial 5K on Saturday, September 7th. Proceeds will be donated to a scholarship that the PBA is creating in honor of Detective Lt. Joseph Capriotti and to local nonprofit The P.O. Ken Tietjen Memorial Foundation, which was created in memory of late Middletown resident, police officer, and volunteer firefighter Kenneth Tietjen who gave his life in the line of duty on September 11, 2001. Please visit www.middletownnj.org/pba5k to register and for more information.
The 37 residents honored at the Gardens are:
- Lorraine D. Antigua
- Jane S. Beatty
- Donna Bernaerts-Kearns
- Alfred J. Braca
- Ronald M. Breitweiser
- Patrick J. Buhse
- Stephen J. Cangialosi
- Swede Joseph Chevalier
- Dolores Marie Costa
- Edward Desimone III
- Michael Egan
- David Ferrugio
- Daniel J. Gallagher
- John M. Grazioso
- Felicia Hamilton
- Patrick A. Hoey
- Kathleen A. Hunt Casey
- Brendan Mark Lang
- Rosanne P. Lang
- Anna A. Laverty
- Michael Patrick McDonnell
- Peter T. Milano
- Louis J. Minervino
- Justin John Molisani, Jr.
- James Thomas Murphy
- Christopher Newton-Carter
- Paul R. Nimbley
- Robert Emmett Parks, Jr.
- Nicholas P. Pietrunti
- John M. Pocher
- Beth Ann Quigley
- Gregg Reidy
- Robert Andrew Spencer
- Dick Stadelberger
- Kenneth Tietjen
- Anthony Ventura
- Rodney James Wotton
September 11th is recognized annually as Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance in Middletown Township by the Middletown Township Committee. Flag banners are installed annually as a tribute to the September 11th victims. The flag banners hang on telephone poles along Kings Highway, Church Street, and Middletown-Lincroft Road. The banners are sponsored by local businesses, organizations, and individuals. The flag banner display became part of the Township’s annual 9/11 commemoration in 2011. The project was spearheaded by Tony Fiore, who served as Mayor in 2011 and 2012.
About the Middletown WTC Memorial Gardens
The Memorial Gardens were developed by the Middletown WTC Memorial Committee, a group consisting of family members and interested residents. The Memorial Gardens were opened to the public on September 11, 2003. Construction of the memorial was made possible largely through donations. Visitors are welcome at the Middletown WTC Memorial Gardens, located at the Middletown Arts Center at 36 Church Street, from dawn to dusk daily. The Memorial Gardens continue to be maintained with financial assistance from the Middletown WTC Memorial Gardens Fund in partnership with Middletown Township. Donations for the perpetual maintenance of the Gardens are welcome and appreciated. They can be sent to: Middletown WTC Memorial Gardens, c/o Mayor’s Office, Middletown Township, 1 Kings Highway, Middletown, NJ 07748.
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