More than two decades after the events of September 11, 2001, a home video that remained unseen for years is giving viewers a different perspective on one of the most significant moments in modern history. The footage, recorded by New York resident Kei Sugimoto, resurfaced only after he began organizing and preserving a collection of aging videotapes that had been stored away for decades. On the morning of September 11, Sugimoto was 24 years old and living in Manhattan. From the rooftop of his apartment building on St. Marks Place, he noticed thick smoke rising from the World Trade Center. Like many people that morning, he initially believed he was witnessing a tragic accident. However, after seeing the second aircraft strike the towers, he realized the situation was far more serious and quickly retrieved his video camera.

Using a Sony VX2000 with a teleconverter lens, Sugimoto recorded approximately six minutes of footage from a northern viewpoint rarely seen in widely circulated videos. While his camera did not capture the second plane itself, it documented the smoke-filled skyline and the unfolding events before the Twin Towers collapsed. The recording provides another valuable visual account of a day that forever changed countless lives. After recording the footage, Sugimoto simply stored the tape with hundreds of other personal recordings, including family memories, vacations, and everyday moments. For more than twenty years, he never revisited the collection or considered that one of those tapes might hold historical importance.

It remained safely packed away until 2024, when he began sorting through old boxes while cleaning a storage area. Concerned that magnetic videotapes naturally deteriorate over time, Sugimoto started converting them into digital files. During the process, he discovered that several recordings had already been damaged beyond recovery. Realizing how much could be lost, he worked to preserve as much of the collection as possible. Among the surviving tapes was the September 11 recording.

After sharing the footage online, viewers were struck by its clarity and uncommon angle. Historians and many members of the public welcomed the video as another firsthand record of an event that continues to be studied and remembered. Its release also serves as a reminder that important pieces of history can remain hidden in personal collections for years before being rediscovered.

Sugimoto’s recording highlights the value of preserving personal photographs, videos, and documents. Sometimes, ordinary people capture extraordinary moments without realizing their long-term significance. More than twenty years later, this forgotten tape has become another meaningful contribution to the historical record, showing that even familiar events can still reveal new perspectives through the memories people choose to preserve.