Steve Buscemi on rising Ground Zero death toll
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Steve Buscemi, a former NYC firefighter, worked 12-hour shifts at Ground Zero after 9/11.
His return to Engine 55, which lost four men, resurfaces as the death toll.
Background
Before becoming a well-known Hollywood actor, Steve Buscemi worked as a New York City firefighter. After the World Trade Center fell on September 11, 2001, he returned to his former firehouse, Engine 55, and spent five days digging through rubble at Ground Zero alongside his former crew, several of whom were missing. He refused interviews about the work and did not publicize it. The topic is circulating again in September 2026 as the Ground Zero death toll rises.
How it unfolded
- Sep 11, 2001The World Trade Center towers fall; Engine 55, Buscemi's former firehouse, loses four men.
- Sep 12, 2001One day after the towers fell, Steve Buscemi arrives at Ground Zero.
- Sep 11, 2026Posts about Buscemi's Ground Zero volunteer work circulate again as the death toll rises.
- Sep 12, 2026 -17, 2001Buscemi works 12-hour shifts for five days, digging through rubble with his former crew; several of them were missing. He refused interviews.
Still unverified
The retrieved material does not specify the current Ground Zero death toll figure or the source of the rising-toll claim; the posts are social media accounts, not verified news outlets.