By Allison Perrine
MIDDLETOWN – The township recently installed two new components at its World Trade Center Memorial Gardens in preparation for the upcoming milestone anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Now, in addition to the solemn yet serene memorial walkway at the Church Street site, visitors will find two monuments that honor service members and the families and victims impacted by the attacks that day and afterward. Plans for a fountain are underway.
“Twenty years ago, Middletown promised to never forget those who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and we’re going to continue to keep that commitment,” said Mayor Tony Perry. “You hope that on the anniversaries of tragedies like this… that people just stop for a moment, take a deep breath and reflect on what they witnessed, because it is important to remember.”
Preparation work began in 2019 when the township committee sought input from residents to see what ways it could utilize extra materials available from the Twin Towers at its memorial site, which is completely funded by donations. Renderings came in from all over the country.
“This isn’t something that just impacted Washington, D.C., New York City, the New York metropolitan area and Shanksville, Pennsylvania,” said Perry. The events of Sept. 11 reshaped America.
The idea that was ultimately selected came from Middletown resident and artist Riccardo Berlingeri [see editor’s note below], who drafted up plans for a fountain at the site. Part of his inspiration came from his partner who was in the World Trade Center Sept. 11; the two still live in the township today.
Fundraising efforts began from there and, with their success, officials planned for an additional two new monuments at the site. The first is a dedication to the township’s first responders and U.S. military members, which features symbols of each of those departments engraved in stone.
The other memorial is dedicated to Det. Lt. Joseph Capriotti. A Middletown resident and member of the township police department, Capriotti was tasked with informing local families that their loved ones had died in the days and weeks after the attacks. He became known locally as the “keeper of the list” of the 37 Middletown residents who died on 9/11, Perry said. He died in June 2019.
Capriotti’s monument is also dedicated in part to those who did not die Sept. 11 but have since died due to conditions they were exposed to after the towers fell.
“We’ve lost more people than any other municipality outside of New York City,” said Perry. “But there are also people still getting sick to this day, 20 years later, because of the debris and the dust and all of the things that they were exposed to in the Twin Towers.”
With the new features in place, the township is now preparing for its annual memorial ceremony Sept. 11 at the gardens at 6:30 p.m. The 20-year anniversary of the attacks will be an opportunity for all to reflect on the events of the day as well as what has come out of society since then. From the horrors of 9/11 came organizations like Stephy’s Place, a nonprofit created by a group of grieving individuals that has now helped others for years, Perry said.
“In times of tragedy we find ourselves questioning why, but realizing that our capacity to handle a situation is limitless,” said Perry. “We all remember that patriotism that we felt when the New York City Fire Department raised the American flag above the rubble. We all remember George W. Bush, with a bullhorn on top of the rubble thanking all the volunteers, all the firefighters, the police officers, the people just dragging people out of harm’s way.
“And today, we remember those things and those other moments that occurred outside of the horrific hours and days of Sept. 11.”
The World Trade Center Memorial Gardens were developed in 2003 by the township’s memorial committee, which consists of Sept. 11 family members and interested residents. It is open from dawn to dusk daily. The 37 township residents who were victims of the attacks are honored on plaques along a walkway under peaceful shady trees. Those honored include: 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; Daniel J. Gallagher; John M. Grazioso; Felicia Hamilton; Patrick A. Hoey; Kathleen A. Hunt Casey; Brendan Mark Lang; Roseanne 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; and Rodney James Wotton.
For more information, visit middletownremembers911.com. Donations can also be sent to Middletown WTC Memorial Gardens, c/o Mayor’s Office, Middletown Township, 1 Kings Highway, Middletown, NJ 07748.
This article originally appeared in the Sept. 9-15, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
[The online version of this article was updated to reflect that Middletown resident Riccardo Berlingeri is the artist behind the fountain at World Trade Center Memorial Gardens. Another name was originally printed in error].
