While the world watched in disbelief as the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, two police officers became trapped 30 feet beneath the rubble, too deep for their cries of help to be heard. The rescue of officers Will Jimeno and John McLoughlin seemed impossible, but what happened next was nothing short of miraculous. Those on site claim a mysterious soldier appeared out of nowhere and conducted one of the most incredible rescue missions of 9/11 before vanishing without a trace. The officers tried desperately to find the hero who saved their lives, but it wasn't until five years later when Hollywood made a movie about the unidentified soldier that the world finally came to learn Jason Thomas' name. In the exclusive U.S. premiere of 9/11: THE LOST HERO on Tuesday, September 8 at 10/9c only on Destination America, Thomas emerges from anonymity to tell the whole, true story of this amazing rescue.
"Destination America is the only network dedicated to celebrating the people, places, and stories of the U.S., and no story better represents the American spirit than that of a man taking selfless action to save others," said Marc Etkind, general manager of Destination America. "Jason Thomas's heroic actions helped transformed 9/11 from a day of tragedy into a symbol of Americans at their best and uniting as one."
9/11: THE LOST HERO debuted in 2014 at the New York TV and Film Festival, where it won the Gold World Medal, and went on to win a Silver Plaque at the Chicago International Film and TV Festival.
"I am so proud of this film as it tells the true story of one of the most epic and miraculous rescues of 9/11. Jason Thomas deserves credit as a great American hero for risking his life to save others on that tragic day," said producer and director Steve Humphries of Testimony Films.
9/11: THE LOST HERO features emotional first-person testimony from Thomas as he walks viewers through each moment of his actions that day and his feelings in the difficult months that followed. Interviews with Will Jimeno and Thomas' loved ones as well as remarkable unseen footage transport viewers back to those fateful moments of hope from that tragic day.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, the doting husband and father of five was on his way to law school when he learned that a plane had struck the north tower. Without hesitating, the former Marine Corps sergeant put on his uniform and drove to the scene, arriving just as the second tower fell. Rescue crews warned him to stay back, but Thomas forged ahead and trekked deep into the concrete rubble in search of survivors.
Traumatized by the things he had seen, Thomas never told anyone about the difference he made until 2006, when the feature film World Trade Center debuted based on
SURVIVOR accounts of Jimeno and McLoughlin's rescue. Thomas instantly recognized the story as his own, but since he had disappeared following the rescue, much of his story was missing. Thomas decided it was time to finally tell the truth about his involvement in the rescue mission.
9/11: THE LOST HERO is distributed by Silverlining Rights and was produced by Testimony Films with Steve Humphries, Nick Maddocks, and David Long as producers. For Destination America, Cathy Garland is executive producer, Marc Etkind is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President.
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