Hudson County Remembers 9/11: Loss, Resolve, and the People Who Carried Us Across the Water

JERSEY CITY / HOBOKEN / WEEHAWKEN / BAYONNE — September 11, 2025. On the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Hudson County communities gathered along the waterfront facing Lower Manhattan to honor the nearly 3,000 lives taken and to thank the first responders, service members, medical teams, maritime crews, and volunteers whose actions saved countless others. 

The scale of New Jersey’s loss—and the state memorial that bears their names

New Jersey’s official 9/11 memorial, Empty Sky in Liberty State Park (Jersey City), was dedicated in 2011 and features two stainless-steel walls inscribed with the names of 746 victims who lived in New Jersey or had strong ties to the state. 

Local outlets and guides often cite a slightly different New Jersey total (749–750). The state Treasury’s official page remains the authoritative tally for the memorial’s engravings (746), while other counts reflect evolving identifications or differing inclusion criteria across lists. If precision at the town level is required, readers should cross-check the state memorial list with the National 9/11 Memorial’s name database. 

Where Hudson County stood that day—and what happened next

Across the river, Hudson County rapidly became a triage, treatment, and transportation corridor. Jersey City’s waterfront was organized into large treatment zones as evacuees and responders came ashore by ferry and other vessels. 

The day’s maritime evacuation—now widely remembered as the “Boatlift”—moved hundreds of thousands off the tip of Manhattan to New Jersey and Brooklyn. Contemporary and retrospective accounts place the number between roughly 300,000 and 500,000 people over several hours, making it the largest water evacuation in history, with NY Waterway alone estimating more than 150,000 people ferried by its crews. 

Hudson County memorials and places of remembrance

Empty Sky (Jersey City, Liberty State Park) — New Jersey’s official memorial, aligned toward the former Twin Towers site, open daily for reflection.  Bayonne’s “Teardrop” — To the Struggle Against World Terrorism, a 10-story sculpture by Zurab Tsereteli, gifted in 2006 and listing victims’ names from 9/11 and the 1993 WTC bombing.  Weehawken’s Hudson Riverfront 9/11 Memorial — Honors the boatlift, the emergency response, and residents who perished (including five from Weehawken).  Hoboken’s Pier A Park memorial — The city commemorates residents lost; current city communications and local reporting list 56 names engraved, while other coverage has referred to 57; the city’s latest public notices cite 56. 

2025 Hudson County observances

This morning, Jersey City officials held their annual waterfront ceremony directly opposite the former World Trade Center site, at the local memorial where first responders treated victims in 2001. 

Community roundups also list multiple Hoboken and Jersey City interfaith services, vigils, and moments of silence scheduled this week across the county. 

The continuing toll on first responders and survivors

The health impacts persist. The World Trade Center Health Program (CDC/NIOSH) publishes quarterly statistics on enrollment and certified conditions among responders and survivors—data that continue to grow nearly 25 years later. 

Within the fire service, the FDNY recently added 39 names to its World Trade Center Memorial Wall for members who died in the last year from 9/11-related illnesses—bringing post-9/11 illness deaths among FDNY members to more than 400, a figure now exceeding the 343 who died on the day of the attacks. 

Gratitude—today and always

Hudson County’s remembrances specifically thank:

First responders—firefighters, police officers, EMS, emergency managers, dispatchers—who ran toward danger and sustained the region through triage, decontamination, and transport. 

Maritime crews—from NY Waterway and scores of tugboats, ferries, pilot boats, and private vessels—who made the largest maritime evacuation possible. 

Healthcare workers—from hospitals on both sides of the Hudson—who treated the injured and stood ready as the scale of the crisis unfolded.  Service members and veterans—whose deployments and sacrifices followed in the months and years after the attacks. (For current federal recognition and program updates for affected populations, see the WTC Health Program and recent federal rulemaking expanding eligibility to Pentagon and Shanksville sites.) 

How to verify names and local histories yourself

Empty Sky (NJ Treasury) — official memorial details and the 746 engraved names figure.  National 9/11 Memorial & Museum name finder — search any individual name and verify panel location at Ground Zero.  Weehawken / Bayonne memorial pages — context on the boatlift memorial and the “Teardrop” sculpture.  Jersey City ceremony coverage — local reporting on this morning’s waterfront observance.